Season 10 started with "Dance with the Dead". That was a decent episode, but marred by uneven pacing and padding that would have been less problematic if one overlong and pointless scene was either shortened or omitted.
The second episode of Season 10, "The Animal Within", is an improvement and overall a very good and highly entertaining episode. Not perfect this said. Lisa Eichorn is a little wooden in places, and while of the three murders two are well thought out the last one suffered from a flimsy motive (one of the oldest in the book and for 'Midsomer Murders' a little lazy) and was somewhat unnecessary seeing as the previous two victims posed far more of a threat.
However, the production values as always are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
Meanwhile, the script is smart and thought-provoking with some nice humour, a grimness and with characters that are hugely colourful. The story is absorbing and highly intriguing, with entertainment value galore. It is never simplistic, sometimes creepy in atmosphere, never dull, never confusing (remarkable for an episode with so many twists and turns and so much going on) and the maturity that 'Midsomer Murders' has when on form is more than evident here. The murderer's identity is surprising and the solution well explained.
John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). And the supporting cast are very strong as to be expected, Helen Masters and David Troughton are particularly good.
Overall, very good and highly entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox