SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for A Taste for Murder Season 1, Episode 3.

Episode 3 of A Taste for Murder has a meta side to it, as Joe Mottram is wrangled into a murder mystery dinner. Having a real detective at a fake mystery comes with all kinds of potential jokes or observations. And the BritBox series has a few, but it doesn’t quite go as far as it could.

Of course there’s going to be a real murder at the event, and once that happens the show plays everything exceedingly straightforward. It’s a bit at odds with the first 15 minutes, as there’s a Clue-esque vibe while A Taste for Murder takes a little longer than usual to establish the setup and introduce all the guest characters. The remaining half-hour doesn’t need to be a total comedy, but there’s a little more room for levity in the plot and a chance to expand the show’s horizons.

The case of the week holds viewers’ attention, though, as it unfolds with a couple of plot twists that genre fans will know and love. The idea of one of the guests at the party not being who they claim to be is not novel, but it’s still interesting. And to move the action briefly underwater (after a bit of an assist from Elena) is something new. Plus, audiences can debate whether or not justice is actually done, as the resolution involves multiple suspects for the first time. There’s plenty to keep people interested yet there’s more to consider outside of the crime than there is in it.

Mostly, the point of Episode 3 is to formalize the show’s ongoing plots. Joe informs Elena that he’s now a paid police consultant, so the episodes can stop looking for convincing ways to get him accidentally dragged into a murder investigation. A potential new love interest is set up for him with sous chef Daria. And there are more breadcrubs dropped about the restaurant mystery, as Daniele meets a drug dealer who then joins one of the restaurant’s regulars for dinner—as a skeptical Elena watches on.

It’s the latter that may lead to disappointment. After such an exciting ending to Episode 2, A Taste for Murder offers virtually no information about what Gennaro may be involved in until that final scene. There are references to money troubles, and the relationship between Gennaro and Elena is somewhat chilly, but there’s not very much to even keep the audience on the hook let alone answer their questions. It seems like the show is saving that as its big season finale story, which is fair, but this is a case of playing it a little too slow.

A Taste for Murder streams Tuesdays on BritBox. Photo Credit: Colin Hutton/Courtesy of BritBox.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.