Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise Christmas special’s convoluted ending is a bit of a reach

Santa delivered fans a real gift this year with Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson. It’s just a shame St Nick had to wind up dead on the beach to do it.

With no local senior detective available in Saint Marie, one from London becomes the only option, and since Mervin is already on the island – having the worst holiday known to man – he is the most natural choice, despite being a square peg forced into a round hole.

Much like island life grates on Mervin, he has an abrasive presence, at least initially. His impatience with Saint Marie comes across as condescending and rude, as do his frank manner and short temper with the team.

His perceived disdain makes more sense when he becomes a suspect in the murders. With the spotlight on him, other truths come into focus, such as his complex feelings for Saint Marie being linked to the long-lost mother he’s simultaneously longing and terrified to connect with.

His vulnerability alters our perception of him, adding layers to his character that help reframe the angst and irritation that mask his pain.

Sharing this truth with Selwyn and learning of his mother’s passing also softens his approach to the team, uniting them ever so tentatively.

Tentative as it is, it’s enough to help them solve the festive case of the week.

Here is how it went down.

Dᴇᴀᴛʜ In Paradise Christmas special ending explained

Three Santas, all shot in an elaborate scheme – but don’t worry, we’re about to break things down Saint Marie style (sans all the potential suspects in the round).

Stuart (Santa One) was almost accidentally shot by little Olly, who was playing cowboys and had gotten his hands on his father Jamie’s gun. Jamie had intended to use that gun to threaten Tony (Santa Two) over a grievance relating to his mother.

Stuart challenged Jamie, and in the ensuing tussle, Jamie accidentally shot and killed Stuart. Musician Kenny Simmons witnessed the shooting and blackmailed Jamie into being complicit in Tony’s murder. They fudged the time Stuart was shot to make it look like it happened at the same time Kenny killed Tony with the gun, and at the same time, Jamie shot at Tyrus (Santa Three) with a second gun. (He recovered the bullets and returned later to release rounds with the first gun to leave evidence of the same bullets.)

So, an accidental Santa murderer was blackmailed into being an accomplice to a second Santa murder and coerced into injuring a third to make it look like an attack on all Santas instead of what it actually was: an opportunistic ploy to murder the second Santa in order to secure a business deal.

The case itself is a bit of a leap and sends us on a merry dance. It would have been more believable if it were a thought-through plan, as it was a bit too convoluted for an improvisation, even if ultimately botched.

Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise – never afraid of convoluted plot mechanics – nevertheless dives right in with both feet and takes the opportunity to use Mervin’s anti-Caribbean attitude and London mentality for comedic gain when he is encouraged not to arrest the culprit but instead gather all the suspects for the big reveal.

“It’s a matter of tradition,” Selwyn tells him in a metatextual moment, and so Mervin embarks on his first murder wrap-up.

With the episode all tied up with a pretty bow, only one question remains: how to keep detective Mervin in Saint Marie when he’s already got one foot on the plane?

The answer comes when Selwyn offers him a job. “Perhaps by getting to know Saint Marie, the island where your mother spent her life, you might get to know a little of her,” Selwyn tells him, though Mervin does not seem convinced.

He yearns for London with the same fevered desperation as Return to Paradise‘s Mackenzie (maybe even more). Both are left in a cliffhanger situation, with Mervin sitting in a car outside of his late mother’s house, weighing up the decision to stay.

Of course, we know he’ll return for season 14 of Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise, though – and we can’t wait to see how this new direction will shape the franchise for the better.

Dᴇᴀᴛʜ in Paradise is on BBC iPlayer