The second season of Return to Paradise is well under way, as episode two saw the dynamic DI Mackenzie Clarke put her skills to good use once more. But we couldn’t help but notice that this new run appears to be recycling storylines from the OG Death in Paradise.
In true detective style, here’s the evidence. First, let’s consider last week’s debut: a man was found dead on a boat in the middle of the ocean. How on Earth (or on water) was he killed when every possible suspect was nowhere near the crime scene? Well, given that we recognised the narrative immediately, there were clearly a number of ways in which the deed could have been carried out.
In Death in Paradise’s season-five premiere, the shooting of marine biologist Dan took place on a boat, with the catch being that his companions were out diving at the time.
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Of course there was an explanation, as Dan’s wife Laura had used a silencer on the weapon before heading into the ocean for her alibi – all with the aim of making off with his money.
Long-time fans will also recall a particularly memorable arc which saw Kris Marshall’s Humphrey Goodman tasked with cracking the case of, yes, you’ve guessed it – a murdered man found alone at sea on his boat.
BBC
In season six’s double-episode special, which concluded with Humphrey’s exit (at least, until he reappeared for some Cornish adventures with partner Martha in Beyond Paradise), victim Tom was ultimately revealed to have been bumped off by his own long-lost son Steve, who wanted revenge for Tom leaving him to drown as a child.
For those wishing to check our receipts (or simply to relive what was a strong era for the drama), the action played out across episodes five and six.
And that’s not the only nautical-based example of history repeating itself. Just before Ardal O’Hanlon’s Jack Mooney – who would later become Mackenzie’s boss – bowed out, season 9’s fourth instalment also focused on the body of a man found in a boat off the Caribbean coast.
BBC/Red Planet/Denis Guyenon
To be fair to both coastal-based shows, there are only so many interesting locations available for quirky murders. But these copycat scenarios are taking away the element of surprise somewhat, and the latest episode of Return had the same issue, with a twist – it actually included more than one previous Death in Paradise trope.
Singer Luke was found dead, but as is typical with all suspects by now, his fellow band members were all occupied at the time. One of them was secret wife Steph, who turned out to be his killer. This was all wrapped up with Luke forcing Steph to give up their baby decades earlier.
In series four, episode five of Death in Paradise, rock star Stevie was electrocuted in a swimming pool. You know the drill: his band mates and adoring manager were busy– apart from Pete, who committed the brutal act after Stevie sabotaged a lucrative sponsorship deal.
Fast forward to the season-12 finale, when Ralf Little’s Neville Parker was at the helm, and musicians were also key to the story. Here, renowned singer Babette wasn’t the victim in the traditional sense, but she had certainly been wronged. Like Return to Paradise’s Steph, her spouse, Elijah, had ordered her to put her child up for adoption, and Babette’s friend Clifford poisoned Elijah to free her from his hold.
BBC
And the similarities to the present day don’t end there. While one of Babette’s most beloved songs was revealed to have been gifted to her by its original vocalist, her lover Kenton, Return’s culprit Steph had her own heartfelt track taken from her and passed off as Luke’s.
Now, although it’s understandable that certain plot details may be touched on more than once, especially as they can crucially reflect real-life experiences, we should note that we’re seeing increasing representation of the murder mystery genre across television.
As far as the Paraverse in concerned, we have to wonder if resources have been exhausted now that, as it seems, Return to Paradise is taking so much inspiration from its sibling show.
Will Mackenzie find herself in the midst of another case that’s just a little too familiar? We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled.
Return to Paradise is on BBC One on Fridays at 8pm and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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