Murder is nothing more than common assault with unfortunate consequences.
This is the sixth and final episode of the first season of Rumpole of the Bailey, so I’ll be taking a break from this series for a while. It’s unfortunate that the season ends with what is easily the weakest episode. It’s the first episode to feature an actual murder and Rumpole is invigorated by the chance to return to his salad days among bloodstains and blunt instruments. But this case involves a batch of tough criminals (the “heavies” of the title), namely three brothers who run a vague sort of crime ring. The twist to this episode is obvious very early and the actor who plays the youngest brother, in particular, is pretty bad. After divorce, marijuana possession and such, it promised to be interesting to see Rumpole have to actually deal with a murder, but it isn’t very much, though it does have an endearing final scene that, had the series not returned for six more seasons, would have been a great series ending. Still, disappointing. 2 ½ stars.
tl;dr – first season unfortunately ends with the weakest episode of the series so far, a predictable murder mystery; there’s pleasure here, but this one is far below par. 2 ½ stars.