A rating and ranking of the episodes of Death in Paradise series 1.

Welcome everyone... Today I am going to go through every episode of Death in Paradise series one, placing them from my most favourite to my least. I shall also rate each episode out of ten. Please do be mindful that though I have tried my best to avoid giving any, there might be some spoilers included here...

1st place: Episode 2 - Wicked Wedding Night.

This episode was thrilling and entertaining; it had it all! You take a family on the day of a wedding, with various secrets, desires and greeds... What do you get? A bride plunging to her death, having been murdered on her wedding day, and just after she's got married. The episode started off great because as a viewer, I witnessed the poor victim falling from the hotel room. This was also witness by Camille and Richard after she followed him while he searched for a good cup of tea. For them to witness the bride falling to her death, you would think some sort of clue might be there. Of course not because that would be too easy! Still... Once the police force start investigating Richard does his usual. I loved seeing him fret over the housekeeping sign. I loved the obscurity of the little clues provided, ensuring the details of the crime to make sense without blatantly giving anything away.

As the episode progressed it just kept me entertained. I mean when the second death happened, it was a shocker but it made total sense. I loved it because it made the others challenge Richard. I love seeing Richard being challenged by everyone else to then end up proving them all wrong. The emotions from the police force members and the suspects make this one of the best Death in Paradise episodes I have seen! Especially Frances Barber's stepmother of the bride. Therefore it gets a 9.5/10.

2nd place: Episode 7 - Music of Murder.

The chilling atmosphere, the reveal of the death and Richard having to try and conquer his fear of snakes. This episode had the laughs and the sinister mood mixed throughout. It was enjoyable and it was a great storyline. There were shocks and tensions which made it another great one to watch. There was also cool music too. I am giving this episode a 9/10.

3rd place: Episode 3 - Predicting a Murder.

This episode highlighted some of Richard's best strengths and was a bit perplexing. The episode also showed us some of Fidel's history when the crime scene happens to be his old school. This was one of those episodes that got me being that focused problem solver I can be when I need to be. It was a very good ending though. At least Richard proved he had strong conviction which payed off. It was funny seeing Richard disbelieve the voodoo stuff that Dwayne mentioned. The whole team dynamic was fun in this episode too. I am giving this episode a 7.5/10.

4th place: Episode 5 - Spot the Difference.

This has to be one of the funniest Death in Paradise episodes I have ever seen! How on earth did someone manage to murder the victim by plunging a knife into the back of them while handcuffed to Richard? How awful! The commissioner lost it and I could not stop laughing at his reaction. Then to see how everyone else reacted such as Camille and Catherine. Oomph! Then we have this passenger on the boat who crops up across the whole episode - very kooky and someone Richard finds bothersome. Her character alone made the episode a pleasure to watch. This was a harder one to solve but the ending was nice so I will give this episode a 7/10.

5th place: Episode 1 - Arriving in Paradise.

The very first episode which introduced us to the complaining British cop that is Detective Inspector Richard Poole. It was a good storyline for the first episode that offered sneaky characters and interesting developments. Some of what happened got me a little lost though it was a nice episode. The episode did not captivate as much as others but I still liked it a lot. I am giving it a 6/10.

6th place: Episode 8 - Amongst Us.

This episode was confusing at times and I struggled to piece links together. I kept being filled with confusion and suspicion in equal measure. The one thing I loved about this episode was after the death is announced when Camille is concerned with the body and their being coins in the victim's mouth. The look on Camille's face when Dwayne's police badge is shown to her said it all. But aside from this, I got a bit confused over the whole storyline. I liked it but I did not love it. I am giving it a 5/10.

7th place: Episode 6 - An Unhelpful Aid.

Episode six was weird. Filled with frictious relationships and unsual goings on, it is a busy episode. With Camille in France and Richard sick, this episode has Detective Sergeant (D.S) Angela Young in it. I did not like her and her character ruined the episode for me. What saved the episode a bit was how Richard was still able to solve the murder at the end. It was funny to see Richard feel the wrath of Catherine just after the previous episode where he was served up Selwyn's wrath. Overall I am giving this episode a 2.5/10.

8th place: Episode 4 - Missing a Body?

This episode did not really do anything for me and it was quite obvious who the killer was or at least how things kind of happened. I was weirded out by Richard's possible feelings for one of the suspects which I suppose was funny. Though it was good that Richard employed his usual thorough methods to prove everyone else wrong, here it actually seemed that might not work in his favour. It was an episode that I did not enjoy that much and I am giving it a 2/10.

That is my rating and ranking of the Death in Paradise series one episodes. You might agree with me, you might disagree with me. Feel free to comment what your thoughts were if you have seen any, if not all of these episodes.

Until next time,

Thomas (they/them).