I was a major fan of the British serial, ‘Death in Paradise’. It followed the adventures of British detective Richard Poole (played by Ben Miller) on the fictitious Caribbean island of Sainte Marie. Using simple technology and deductive reasoning, Richard managed to solve each episode’s murder and capture the perpetrator. The show was goofy and entertaining, but like any good British mystery, kept me guessing until the end.
So I was excited when the third season rolled around. I turned on the TV some time after it started and dug into the show. My delight turned to horror when I found out that dear Richard had been murdered. Yes, it was his murder being investigated by the new detective, some bug-eyed, guffawing maniac.
Why oh why did these buffoons have to kill off this beloved character? I subsequently read online that the actor wanted to spend more time with his family, so he needed to leave the show. But there were many ways to remove his character:
- He could have been recalled to London in order to give evidence in an important case.
- He may have been hand-picked by the queen to join MI-5 (and work with a one Mr. Johnny English).
- He was promoted and had to return home.
- Ailing family member?
- Death of a loved one?
There were so many plausible ways the character could have been removed from the show. Extremely disappointing. I really am disappointed with the persons on the show who allowed this, director Cilla Ware and writer Robert Thorogood. Disappointing at such a cheap cop-out rather than a dignified exit for this character.
Perhaps I’ll return to watching it. But the show won’t be the same without Richard Poole.