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Dark Secrets is the second episode of the fourteenth series of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and was first aired 30th March 2011.

Synopsis[]

The reclusive lives of elderly eccentrics William and Mary Bingham comes under police scrutiny when a social services investigator is murdered. DCI Barnaby and DS Jones must unearth generations of family secrets and decipher astronomical charts to find the killer.

Plot[]

Plenty of dark, dark secrets in this episode. All revealed below.

1975: A teenage brother and sister pack up their suitcases in the car while their father sends them away. Their mother watches tearfully from the doorstep. Their 8 year old sister watches as they speed away. The brother drives like a maniac and crashes into the river. The car sinks. The brother seems unconscious while the sister tries to get out of the car. (It can be speculated that they were not wearing seat belts in all likelihood so chances of either being conscious is poor.)

Present day: Dedicated county social services officer, Gerry Dawkins, tries to see William and Mary Bingham in the Bingham House in order to get them registered for social services. They refuse to answer the door. Gerry puts papers through the door for them to complete. As he is about to leave, the Bingham's daughter, Selina Stanton and her husband, Eddie Stanton, arrive in the driveway with their horse trailer. Eddie firmly escorts him to his car. William watches from an upstairs window.

The same day, Gerry visits The Royal Academy, a local artists' colony, where he asks the residents to register with the local authority. They welcome him by tossing him in a nearby duck pond. (Dawkins should have filed assault charges).

Verity Stanton and her boyfriend, Ben Viviani go horseback riding. Groceries are delivered to the Bingham House. The interior of the house is covered with stacks of newspapers, empty water bottles and empty pizza boxes thrown in a corner. The fridge is moldy and contains multiple pizzas. Elderly William and Mary Bingham are a bit bonkers. William climbs a ladder to toss new papers on the stacks.

The fastidious Dawkins complains to the police and, as a result, DCI Barnaby and DS Jones visit the artists' colony and inform Maggie Viviani and Adam Grace that throwing Dawkins in the pond was an assault. The detectives go to see the Binghams. William and Mary argue inside whether to answer the bell or not. William tells Mary it is not their business. Barnaby and Jones go around to the back of the house and set off one of the explosive devices William has wired up. Verity rides up on her horse and admonishes them for doing so. Verity tells them the "oldies" never see anyone. She's only seen them once in the 10 years her dad has been married to Selina. Verity tells them her wicked stepmother, Mrs. Bitch, is in the horse shed with Ben Viviani.

In the shed, Ben is dealing with a difficult stallion and is instructed by Eddie to get his mother, the horse-whisperer. Barnaby tells Selina and Eddie that he wants to see her parents to make sure they are OK. Ben tells his mom, Maggie, that her services are needed with the horse.

Murder 1: Gerry Dawkins is found floating face down in the river.

Maggie does her magic with the horse. Selina tells Ben she wants to "see him in the house later." Ben tries to tell Selina he would rather not have sex with her. She tells him as his employer, he has to do what she says. (This episode was filmed before all of the sex harassment cases, not that that threat would stop those in Midsomer).

The solicitor, Lawrence Fletcher tells Barnaby the Binghams will not see him. Barnaby tells Fletcher he WILL see the Binghams NOW!! Barnaby gets Selina's assistance to get her parents to open their door. (Upon seeing the horrible state of the house, Barnaby should have the place fumigated). The Binghams provide tea to Barnaby and don't answer his questions. Eddie tells Barnaby that the Binghams made their money when they sold cheap, lousy food to the soldiers in WWI, made a packet and then set up trust funds to live off of since.

Verity tells her dad that she is in love with Ben Viviani and wants to marry him. Upon hearing this, Selina throws up in the corner of the barn. Selina goes to Maggie's studio, takes a knife and slices a painting and tells Maggie that the wedding of Verity and Ben will not happen as Ben is her lover. Maggie tells Selina she will expose her if she interferes with them.

Jones tells Barnaby that there is no record of Maggie Viviani prior to the birth of her son, Ben Viviani. He also tells him that the best source of gossip about the Binghams is "Nosey" Josie Parker. And his gran. Later, Jones reports that his gran says Josie is Eddie Stanton's lover. He has been seen going in to her house. Barnaby goes to look for the medical report into the death of Robin and Jennifer Bingham over thirty years ago. He finds there is no autopsy report on Jennifer as her body was never found. He believes she is still alive.

Barnaby gets a call from Mary Bingham asking him to come to tea where she will tell him all about life in Midsomer Parva.

Barnaby goes to talk to Josie and she informs him she is Eddie's bookkeeper. She keeps track of his financial peregrinations which he then passes on to his accountant with his own colorful amendments. Barnaby asks if he is "on the fiddle." Josie says he is the whole damn string section. She gives Barnaby the financial records.

Mary Bingham rehearses out loud what she plans to say to Barnaby: "What you have to understand, Mr. Barnaby, is the morality of the time. Our parents were really Edwardians. Social evolution was delayed by two world wars. So when the young, us, eventually broke free, I suppose we did go a little wild, crossed certain boundaries, defied the old gods and replaced them with...nothing at all. (gets tearful)...Ah, my babies, my children. I am so very sorry. I can't give you back your lost years, your lost lives....maybe I can make some small amends..."

