All Eight Death in Paradise Season 2 Episodes RANKED!
Many consider Death in Paradise a mediocre detective show, but I couldn't disagree more. This is one of my favorite shows, and it has been for many, many years. I love the mysteries well enough, but even more, I love the characters and the setting! Now, without further ado, I, Brighton Nelson from The Reel Ranker, present to you: All Eight Death In Paradise Season 2 Episodes RANKED!
8: Season 2, Episode 4 - "A Deadly Curse"
I see how this could be an appealing episode to many, but I found it to be one of the weakest episodes of the show. The idea of an episode revolving around a Saint-Marie pirate curse of legend is rather alright, but the big reveal that the treasure the characters were fighting over was an underground palladium reserve was underwhelming and not too interesting to me.
7: Season 2, Episode 6 - "A Dash of Sunshine"
This episode wasn't disappointing like the fourth, but it didn't boast anything extraordinary outside of the small revelations regarding fake sunscreen. I found the arguments between Richard's old colleague, Doug, to be fun and very watchable, but the mystery itself was rather forgettable and predictable. Because I enjoyed the humorous raging of Poole in this episode, it doesn't secure the last-place spot on this list, but it isn't exactly one of the best episodes of the season.
6: Season 2, Episode 2 - "An Unholy Death"
The mystery of this episode is mediocre—a typical gum-in-the-door plot. Alone, this would be one of the show's worst episodes. However, with the character drama involving the precepts of the nunnery and its scandalous dealings, this is quite an intriguing setting, even if the murder plot is basic. Notably, the scene where the Holy Mother attempts to apologize to the Father is very emotionally-acted and one of the most memorable confession scenes of the show. However, as much as the nun drama was unrelentingly entertaining, the mystery was nothing special, in my opinion, making it a below-average episode of Death in Paradise.
5: Season 2, Episode 3 - "Death in the Clinic"
I don't know about you, but an undercover criminal fake-identification organization hiding under the ruse of a plastic surgery clinic is absolutely genius. Like the last episode, the murder plot isn't the most special, but I dug the criminal drama here. And the constant "half-drunken tea" joke somehow never got old! The fact that this brilliant episode is this low compared to the other Season 2 episodes is a testament to the strength of this show's second season.
4: Season 2, Episode 7 - "A Stormy Occurrence"
Like the last two episodes, there's nothing too special about the mystery of this episode. But there's one thing about this episode that made it stand out a lot: the raw emotional scene where DI Poole and Camille are stranded together during the hurricane. This episode shows how much the two care about each other as friends and how, when they put aside their differences, they have a powerful friendship that isn't just a relationship of coworkers. This makes the next two episodes even more heartbreaking when you rewatch this episode knowing Poole's inevitable fate in Season 3's premiere episode. This episode has some of my favorite character moments, even if the mystery ends up being relatively simple (though, I will admit, the plagiarism and second-author plots are interesting!), making it a high-tier Death in Paradise episode.
3: Season 2, Episode 1 - "A Murder on the Plantation"
This episode has an incredible mystery with even better side characters and metacontextualization! The mystery had interesting notes of foiling between the two parties—the family and the new wife's family. This is one of the few episodes that have a sympathetic killer, so much so that I almost wished they had a "get out a jail free card." This episode takes the plot into a morally gray zone instead of keeping things black-and-white, with the killers trying to serve justice for unsafe equipment that killed their father without repercussions for the plantation. While I obviously don't condone murder, this brilliant episode balances sympathy and justice in a way that keeps the episode endlessly gripping, making it an outstanding episode.
2: Season 2, Episode 5 - "Murder Onboard"
This episode has two aspects that make the whole episode extraordinary: 1) the victim was one of Camille's best friends, and 2) every single action on the boat was recorded in real-time in picture form. The former adds a lot of emotional weight to the episode, and the latter makes the whole mystery feel elusive and almost surreal. The scenes where the socially awkward Richard Poole attempts to comfort Camille are fun to watch and build out their sure-but-strained friendship and Poole's soft side in an engaging way. The collection of pictures makes DI Poole and the viewer feel rather stupid for not catching the killer, and the episode continues to convince the viewer to look away from the obvious—like trying to find something in the refrigerator that is right in front of your face. The music aspect of the plot is also the cherry on top as a vocalist myself, and the illicit alcohol bust is also a fun side story to whisk away Fidel and Dwayne on. Ultimately, this episode strikes a perfect balance of everything about this show, making it a quintessential Death in Paradise episode.
1: Season 2, Episode 8 - "A Deadly Party"
This episode has a fascinating concept—everybody at the party has an alibi confirmed by another. It ends up being that multiple people in the party who allegedly saw the perpetrator had made up the man and attempted to pull off the perfect murder for three million dollars. This is one of those episodes I had to rewind multiple times to understand fully, which is always a plus— a complex case to get the mind going! Yet after the brilliantly concise murder of the episode, fifteen minutes of the episode remain. This is where a great episode goes from being focused on the mind to evoking emotions from the heart! And these fifteen minutes are the best part of the episode! DI Richard Poole finally gets a chance to go back to London to transfer a killer to a better facility in London. At this moment, he realizes he has a choice to either stay in London or return to Saint-Marie. This is a beautiful montage that keeps you on the edge of your seat as, frankly, this very much could've been the end of the whole show, where Poole could get his happy ending. The emotional tension here makes for one of my favorite moments of the entire show, and, for not knowing the absolute outcome when it came out, I was overcome with joy when the crotchety Londoner decided to come back. At this moment, the beautiful bond of friendship between Richard, Camille, Fidel, and Dwayne is at its strongest—they may not want to admit it, but these four are absolutely best friends. This episode could've just been a mediocre send-off to DI Poole, but his next-episode death is made infinitely more heartbreaking by this terrific episode.
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The Verdict
The Reel Ranking:
8: Episode 4
7: Episode 8
6: Episode 2
5: Episode 5
4: Episode 1
3: Episode 7
2: Episode 6
1: Episode 3
Common Consensus:
8: Episode 5
7: Episode 4
6: Episode 2
5: Episode 1
4: Episode 7
3: Episode 2
2: Episode 6
1: Episode 8
