All Eight Death in Paradise Season 6 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 6 Episodes RANKED!

NOTE: I will discuss Episodes 5 and 6 as one single, extended episode, as they maintain one storyline. 

8: Season 6, Episode 8 - "Murder in the Polls"

This is a rather mediocre season finale across the board. It's not awful, but as much as I love DI Mooney's official declaration of staying on the island and Catherine's mayoral candidacy, the mystery is incredibly weak, as much as the episode is fun. For a season finale, this was rather forgettable and quite underwhelming.

7: Season 6, Episode 1 - "Erupting in Murder"

This episode is a rather decent introduction to the brilliant Season 6! It focuses on a team of researchers in a dispute over whether or not they should let the mayor of Saint-Marie purchase the land near a volcanic site. The leader of the research team doesn't want to sell the land and risk losing any potential prospects for research. It turns out that the whole team goes against the beliefs of the leader and kills him in an elaborate plan. This is a great episode, but it is a smidge underwhelming in the grand scheme of the season.

6: Season 6, Episode 2 - "The Secret of the Flame Tree"

This episode takes place on an island that was the setting for a famous Saint-Marie novel, and it deals with a murder that is staged to look just like the suicide that occurs in said novel. As much as I loved the setting here and the JP and Dwayne banter, the actual mystery itself was simply a smidge too predictable for my taste. The whole fake authorship and 100% devoted secretary plot? Sadly, I saw it from a mile-and-a-half away. It was a fun episode, but regardless, it could've been a whole lot better. 

5: Season 6, Episode 7 - "In the Footsteps of a Killer"

As DI Jack Mooney's first solo case, this was a pretty fantastic episode! This episode centers on a multiple-year-old case where Mooney has to prove the innocence of a woman who was wrongfully accused of murder. It was a simple mystery, really, but it was utterly brilliant and a great way to get into Mooney's inner psyche. Ultimately, this was just a fun and above-average episode! 

4: Season 6, Episode 4 - "Stumped in Murder"

This episode focuses on a murder that has taken place in a cricket club. Still, everything gets somewhat funky when it is revealed it is not a murder but a suicide influenced by the deceit and blackmail of an alleged friend of the victim. This "Friend" gaslights our victim here (literally, not the diluted Gen-Z definition of gaslight) into making him believe he caused his son's paralysis through underhanded means, and the father simply can't cope with himself anymore due to believing this lie. This case really makes you reflect on the difference between murder and, simply put, emotional murder. On top of the suicide plot, we get to see the emotional sequence of Martha leaving back to London, which leads Humphrey to eventually make a difficult decision later in the season.

3: Season 6, Episode 3 - "The Impossible Murder"

Since Martha's back in Saint-Marie, Humphrey plans to take her for a romantic night out at a remote, beautiful hotel. Suddenly, while they are having dinner, with Humphrey as a witness, a murder takes place in plain sight—yet it makes no sense as nobody ever got upstairs in the one way possible. In a rather rare twist of events, this episode isn't premeditated murder, nor is it a suicide but, for once, accidental manslaughter. This twist is masterfully done, with many disheartening and emotional scenes that make for an episode full of heart. What a spectacular episode.

2 & 1: Season 6, Episodes 5 & 6 - "Man Overboard"

I lumped these together because they tell a singular narrative, and it'd be rather silly to rank them separately unless one was significantly worse than the other, which, evidently, isn't the case. This two-episode mid-season climax splits its time between Saint-Marie and London, as well as splitting time with the two associated teams, respectively. Heading the London team are Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman and Jack Mooney, assisted by Detective Sergeant Cassell and Officer Dwayne Meyers, and heading the Saint-Marie team is Officer JP Hooper, assisted by Police Commissioner Selwyn Patterson. This duology has some terrific moments, with the introduction of DI Mooney, HUmphrey's happy and permanent reunion with Martha, Dwayne's not-so-happy reunion with his father, JP's testing with the commissioner, the team's reaction to how cold London is and its odd liquor, and so much more. Yet again, like Season 3, Death in Paradise found a believable and seamless way to transition detectives from Humphrey to Mooney. And that's without all the extraordinary mysteries of the episode's case! I loved this episode set for a wide variety of reasons, and, in the end, these two episodes are certainly top-tier Death in Paradise episodes.

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The Verdict

The Reel Ranking:

8: Episode 8
7: Episode 1
6: Episode 2
5: Episode 7
4: Episode 4
3: Episode 3
2: Episode 5
1: Episode 6

Common Consensus:

8: Episode 4
7: Episode 2
6: Episode 1
5: Episode 3
4: Episode 8
3: Episode 7
2: Episode 5
1: Episode 6