Season 13 of Death in Paradise has arrived, and with its historic 100th episode, the show takes a dramatic turn. In the historic installment, DS Naomi Thomas (Shantol Jackson) must deal with the awkward fallout from her inebriated kiss with Officer Marlon Pryce (Tahj Miles) at the Christmas party, while Commissioner Selwyn Patterson (Don Warrington) is shot by an unknown assailant.
First, we see a flashback to fifty years ago, when young Selwyn (Marson Francisco) is late for his police entrance exam because a van runs over his bike. Currently, the Royal Yacht Club of Saint Marie is hosting a special dinner to honor Selwyn for his 50 years of devoted service.
Following this, Sean Maguire’s character Marlon Collins, the club’s acting manager, stops by to see how things are going. Devoted viewers will recall that Marlon was first introduced to us in the premiere episode of the show, when he was arrested and placed in the Honoré police station’s cells for stealing yachts. What a change!
Recap
When Selwyn walks out onto the jetty for a drink and some fresh air, a man approaching from behind with a pistol in his hand opens fire, striking Selwyn in the back. Selwyn doesn’t feel very comfortable being the center of attention in this way. As the gunman runs away, the Commissioner gasps and tumbles into the water.
Thankfully, he’s saved just in time, and Marlon Collins—we’ll be calling them “Marlon Collins” and “Officer Pryce” going forward to avoid confusion—calls for help in an ambulance.
Naturally, the best of Saint Marie race to the scene, and when DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) gets there, Officer Pryce informs him that the Commissioner has lost a significant amount of blood. Neville, Naomi, and Officer Darlene Curtis (Ginny Holder) interview the witnesses while Officer Pryce offers to drive the Commissioner to the hospital in the ambulance.
The Commissioner is clearly shaken by the fact that he is now fighting for his life, and Officer Pryce tells him to persevere in the ambulance because the islanders depend on him.
While examining the crime scene, Neville and Naomi speculate as to who might attempt to kill Selwyn. Marlon Collins, as well as Selwyn’s friends Lincoln and Jacqueline StClair (Leon Herbert and Cathy Tyson), arrived at the scene as soon as Selwyn was shot. Lincoln tells the story of how he heard a loud bang and realized it was a gunshot while purchasing cigars in the clubhouse.
Running outside to investigate, they saw the Commissioner floating in the water, and Jacqueline noticed a man driving away in a pick-up truck, looking intense and distracted, wearing grey overalls. According to her, the car was rusty and ancient, and it was spewing out exhaust fumes.
Marlon Collins claims to have seen the man around the club earlier. Jacqueline can’t quite recall the entire license plate number of the car, but she can remember enough to match a report Darlene recently received about a traffic accident involving a white pick-up truck that happened two miles away.
Naomi discovers a pistol on the passenger seat after the driver, Alton Garvey (Mensah Bediako), left the scene. In addition, he left his phone in the taxi, which gave the team access to his most recent messages and calls. Perceptive Neville spots a cufflink with the Saint Marie Yacht Club logo on the ground close to the van and seizes it as proof.
After the Commissioner has regained consciousness, Neville goes to the hospital. When Neville shows Selwyn Alton Garvey’s driver’s license, the Commissioner doesn’t even recognize him, even though Selwyn asks if they know who did it. Alton Garcey’s criminal record is not disclosed by a background check, which leaves the team wondering what kind of evidence he might have against the Commissioner.
