Master Class is the fifth episode of the thirteenth series of Midsomer Murders and was first aired on 6 October 2010.
Zoë Stock is a student at the prestigious Fielding music school run by Sir Michael Fielding. She is a brilliant young pianist, somewhat prone to panic attacks, and is selected for Sir Michael's Master Class and is also in the running for the Fielding Medal. Out by the river one day a young blond woman carrying a baby walks by and a few moments later she throws herself into the river. The police are unable to find a body or any sign of a baby but DCI Tom Barnaby recalls an almost identical case at the same spot some 18 years before. After an unsuccessful attempt on her life, Zoë moves into the village pub with her visiting parents but sees an old photo of the woman she saw jump into the river. The competition at the school is fierce but the parents seem worse than their children. After two quick deaths — one of the students in the Master Class and a local priest — and a serious road accident involving two others, Barnaby stitches all of the pieces together.
Tropes:
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Sir Michael is a peer but he's also a eugenicist who thinks it's okay to seduce his daughter and granddaughter and murder people who get in his way.
- Evilutionary Biologist / Parental Incest: Elderly piano virtuoso Sir Michael Fielding takes the talented young Zoë Stock under his wings. It turns out that she is secretly his daughter from an incestuous relationship, and that he wishes to conceive a genetically superior child with her to save Britain from degeneracy.
- The Family That Slays Together: The Fielding School turns out to be an entire extended family of murderous Evilutionary Biologists hell-bent on selectively breeding the perfect pianist. This includes a character who pretends to not be related, only to reveal themselves in the climax.
- In the Blood: Jonas and Miriam are as twisted as Sir Michael, their father. More literally both Zoe and Sir Michael have the same allergy to alcohol.
- Surprise Incest: Zoë Stock almost hooks up with Sir Michael who is not only her father, but also her grandfather, and he sought her out on purpose. (It turns out to be part of some crazy eugenics scheme on his part.) Fortunately, Barnaby reaches her and informs her before anything happens.
- Vehicular Sabotage: The car belonging to Zoë's adopted parents has its brake-line cut, leading to a near-fatal crash.
