Channel 5 resurrects P.D. James’ Commander Adam Dalgliesh just in time for the holidays, not to spread cheer, but to solve a murder most foul amongst the devout. In “Death in Holy Orders,” the first of a two-part story kicking off Dalgliesh Season 3, our poetry-scribbling detective finds himself in 1979 West Sussex, far from London’s bustling streets, trading urban grit for the hushed halls of St. Anselm’s Seminary.
Archdeacon Matthew Crampton turns up dead, and it’s hardly a case of divine intervention. The seminary itself is a hotbed of internal strife, grappling with its uncertain future and the potential sale of a priceless altarpiece known as “The Doom.” Financial pressures and clashing ideologies make for a fertile breeding ground for resentment, and Dalgliesh, with his signature stoicism, must sift through a coterie of clerics and academics, each harboring their own secrets and potential motives.
Bertie Carvel reprises his role as Dalgliesh, a performance that continues to balance intellectual weight with an understated charisma. Alistair Brammer returns as DS Tarrant, providing a grounded counterpoint to Dalgliesh’s more contemplative nature. The guest cast features Phoebe Nicholls, Anton Lesser, Lloyd Owen, and Claire Goose. When a second death rocks St. Anselm’s, the pressure mounts, leaving Dalgliesh and Tarrant in a race against time to uncover the killer before they claim another victim.
Dalgliesh and Tarrant face the unenviable task of parsing whispered confessions, veiled threats, and long-held grudges, all while trying to determine who among the pious is capable of murder. For viewers seeking a cerebral mystery with a touch of British reserve, “Death in Holy Orders” might just be the perfect antidote to saccharine holiday fare.
Dalgliesh airs Thursdays at 9:00pm on Channel 5 in the UK and is streaming Wednesdays on Acorn TV in the US.
