After the success of “Death in Paradise,” its spin-off “Beyond Paradise” did not have a great start, as episode 1 has not been up to the mark, but we all know the potential of Kris Marshall and the fans of the 12-season long series “Death in Paradise” are hopeful for this detective comedy series. Episode 2 of “Beyond Paradise,” released on March 3, 2023, starts with a new mysterious case and focuses on grief-stricken Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) after they come to realize Martha can’t get pregnant even after trying multiple times. As the couple tries to settle into the Shipton Abbott and experiences new adventures of their own, here’s a complete recap of Episode 2 of “Beyond Paradise.”
Spoilers Ahead
A Family Vanishes Into Thin Air?
Laura Colbert (Jaye Jacobs) and Matthew Colbert (Edward Rowe), with their two children, Arlo, who’s five, and three-year-old Cora, disappeared and left the house open. Their neighbor Dorothy Trowman (Ella Kenion), who visits their house in the morning to pick up Laura Colbert to take her into town shopping, assesses the situation and informs the police department. Humphrey and Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) arrive at the crime scene and are baffled while trying to understanding the exact situation. The TV was on, meals at the dining table being half-eaten and seemingly abandoned, lights were left on, doors being unlocked, and even their car was still in the driveway suggested only one thing: where did the family go? It seems like they just disappeared without any trace. A family of four that simply vanishes midway through their evening meal without taking their car appears to be a mysterious case for the detectives to solve.
Investigation Of The Mysterious Case
Humphrey and Esther visit Matthew’s mother, Rosie Colbert (Ruth Madoc), and she tells them the situation is very strange and that her son would never go anywhere without telling her in the first place. The Shipton Abbott Police Department then searched thoroughly in the woods to find traces regarding the missing family case but found nothing.
Hit-And-Run Case
While Humphrey and Esther were busy solving the case of the disappearance of the Colbert family, Police Constable Kelby (Dylan Llewellyn) addressed a hit-and-run case involving Chris Bromley (Dan Ball). The neighbor tells me that Chris had an argument with his wife and left the house; he met with an accident while walking towards the road.
Entry Of An Interesting Old Friend
Humphrey buys a houseboat with his savings, which makes the situation worse for Martha, as she needs money to open her café. Martha gets surprised by seeing her old friend Archie Hughes (Jamie Bamber), who appears with a solution and an offer to help her open up her café and eventually becomes a business partner. Archie owns several vineyards, which helped the “10 Mile Kitchen” get established among the people of Shipton Abbott. Interestingly, when Humphrey visits the café, Archie mentions that he is not just a friend but was engaged to Martha long ago. Humphrey then processes the whole thing with a bit of awkwardness and perhaps with a few doubts in mind.
The Interconnection Between Two Cases
The hit-and-run case is on the verge of being solved as Kelby finds broken pieces of the headlight of the car involved in the accident. Kelby then glues the broken pieces together to form a shape, which eventually helps him find out that it actually belongs to a particular car, the KIA Sportage, which is one of the few numbers in Shipton Abbott. Eight cars of this particular kind are registered, but among them, only one is reportedly missing, and it belongs to a man who is a friend of none other than Matthew Colbert.
Uncovering The Truth Behind The Disappearance
Mysterious as it seems, the disappearance of the Colbert family case takes a surprise turn when Humphrey and Esther visit the victim of the hit-and-run case, Chris, and he confesses to them that he has been involved in an extramarital affair with Laura Colbert, the wife of Matthew and that they planned to run away together after informing their partners. Humphrey goes through his notes, which he took while examining the crime scene, and comes to the conclusion that Laura must have changed her mind, and she made an excuse of Matthew’s mother being ill and made her family leave the table and get into the KIA Sportage for a drive to her mother’s place. Laura knew Chris would visit their house as he called her and told her to tell Matthew everything; otherwise, he would arrive at their place thirty minutes after he hung up the phone. Confused and devastated, Laura realizes they can’t visit Matthew’s mother because if they reach there, Matthew will find his mother is fine, and they also cannot go back to their home because Chris would be waiting there. Ultimately, her dilemma ends when she tells Matthew everything after telling him to stop the car. Matthew, in rage, then hits Chris Bromley with the car and runs away after refusing to help him. Humphrey and Martha then get a call from the police department; the police find the Colbert family trapped in the car, which is at the edge of a cliff. Matthew threatens the police, saying if they come near, he will end everyone’s life by driving the car off the cliff. Humphrey, after arriving in the scenario, gets into a conversation with Matthew to rescue the children first and make sure no one gets harmed. What happens next is very interesting. After rescuing the children, Laura also gets out of the car, but Matthew refuses to come out. Apparently, when Humphrey leaves Matthew to assess everything, he finds that Matthew’s car gets started and crashes after falling off the cliff. Surprisingly, the very next moment, Humphrey sees Matthew standing beside him, and the Colbert family gets reunited.
Episode 2 of “Beyond Paradise” ends with the mystery getting solved and Humphrey and Martha having a lovely moment on their houseboat. It would be interesting to see what the future episode will bring with new characters being introduced and Archie making Humphrey a little jealous to form an interesting equation.