All Eight Death in Paradise Season 8 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 8 Episodes RANKED!
NOTE: I will discuss Episodes 5 and 6 as one single, extended episode, as they maintain one storyline.
8: Season 8, Episode 1 - "Murder on the Honore Express"
I don't mean to be offensive, but this whole episode was a teensy bit disappointing. The murder was boring, and the lack of Dwayne couldn't be more apparent. The best part of this episode had to be JP believing that Florence's new boyfriend, Patrice, was the new officer, which led to some super silly gags. Ultimately, this wasn't a bad episode, but it was a mediocre one.
7: Season 8, Episode 2 - "Murder Most Animal"
This episode's mystery revolves around a zookeeper being killed by a poisonous dart, with the killer staging it to look very much like a certain coworker of theirs. It's a pretty great mystery! Dwayne's replacement, Ruby Patterson, was introduced in this episode, and I liked her quite a bit from the beginning! Not as much as Dwayne, but that's an incredibly high bar. All around, this was a great episode!
6: Season 8, Episode 3 - "Wish You Weren't Here"
With Florence's engagement, more focus on Ruby and JP with Flroence on vacation, and an interesting accidental death case, this is a relatively solid episode as a whole! Besides, it's impossible not to get at least a little kick out of good old Sherman and the unfortunately female Sherman Mk. 2. Great stuff.
5: Season 8, Episode 8 - "Murder Begins at Home"
With the first of the few cases we get to see with DEtective Sergeant Madeleine Dumas, this episode has a rather exciting mystery where a body is found inside the locked police station! It is revealed that someone attempted to murder the man, but in an odd twist, he didn't die from the strangulation but just passed out from the asphyxiation. He then tries to find help from the police, but he suffers from a stroke before he comes. It is a rather brilliant case if I say so myself. On top of that, Mooney gets a call from Siobhan and attempts to help her with her relationship issues but, unfortunately, feels there's nothing he can do without seeing her in person. Mooney attempts to visit her in London but is sidetracked by the case, and, in response, the Commissioner buys a ticket for Siobhan to come into town. This is a great episode overall!
4: Season 8, Episode 7 - "Murder on the Airwaves"
This episode is the first introduction to DS Madeleine Dumas, which is done rather well! Thankfully, she's toned down a bit in the following season, so she doesn't piss us off too much. But I digress. I like the scenes where JP and RUby try to win over Madeleine in their unique ways and, of course, utterly fail. Madeleine threatens to boot Mooney out of his role as Saint-Marie's Detective Inspector, but she changes her mind in the nick of time when she sees his method to the madness. Great scenes! Outside of the discourse, the mystery here is fantastic, with it focusing on a circumstance in which a famous radio host is killed live on air in an intriguing twist of events. This is a great episode all around.
3: Season 8, Episode 4 - "Frappe Death Day"
This episode has some amusing subplots: illegal crab racing, Florence preparing for her wedding, and Ruby almost being removed from the police force before JP vouches for her! But even better? The brilliant mystery. This case focuses on a woman who tries to frame someone for her murder. The catch? She attempts to frame someone by dressing up as herself. How? She dressed up like herself but with a little bit of difference to make the team suspicious that somebody else dressed up as her, as she had the perfect alibi. Ultimately, this case is entirely brilliant!
2 & 1: Season 8, Episodes 5 & 6 - "Beyond the Shining Sea"
This episode set does a brilliant job setting up settings, motives, suspects, and more! The mystery here takes place during a Saint-Marie festival, and the maiden of the festival is killed during her ritual in front of many bystanders. In the meantime, Patrice and Florence are all set to get married in this episode, with lots of celebratory measures in place. After discovering the information regarding a delayed murder during the first half, Mooney realizes that there are some suspicious details left over from the case, one of which being a phone call taken by Patrice and him spontaneously leaving. Florence follows Patrice and, in a heartbreaking turn of events, Patrice is murdered, and Florence sustains a gunshot wound. The real highlight here is the aftermath of this, with Flroence facing the most challenging moment in her life. Watching her and Mooney discuss the pain and grief of loss was beautiful to watch, and the shocking plot twists that the real murderer was brainwashed by a professional, the person who killed Patrice? Absolute perfection. Ultimately, this duology is one of the best episodes Death in Paradise has ever had.
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The Verdict
The Reel Ranking:
8: Episode 1
7: Episode 2
6: Episode 3
5: Episode 8
4: Episode 7
3: Episode 4
2: Episode 5
1: Episode 6
Common Consensus:
8: Episode 2
7: Episode 3
6: Episode 7
5: Episode 4
4: Episode 1
3: Episode 8
2: Episode 5
1: Episode 6
