Ep 2. Bride Not To Be

Bride Not To Be is the second episode of the fifth season of the popular New Zealand crime drama series The Brokenwood Mysteries. The show revolves around the adventures of Detective Mike Shepherd and his team as they investigate a range of homicides that have taken place in and around the idyllic town of Brokenwood.

In this episode, a wedding is due to take place in the town. The bride, Jessica, is the daughter of a wealthy businessman named Henry McNeil, who owns a prestigious vineyard in the area. Jessica's groom-to-be, James, comes from a business family with a considerable number of shares in McNeil's winery. On the morning of the wedding, the bride is mysteriously found dead, lying on the floor of her hotel room.

As expected, this sends shockwaves through the town, and soon everyone is under suspicion, including the bride's family, the groom's family, and the staff at the hotel. Detective Mike Shepherd and his team soon get to work investigating the murder, with Detective Sims assigned to look into the guests' backgrounds and Detective Kristen assigned to the hotel staff. Meanwhile, Shepherd and his trusted ally, local DCI Sims, work to identify any possible connections between Jessica's murder and her family's winery.

The investigation takes a strange turn when it's discovered that Jessica was found with a strange, red rash covering her body. This leads the detectives to believe that she had been poisoned, which would explain the rash's appearance. However, they are not able to find any traces of poison at the scene, complicating their investigation even further.

As the detectives dive deeper into their investigation, they come across several suspects with potential motives for killing Jessica. This includes her father, who is not happy with her choice of groom, and her fiancé's family, who stand to gain considerable power within the McNeil winery should the marriage go ahead. Even the hotel staff comes under suspicion, and the detectives soon find themselves in a race against time to uncover the real culprit before they strike again.

Throughout the episode, there are several red herrings that seem to suggest any number of potential suspects, including an elderly guest at the hotel who takes a strange interest in the detectives' investigation. However, as with any episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries, the real killer is not revealed until the dramatic conclusion.

Overall, Bride Not To Be is an excellent addition to The Brokenwood Mysteries canon, with its engaging storyline, excellent performances, and twisty narrative keeping viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Fans of the show will undoubtedly appreciate the latest developments in Detective Mike Shepherd's ongoing quest for justice, while newcomers to the series will find plenty to enjoy in this thrilling, action-packed episode.