Ep 2. Let Us Prey

As the sixteenth season of Midsomer Murders continues, the second episode, "Let Us Prey," introduces viewers to a troubled church community in the fictional English county of Midsomer.

When the Reverend Martha Hillcott arrives at the church for morning prayer, she discovers that the building has been vandalized, with graffiti scrawled across the walls. Worse still, the body of outspoken church warden and atheist, Alan Hollingsworth, is discovered in the nearby woods, surrounded by religious iconography.

DCI John Barnaby and his new partner, DS Charlie Nelson, are called in to investigate the murder, which quickly becomes complicated by the tangled web of secrets and lies within the church community. The Reverend Hillcott is not the only religious figure in the story; cult-like group Pandora's Box and their leader, Julius Cote, also come under suspicion as Barnaby and Nelson try to uncover the truth behind Hollingsworth's death.

As they sift through the clues and potential suspects, including a dysfunctional family with ties to the church and a local businessman, the detectives must navigate several complex relationships and scandals, including a forbidden romance and a stolen inheritance. Along the way, the team uncover more of the dark underbelly of the seemingly idyllic Midsomer county.

The Midsomer Murders franchise is known for its picturesque rural English settings and seemingly genteel characters, but as the "Let Us Prey" episode demonstrates, nothing is as it seems in Midsomer. The combination of murder mystery and exploration of complex human relationships makes for a gripping hour of television that will keep viewers guessing until the very end.