The voiceover tells us that Kreps, a detective in a small town, tampered with evidence in the station and divulged that he freelances as a detective to give city-like expertise to small towns. He also mentioned meeting a special lady in a bar. ..
Mabel breaks the news to Charles. His photo goes up on the board but they both agree he isn’t the mastermind. Oliver darts in with Mrs. Gambolini and a hairdo that suggests an all-nighter. Finally, he has good news about the DNA results: he is the father. Oliver tries to give Gambolini to Charles but he isn’t having it.
The real Rose Cooper painting has been found under the painting in its stand. Bunny had been hanging the fake one and hiding the original.
Alice drops by Mabel’s apartment and gifts her a puzzle on which she has done the art. It is a peace offering and while Mabel appreciates it, she doesn’t want to let her back into her life. She doesn’t trust Alice anymore. The eccentric Brit accepts her reasoning and leaves.
After finding the original, Charles wants to get in touch with Leonara, Bunny’s mother. He calls the assisted living facility where she is placed but he is surprised to find that she hasn’t left the establishment “in years”. The lady also directs him to a photo of hers on the website. And the woman we saw previously is clearly not Leonara.
Oliver breaks the news to his son, Will, who is relieved and emotional at knowing the truth. He is already stressed with the school production but Oliver gives him much-needed confidence. Charles fiddles around with the watch his father gave him (from the painting) and realizes there is something engraved on its back: an address. He looks up a number from the address and his suspicion is proven right. Mabel discovers where Kreps lives and wonders what the chicken logo on his shirt means. She reaches the gym and he is sparring in the ring. She calls him out and insults him repeatedly to break his concentration. She is looking for answers but Kreps won’t be easy to break.
Mabel is a fighter. She keeps up the barrage of attacks on him and even decides to spar with him. Her weekend kickboxing training pays off, as she manages to hold her own against Charles. We intercut between three scenes involving the trio: Mabel in the gym; Charles with “Rose Cooper” (yes, the old lady who claimed herself as Leonara is actually the painter herself); and Oliver in the lift with Teddy. ..
Mabel makes fun of Kreps’ stupidity levels, to which he replies “If I am so stupid, how did I land up the smartest girl in the world?”. A blatant hint for OMITB aficionados that will be made clear for the non-believers in the end. Kreps mentions the OG All is Not Okay from the world of podcasts and Mabel leaves.
Oliver and Teddy have an intimate evening together, sharing their struggles and imperfect relationships with their sons. Teddy promises to keep the truth about Will a secret, and the two are on good terms again. Charles has an interesting conversation with Rose, who tells him that she went missing to become more famous. ..
‘Sparring Partners’ Ending Explained: Who is Becky Butler?
Charles finds a hidden painting inside of a painting that is attached to the wall. As a result, he uncovers a secret that threatens her life.
Charles’ father was a good father to Charles, despite not being able to be the perfect one. He protected Charles from his abusive husband and took the blame for him. ..
Charles finally has closure and is proud of the person his father was. Rose hands over the painting to Charles. Better him than “that woman who came sniffing for it a few months back”. What did she look like? Brown hair and glasses.
Mabel rushes over to her office where she finds Poppy. Cinda isn’t there but Poppy warns Mabel to leave once she mentions the podcast and Detective Kreps. And as it turns out, Poppy is that missing piece. She is actually Becky Butler from the Oklahoma podcast that Cinda claimed to have solved!
Kreps was freelancing and saw Cinda in a pub. He fell head over heels in love with her and tampered with evidence. That is why Poppy (a.k.a. Becky) is so afraid of Cinda.
The Episode Review
Episode 9 of the second season of Midsomer Murders is a strong episode that preserves the show’s best elements. The story is well-told and the characters are well-developed. However, some loose ends are left unresolved, which makes for an interesting finale.
The editing is breathtaking and actually so frenetic that you could see some of the scenes being cut halfway to fit everything in. Before you know it, the credits start rolling. Where did all that time go?
In episode 9, “Oliver’s Heartbreak,” the show’s true USP shines brightest. Against all odds, Oliver’s heartbreak felt so real and intimidating. His dynamic with Teddy is something we have been missing this season. This episode brought the two ailing fathers sailing in the same boat together and gave some sort of closure to their struggles in connecting with their sons. ..
After watching episode 9 of OMITB, I have come to the conclusion that the show was guilty of dragging things and coming up with fillers every now and then. The storyline seemed to be a bit thin in season 2. After watching episode 9, I believe that this is definitely the case.
We were all being misled expertly until now. At some point in the episode, Mable says, “I didn’t see it”. Well, no one did because it was so well hidden until now! If season 2 was 8ish before this episode, it is definitely a lot closer to 10. Fingers crossed for a grand finale!
