Death in Paradise Notes

TV Crime drama – Death in Paradise, BBC/ France 2 drama series, debuted October 2011.
Filmed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, there have been 11 seasons since its debut. Its
stories revolve around the fictitious island Sainte Marie and its small police force. Sainte Marie is a former
British and French colonial outpost, and the blend of British, French and Caribbean culture make for
appealing viewing and some interesting cultural and political commentary.
For the most part, Death in Paradise is a light hearted murder mystery crime drama with the investigations
led by whichever British police inspector/detective is posted to Sainte Marie at the time. Murders usually
involve expatriate Brits living or holidaying on the island, with an occasional local victim or perpetrator to
mix things up a bit, and to possibly aim for a degree of diversity in the show’s representation of Caribbean
and colonial culture. The rest of the police force are Caribbean and/or French locals which may make for a
post-colonial reading that makes some viewers uncomfortable. Overall though, the good-natured and
respectful team work that the team represents diverts viewers from too close a scrutiny of this.
Key to Death in Paradise’s TV Crime drama formula is the Detective Inspector who mixes conventional
policing with often unorthodox “eureka” moments that crack the case. No one else on the team seems to
see the evidence in quite the same way as the Inspector and the regular gathering of the suspects at the
end to reveal the murderer is often as revelatory for the rest of the team as it is the suspects, and the
audience.
However, outside of the decidedly non-gritty, dark city locations we tend to associate with this genre there
are still a lot of similarities between Death in Paradise and your more conventional TV Crime dramas.
Conventions of TV Crime drama;

Opening scene:
 Music sets the scene, coupled with bird’s eye view of the plantation.
 Lots of wide angled shots to reveal the grandeur and wealth of Paradise Skies coffee plantation.
 POV shot from white youth working with the locals picking coffee, looking towards the wealthy older
man and his attractive younger wife hints at possible negative relationship.
 Conflict between Cis Dacre and her brother Benedict on the mansion’s balcony alludes to
racism/patriarchal attitude.
 Dinner scene establishes the combative family dynamic, foreshadows Benedict’s death
 Opening credits come at the discovery of the murder victim.
Opening montage:
 Symbols of the Caribbean location

 Cast members’ names
 Images of police in action
 Upbeat reggae theme music
Settings within the setting:
 Police station
 Crime scene
 Interview locations
 DI Mooney’s house
 Scenic spots around the island
 The bar where the team meet at the end of a case
Narrative structure:
 Starts with sub-plot (1) – DI Jack Mooney joining in on crab racing, typical Sainte Marie culture,
shows he’s getting involved with the community, not a foreign outsider (patriarchy)
 Main murder plot continues (from opening scene) with the team gathered around the murder
victim’s body, theorising cause of death.
 Looking for clues – picking up/scrutinising bits and pieces from the crime scene. DI Mooney makes
an observation about no bookmark in the book Benedict was reading.
 First meeting with the victim’s family/possible suspects, to get alibis and to evaluate group
dynamics.
 Subsequent interviews with suspects at the house, not at the police station (a feature of this TV
series).
 Flashbacks are used to reveal family members’ alibis and develop different versions of the family’s
dynamic/conflicts/alliances.
 Sub-plot (2) Ruby Patterson’s possible breach of police standards used to reveal her “ditzy”
character and to develop JP’s integrity.
 Sub-plot (3) Florence and Patrice’s upcoming marriage and the run-down wedding venue. An
ongoing narrative through the season and consolidates the warm relationship between Florence
and her boss.
 Sub-plot (4) DI Mooney discovers he may have been involved in illegal crab racing.
 Repeated returns to the crime scene and following up on many seemingly unrelated possible leads,
all come together with an obscure clue that DI Mooney realises will crack the case.
 Everyone is gathered at the Dacre family plantation to hear DI Mooney’s unravelling of the case and
to reveal the surprise perpetrator. DI Mooney’s brilliance as a detective is once more demonstrated.
 Reflections on the murderer’s motives – family, tradition, addressing patriarchal values, forbidden
love – are provided, highlighting the episode’s issues for deeper consideration.
 Episode ends with Jack providing a legal venue for crab races – he’s fully accepted into the
community and the rest of the sub-plots are tied up.
TV Crime drama conventions:

Search for clues:
 Bank records/financial checks

 CCTV footage
 Finding the murder weapon
 Medical records
 Social media
 Reading the will
 Post mortem report
 Searching suspects’ rooms/property
 Accessing phone records/calls
 False arrests/red herrings
 Briefing room discussions
 Whiteboard sketch of crime scene/photos and notes about victim and suspects
 Biographies/psychology of suspects given in context of briefing room discussions
 Possible motives arrived at thru clues
Characters
 Experienced, brilliant, a little unorthodox Detective Inspector, sees things in ways no one else sees,
a kind and supportive leader, good family values, a widower.
 Straight-as-a-die Sergeant, JP. Efficient, dedicated and acts with great integrity.
 Ditzy novice Ruby. Local girl with lots of useful (if a little implausible) contacts for clues. Is learning
on the job and occasionally makes mistakes. Her uncle is the Police Commissioner.
 Serious and diligent Detective Sergeant Florence Cassell, is DI Mooney’s 2IC. Also a confidante
and guide for the British outsider, counselling him in the ways of Caribbean culture.
 Commissioner Patterson, a gruff, difficult to please boss. Checks in on the progress of the case,
and has a status in the community by virtue of his rank that he sometimes uses for possibly
questionable reasons.
Issues
o Love; (Florence and Patrice) and non-traditional (Cis and Josephine)
o Family expectations/reputation; unacceptable relationships
o The Patriarchy; overbearing male as head of the family, nearest male heir inheriting the estate

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TV Crime drama – Death in Paradise, BBC/ France 2 drama series, debuted October 2011.

Conventions of TV Crime drama;

 Symbols of the Caribbean location

TV Crime drama conventions:

 Bank records/financial checks

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