Murder 2: Mary hears a noise and newspapers are pushed over and fall on her. (Prize if you can guess who could possibly be in the position of having access to her house and able to push newspapers over onto her).

Selina congratulates Verity and Ben on their engagement. She tells Ben to give her a kiss. (on the cheek).

Jones goes to interview the doctor who attended the family back in the 60's. Doctor Frost refuses to reveal anything due to Dr./Patient confidentiality but says he will acknowledge if Jones guesses. Jones guesses that Jennifer was pregnant. Before Jones can guess by whom, he gets a phone call and Dr. Frost leaves.

Barnaby finds a card in a book in the Bingham home that contains a map reference. It turns out to be a map reference for the moon. Barnaby leaves Jones to investigate further while he goes to see Dr. Frost, who has died (a natural death). Barnaby searches his room for information.

Later, Barnaby gathers everyone together in the Bingham barn for the denouement.....

Maggie Viviani does not appear in any governmental records because Viviani is not her real name. Viviani is the name of a crater on the moon. It is adjacent to the crater named Bingham. Barnaby outlines a sequence of events that will lead to this current map reference.

  1. In 1975, Jennifer Bingham is banished from the family home for being pregnant along with her brother, Robin Bingham. He drives too fast and the car crashes into the river.
  2. Jennifer escapes the car and swims across the river. Adam Grace takes her back to the Artist colony and looks after her. She has her child who she calls Ben. Jennifer Bingham becomes Maggie and adopts the surname Viviani because she loves astronomy and because she knows her moon craters. Viviani next to Bingham... Upon hearing this revelation, Selina is upset and angry. Maggie pulls out the red bandana she had when Selina was a child, which Selina recognizes.
  3. Barnaby says it was the shame...that made Jennifer hide away. Robin Bingham was expelled from the "Bingham Camelot" as well as Jennifer. Jennifer had become pregnant by her brother, Robin. "Well even for their pothead parents, that was a bit beyond the pale," says Maggie. And Maggie/Jennifer thought maybe Ben could get back in with the family. She taught Ben about horses and insinuated him into his job, encouraged his relationship with Verity so maybe one day the Bingham estate would revert to its rightful heirs.
  4. Then up pops Gerry Dawkins who has discovered Maggie's true identity.
  5. Mary Bingham decides it's time to tell Barnaby the truth. Who would benefit from killing Mary? If Mary told the whole story, how would that affect Selina's standing in the community- the hunt, the golf club. But Selina didn't know the whole story.
  6. Barnaby had a chat with Josie Parker and the local tax office. He has the account records showing false accounting, milking the Bingham estate, something Eddie and Lawrence Fletcher, Bingham solicitor, would want to keep quiet. "One penny out of place and you are so dead," says Selina to Eddie and Fletcher.
  7. Ben and Verity Stanton are still OK to be in a relationship since they are not blood relatives. Selina, however, breaks down upon realizing that she has been having an affair with Ben (forced), her nephew.

Jones runs up and interrupts Barnaby...

Back at the big house, William Bingham has wired the house and has planted a bomb. Barnaby goes in to talk to William while Jones tries to disarm the bomb. William had guessed that Jennifer was still alive because of her ability to work with horses. And one day she came to the house with her son. When Ben came to work next door, he also thought he may take over the estate and help William and Mary atone. But Gerry Dawkins found out about Jennifer. So William killed him. William killed Mary because she wanted to confess to Barnaby. He says he was just "sending her on ahead." William gets ready to press the detonator for the bomb, but Jones dives and disconnects the wire to the bomb.

As for the Barnaby's, Sarah Barnaby joins John Barnaby at their new home in Causton (having moved from Brighton). Barnaby hasn't unpacked any boxes in the 10 weeks he has been there since he knew she would rearrange things when she got there. She is the new headmistress of Causton Comprehensive. The assistant headmistress, Josie Parker, is not pleased that someone was hired over her.

Cast[]

Gallery[]

Body Count[]

Prior to the Episode

In the Episode

Supporting Characters[]

Episode Images[]

Video[]

Midsomer_Murders_Series_14_Episode_2_-_Dark_Secrets_Preview

Midsomer Murders Series 14 Episode 2 - Dark Secrets Preview

Notes[]

The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes

Quotes[]

  • Barnaby asks Jones if there is any young woman around here you haven't dated. Jones says, "Just looking for the right one. How did you know Mrs. Barnaby was right for you?" Barnaby replies, "She told me."
  • Barnaby says, "Let me see your parents so that I can vouch for their well-being to the social, and all this will go away." Selina says, "My parents will only communicate through their solicitor, Lawrence Fletcher... He will then write to my parents and then they will write back to him." Eddie says, "And they will say no anyways." Barnaby says, "Get Gerry Dawkins in to see your parents within 2 days or it will become an official matter for the police."
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