Criminals and the vegans beware! Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe (Harry Potter‘s Richard Griffiths) returns to uncover clues and slice up beef. This is a unique series with Crabbe juggling his police life with his career as a chef at his Pie In the Sky restaurant. The combination of culinary skills with criminal justice blends well. Although it is hard to tell if he’s a cop moonlighting as a chef or a chef that gets dragged onto criminal cases. Many times this doesn’t matter since the crimes intersect with his restaurant since Middleton is a rather small town. Pie in the Sky: Series 3 offers six entrees of delicious deductions.
“Money Talks” brings back the nightmare of Dudley Hooperman (Michael Kitchen) shooting Crabbe. Luckily at first this is only a nightmare and not an actual event. He’s got even worse troubles in reality with the need to hire a new chef and a bank loan. Spending time getting a business loan for a restaurant might be more painful than taking a bullet. “Game Pie” forces Crabbe to cater a pheasant hunt. This looks like a frustrating day for Crabbe since he hates having to leave the safe confines of his kitchen. He can’t just grouse since a police official gets blamed for killing one of the guys who beats the bushes to get the pheasant to take flight. “Irish Stew” becomes a family affair. A former resident returns to the area with his new Irish bride and her relatives. They want Crabbe to provide the wedding feast. The new groom has his briefcase stolen from the hotel so Crabbe not only has to cook, but track down the burglary. The guy’s identity gets questioned since Crabbe’s wife (Maggie Steed) knew someone with his name back in the ‘60s. What is this guy doing back in town with the wrong name? Can Crabbe afford to solve this case early and have the wedding dinner canceled?
“Doggett’s Coat and Badge” unleashes a pack of retired cops on Pie In the Sky. They drive his staff nuts. One of the ex-cops recognizes a regular patron. Things don’t look good as the mystery about the regular unravels. Crabbe also must calm down a potato feud involving a member of his staff. “This Other Eden” brings food crime to the town. Somebody is snagging plants from backyards. Crabbe teams up with the horticulture squad to track down the green thief. His stake out gets easier when his wife puts the prime suspect to work. “Coddled Eggs” puts Crabbe under the thumbs of a female investigator and a female restaurant inspector. Can he deal with all the pressure on both of his jobs? There’s an issue with eggs he uses in the kitchen.
Pie In the Sky: Series 3 is the perfect show for anyone that flips between Sleuth channel and the Food Network. Crabbe looks equally deft while picking apart a crime scene or dicing veggies. If you’ve a relative eager to find a mystery show that has the same tone and pacing as Matlock, Pie In the Sky is the answer. Nothing here is too shocking yet the mysteries aren’t that simples.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer appears to have been taken off a PAL master. You’ll get hungry from the food Crabbe prepares. The audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo. The sound mixes the sizzle of skillets with the crackle of bullets without much of a loudness issue. The episodes have subtitles.
None.
Pie In the Sky: Series 3 combines the joys of Matlock and Mario Batali in one crime solving police detective. The series allows you to enjoy a fine meal without upsetting your stomach by pushing the boundaries of crime scene gross outs.
Acorn Media presents Pie In the Sky: Series 3. Starring: Richard Griffiths, Maggie Steed and Malcolm Sinclair. Boxset Contents: 6 Episodes on 2 DVDs. Rating: Unrated. Released on DVD: September 7, 2010.
