Season 12 follows DI Neville Parker's (played by Ralf Little) blossoming relationship with Sophie, the commissioners relationship with his newly discovered daughter, Officer Marlon Pryce’s attempt at becoming a sergeant and of course some essential screen time for the shows dreadful CGI lizard, Harry. The season also features a selection of ‘C-list’ celebrities, most prominent of which is Peep Show's very own Robert Webb.
Of particular interest are episodes 6 and 7 which pick up some great pace and genuinely caught me off-guard as DI Parker himself is caught up in murder allegations and we discover the truth about love interest Sophie. However, after 11 seasons some of the shows magic is starting to slip. The wooden acting and heavy exposition were tolerable when they did contribute to the entertainment value. Unfortunately now the exposition is overwhelmingly used in place of a well-constructed puzzle, filling in gaps of plotlines that don’t quite make sense.
All of this eats away at the rather simple conception of the show. The shows creator Robert Thorogood's conception of a murder mystery TV show where all clues are provided. In essence a puzzle solvable from every viewers sofa. Thorogood, was inspired by a true story in his creation of the show. The suspicious events that surrounded Bob Woolmer’s (the head coach of Pakistan’s cricket team) death in 2007 in St Lucia, whereby an English policeman was sent out to investigate. This idea was seen to be adopted well with original detective DI Poole (played by Ben Miller in seasons 1-3) used to show cultural differences through comedy. Now these subtle quips have been reduced to clumsy comments in reference to DI Neville Parkers spice intolerance and signature meal of chicken and chips.
the show has faced well-rounded criticism of its over-representation of rich white holidaymakers and its stereotypical representation of the island's residents
Additionally, the show has faced well-founded criticism of its over-representation of rich white holidaymakers and its stereotypical representation of the island’s residents. Death in Paradises earlier seasons were structured through ingenious puzzle writing and subtle comedy. Some of this magic has been lost through slightly lazy cultural commentary and dubious characterisation, both within the character representation and dialogue of the show. However, the show still fulfils its fundamental goal of entertainment, as long as you’re alright with being mildly irritated by slightly incongruent plots and awful CGI lizards, it’s still worth a watch.