Out on a country road, Joyce Barnaby drives up to where Cully is stranded, her car broken down. Cully transfers photo albums to Joyce's car. Cully says, "Thanks, Mum. I really do appreciate this. You're a lifesaver. The man from the garage said he'd be at least two hours and I've got to get these up." Joyce asks, "Have you got enough for a good show, do you think?" Cully says, "I hope so. Still got a few more promised. People have been coming for the gossip as much as anything." Joyce asks, "About the murders?" Cully says, "Loads of theories, most of them ridiculous." However, as always, the production values are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's occasional grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. When two bodies are discovered by the side of a fishing stream, Barnaby and Troy have yet more murders to solve. At the photography exhibition, Cully and Joyce look at the photos. Barnaby drives up with Quentin in the car. Troy asks, "What's happening, sir?" Barnaby says, "There's been a development. Quentin Roka was our man after all. He's just confessed to the murders. All three. It seems your first hunch was the right one. You see, it suddenly occurred to me that if Gwen Dobson, the local gossip, didn't know about Melrose owning Isobel's house, then it was possible no one else did either. Maybe not even Quentin. It's a long story. Of course, I couldn't have got there without Troy working out the business with the fridge. Good work. You thought it was Quentin from the word go. See the lesson in all this? Always follow your first instincts." Troy says, "I'll get the car, shall I?" Barnaby tells Cully he'll see the exhibition some other time. Barnaby calls, "Hang on, Troy. I'm coming with you." and puts his arm around Troy's shoulders.

When two bodies are discovered by the side of a fishing stream, Barnaby and Troy have yet more murders to solve. Isobel Hewitt had A Talent for Life that some can only hope for. She loves to drive her red Jaguar at top speed and generally enjoyed the finer things in life. Although loved by many, there were those who were not quite so charmed by her. Margaret Seagrove was convinced that she was the member of the local fishing club using weighted lures in the local stream. Her nephew and his wife, with whom she resided, saw her as a burden now that she had spent most of her accumulated capital. The second victim is the local doctor, Duncan Goff, a well-known philanderer who had affairs with many of the local ladies. The police must first determine if both were intended victims, or if one was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gwen Dobson tells Cully about the murders. Cully wonders why anyone would want to kill them. Gwen says, "Doctor Goff - probably one jealous husband too many. " The next morning, Rebecca is clearing out the trash at Isobel's house. Leo comes to look at a table at Quentin's antique shop. Quentin asks Leo what he meant yesterday when he said Keith had bullied Ruth into lying for him? Leo says he couldn't accept Keith wasn't involved. A Talent For Life" takes place in the Midsomer village of Malham Bridge and the story starts when Isobel Hewitt slaps Margaret Seagrove in the face. Margaret wants to press charges and Barnaby and Troy come along to have a word. Isobel Hewitt brags about her slap against Mrs Seagrove and as she talks with her nephew, Melrose Plunkett and his wife Rebecca, they inform Isobel that they can not carrying on paying off her overdraft. Shortly after, Isobel Hewitt and Duncan Goff are found murdered by the river. The next morning, Andrew Turner is casting his line into the river when it gets caught in a tree. He tries to get it down and trips over the bodies of Isobel Hewitt and Duncan Goff. They had been bashed in the head ... Key creepy music.Troy wonders, "There's no way they could have had a thing going? I know they were getting on but you never know with these wrinklies." The detectives leave the Plunketts. Troy says, "The Plunketts have the strongest motive. The house, the land, it's going to be worth a million or two. In the hands of a builder..." Barnaby says, "But if they'd planned it, they'd have known they'd be top of the list. I'm more interested in the windfall. The 20,000 coming just the day before the murder seems a bit more than a coincidence, doesn't it?" Troy makes an insightful comment, "It's the bereaved partners that really get to you. There's something about elderly people being bereaved when they've been in love for a lifetime. Suddenly all alone." Then Cully tells him that the deceased was a serial philanderer. The solution is indeed disappointing with kind of obvious murderer and dull motives, which could have been much more compelling. I would go that far and name it underdeveloped.

