Death in Paradise Season 1-3

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

When Ben Miller decided to leave the cast of “Death in Paradise” after two seasons there was a fair amount of trepidation among fans of this light-hearted British/French detective series.
Miller, after all, had made his mark as the wool-suited Inspector Richard Poole, the detective who had been (unwillingly) posted to the exotic Caribbean island of Saint Marie. Pedantic, never married, and a man who seemingly did not know how to unbend when off duty, Poole solved crimes because – when all was said and done – he was a very good detective.
The producers solved the problem of replacing him in a deft – and unique – way by not simply killing him off but having him solve his own murder with the help of newly arrived DI Humphrey Goodman (played with awkward charm by Kris Marshall.) They were also wise, I think, in developing Goodman’s character as the polar opposite of Poole. Goodman, unlike Poole, is anxious to blend in. To him, this is not an unwanted temporary posting but is, instead, an opportunity for a fresh start in an exotic new place. Married, he is looking forward to life on the island.
Things go wrong for him almost from the start, however. The three members of the Honore police force are still grieving for Poole when he arrives and look at him as something of a bumbler after he falls off a balcony while investigating the death of his predecessor. He also discovers, fairly quickly, that his wife isn’t coming to the island; is, in fact, leaving him. Unlike Poole, who believed in procedure and didn’t lack confidence, Goodman is more intuitive and early on admits that he often feels unsure of himself despite the fact that he is a good detective with an excellent reputation. It’s also clear that he is somewhat flummoxed when he discovers that he has to work with Sergeant Camille Bordey (played wonderfully by Sara Martins.) She’s smart, confident, and sexy and Goodman never seems quite sure how to act around her. Danny John-Jules as Officer Dwayne Myers and Gary Carr as Sergeant Fidel Best do much of the heavy lifting in this season as they did in the first two.
This series continues the show’s tradition of working humor into the scripts: One notable example is a conversation Dwayne and a local tour guide have over an extinct parrot in which they do a subtle homage to the classic Monty Python skit about the mythical Norwegian Blue.
The end result: Despite Miller’s departure, “Death in Paradise” remains a wonderful show with tightly written narratives, interesting plots and intriguing characters.
– Mike Billington

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Kris Marshall, Sara Martins
Directors: Various
Format: Multiple Formats, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 2
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: BBC Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: October 6, 2015
Run Time: 1401 minutes