Death in Paradise (TV Series) A Personal Murder (2016) User Reviews

One of the very best. Dwayne's finest hour.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 9 June 2019]

I can say with absolute certainty that A Personal Murder is one of the very best episodes of the show. I've watched it several times, and it still gets me. It's a hugely powerful episode, with a story that goes beyond the usual whimsical whodunit.

It is definitely the best episode for Dwayne, Danny John Jules shows he really can act, Dwayne is so good here, not to fool he would become in later years.

It's sad, moving, gritty, and intense, not a lot of humour here, the tone is very different.

Superb. 9/10

A glimpse of real life

[heidiivangs · 9/10 · 20 November 2020]

I fully agree with sleepy dragons review. I love most of the episodes and with manyof them, I don't mind to watch them again after a while because I already forgot what it was about. Mostly it's not the plot anyway that gets you hooked but the landscape. But this episode really sticks. The story of the four friends and their traumatizing boyhood experience is so rich in atmosphere, especially in the flashbacks but also in the characters and the the street life around the deceased's barber shop that it is far more than just a comedy. And I also agree it's the most intimate moment for Dwayne, the stereotype tropical hedonist, worth watching.

A damn good one!

[harrykivi · 8/10 · 25 June 2020]

The fifth season has so far been the best since the second. "The Complex Murder" was good, "One for the Road" and "Posing in Murder" enjoyable enough. "A Personal Murder" on the other hand is easily the best "Death in Paradise" episode since "Rue Morgue". It's an entry, which is powerful with its depiction of themes like friendship and love. "A Personal Murder" is not my favorite of the series (" Death on the Plantation" is though), but manages to get very close.

Let's start with good, shall we?

. The production values are great as always. Everything is very well photographed and the music fits the scenery. The acting is very good all around. Danny John Jules shows a different side of Dwayne, which was interesting to watch. Kris Marshall does not act like an idiot and proves of having a modest side to him as well.

. The story is very moving and powerful. The characters are well-written and the" very different" tone to this episode( there is hardly any humor) makes it stick out from the rest. The solution, while not surprising, is quite satisfying (The priest did it).

But...

. For me, "A Personal Murder" does get a bit too theatrical for its own good. Some times the direction makes the story have more weight than it actually does. Also, I would watch "Death on the Plantation" any day, because it's much more fun than this episode. But maybe it's just me...

Overall, a great competitor for "the best of the best".

8,75/10 HK

Outstanding episode!

[markymarc-1 · 10/10 · 23 January 2022]

This is a great example of character development. The writers did a fantastic job here moving Dwayne from a one dimesional caricuture to a relatable human being that you instantly cared about.

The storyline here actually involved the death of a "local" instead of someone British. The DI idiocy was toned down in favor of a more mature, subdued, intelligent and moving performance. The main story explored the bonds of friendship and betrayal very well, and I confess that it brought tears to my eyes at certain points.

The acting was superb all around, especially Danny John-Jules who made you feel the pain of the character and the conflicted emotion in this story.

I give this episode a 10 as it stands above the rest.

Story of friendship and secrets

[ctyankee1 · 16 January 2018]

I thought this was a good story. Cedric the barber dies in the beginning of the episode. He has 3 friends that go way back when they were young.

Cedric dies and his death is suspicious a message on his phone shows up on a phone to cause DI Goodman to investigate if Cedric died by natural cause or if he was murdered.

Cedric had many friends. He was overweight, heavy drinker, had heart problems and more so his death seemed natural and people accepted it.

As the police start looking into things more they find out the close friends of Cedric have a secret to hide.

The ending is good. Goodman does not talk so much or over act like he had been in other episodes.

Dwayne's World

[safenoe · 9/10 · 12 May 2024]

I've been a fan of Death of Paradise since it debuted over a decade ago, and A Personal Murder, from season five, focuses on Officer Dwayne Myers and his circle of friends. It's quite a poignant episode, and all credit to the writers who were bold to do go in this direction to focus on Dwayne and his world init. One issue I'm genuinely curious about as a long-time fan of Death in Paradise. I wonder how the police, really quite seriously, obtain the photos of all the suspects for their whiteboard, like really at the crime scene do they kindly ask the suspects to pose for the whiteboard init, like smile, say cheese, I don't quite get it really. Anyway, much more credit should also be given to the two devoted paramedics who turn up at the crime scene in the ambulance, as they don't get any speaking parts, so we don't really know about them.

A real stinker!!

[lizzieqever · 3/10 · 16 February 2024]

I'll get right into spoilers with this review. I like it when my who done it realistic. This one just really felt stupid. You've got three old and experience men, who've had 45 years to contemplate all the nuances of a crime they committed. And they get scared and digging up the body? That is ridiculous. None of them thought "Hey, They might be trying to scare us into showing where the body is?" None of them considered we might be followed? That's stupid and frankly not believable. Whoever wrote this plot didn't put a lot of thought into it in my opinion. Also, I'm not exactly sure how you would've figured out who did it other than I suppose they had an argument with the person before he died. It felt more like a guess at the end.

Another thing this was in a jungle and 45 years ago. Do writers understand what a jungle is? These men probably hadn't been back there in 45 years where they buried the body. Do you think they made a habit of walking back there and checking it out? Did anyone think how much the area would it changed a jungle in 45 years? I would think it would be more likely they wouldn't have any idea where the body was. Conveniently, there wasn't a bush or a tree around. Looks like they buried it right in the middle of a road or something.

It was pretty easy to figure out they were all in, on it, and even before it was revealed. Also, who else would've sent the text except the girlfriend who found his body and had his phone.