It would have been nice if the main suspects had a lot more in them. For example: the fishing plot line, which many characters are part of does feel bit mundane for its own good.At the police station, Troy tells Barnaby he is about to take a statement. A woman wants to press charges of assault against Isobel Hewitt. Barnaby says, "Isobel Hewitt, the Jaguar-owning pensioner?" Troy replies that there was a bit of a barny at the Midsomer Fly Fishers last night. Barnaby accompanies Troy to the interview. Ruth Scholey comes to the restaurant and finds out her husband has been killed. She tells the detectives that as far as she knew the door was fine. She had an argument with her husband earlier because she wasn't sure about the alibi she had given him. He had told her she was being disloyal. Season 6 Episode 1 of Midsomer Murders resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Midsomer Murders Season 6 Episodes... Margaret files charges, which brings Barnaby and Troy to the village. Isobel, an older, vital woman, goes for a drive with a doctor, Duncan Goff in a jaguar. Later, they are both found murdered, beaten with a stake from a fence.

Rebecca rants, "Isobel had no comprehension of economy. As you can see we don't exactly live like lords. It severely stretched us, letting her live in that house, and we've had to scrimp to get by. Isobel, of course, continued to live the high life. I know she's family and you have to be loyal but the truth is, Isobel was a very manipulative woman. Men ran around after her and she did nothing in return." Troy asks, "Which men ran around after her?" Rebecca says, "My husband for one. And Quentin Roka for another. Her antique dealer playmate. God knows what was going on there." Melrose says, "Quentin runs the antique shop near Isobel's. He often helps her out..." Rebecca interrupts, "Wheedling his way into her confidence. With the finances." Melrose says, "Quentin paid the odd bill for her at the Post Office. I am the person who will benefit financially from Isobel's death in that I now have possession of my assets." Barnaby and Troy stop by to speak to Cully. She is working on the photography exhibit. Cully tells them she heard something else about Doctor Goff. Keith Scholey's mother died of cancer last year. Apparently Keith blamed him, said his mother would've survived if he'd diagnosed it sooner. He made official complaints and they came to nothing. Keith said it was a cover up.Cully has returned! She now runs a mobile library of sorts. Glances between her and Troy indicate their attraction is still there. Her absence goes unexplained. It seems her parents bought her a cheap car, which they call Bert. The murder plot itself was interesting, confusing to follow since everyone's a suspect. But watching it a second time when knowing the identity of the killer, makes it much more pleasant to follow what is happening, notice all the red herrings, and enjoy the script as it is. The deaths are not too gruesome and the initial motives were tame by the series' standard as being a sudden crime of passion based on a broken heart. There was a funny bit about how Troy had pegged the killer early on but was talked out of it by Barnaby's doubts. Then Troy came up with a theory that faulted someone else and Barnaby agreed, celebrating Troy's success with Cully and Joyce. However, Barnaby realized Troy's theory was wrong and once again solved it all himself. Troy was embarrassed but Tom recalled Troy's initial gut feeling as correct, and walked off with his arm around the dejected Troy. Beatrice speaks to Barnaby. She says, "I think it more likely Isobel was the target. I spoke to her by phone the night before she was killed. She'd just had the most terrible row with a mutual friend....

At his home, Duncan Goff tells his wife, Dixie Goff, that he has to go see a few patients. He tells her not to wait up. She is working on sculptures in her studio. Didn't mind the character building and establishing the characters and such for the first twenty minutes, and it was quite interesting stuff and added a good deal to the characters, but at the same time it took a little too long to set up and get to the meat of the story. Peregrine's instructs his man, Hastings, to take bottles of bubbly to the kitchen. People pour into the house for the after- funeral reception.The story is hugely compelling, and never simplistic and never losing any of the maturity of most of the previous episodes. There is a lot going on mostly without being cluttered or rushed (remarkable for an episode that as ever is heavy in exposition), and that nothing is what it seems, or very few people are who they seem adds to the complexity, while there are no out of kilter scenes. The twists, red herrings and turns keep coming, and rarely in an obvious or press-the-rewind button. The characters are colourful, eccentric and not what they seem. John Nettles is great at delivering his lines to suspects, especially the arrogant, the wealthy, the upper-class, and those who think he is just a dumb copper. He is humble and yet you can see what he is thinking, and that is pretty cool. Nettles expressions do the acting! The rapport between John Nettles, his wife Jane Wymark, his daughter Cully (Laura Howard), and especially Gavin (Daniel Casey), is usually worth watching every episode. Casey has a classic remark about all the "wrinklies going at it" and whether the elderly could be suspected due to adultery. Although Troy is still prone to utter the occasional insensitive comment, in this episode Tom seemingly shows real appreciation for Troy's contributions to the investigations. The closing scene shows the two walking off with Tom's arm around his young sergeant.