Heartwarming / Death in Paradise

Moment pages never use spoiler tagging — so beware of unmarked spoilers

Series One

1 - Arriving in Paradise

• Having discovered a lizard in his lodgings, and spent the entire case either terrified of it or trying to chase it away, Richard finds it right under his feet as he's walking out for (he thinks) the last time, and admonishes it in the gentlest, tenderest voice in the world, "What if I'd trodden on you?" A rare glimpse of the kind heart behind the fuss and bluster.

3 - Predicting Murder

• Fidel complains about the headmaster of the school where they are investigating, telling Dwayne how the man had once confiscated Fidel's brand new football shoes to punish him for his "arrogance" and "vanity" (Fidel was six or seven at that time). After the headmaster is arrested for the murder of his wife, Dwayne fetches the box still containing the shoes and gives them back to Fidel, saying it's a present for Fidel's unborn child.
• Catherine congratulates Poole for solving the murder of an island woman who disappeared years ago, by deviating from her usual menu and fixing him a traditional English dinner.
  Poole: You had me at roast beef.

Series Two

3 - Death at the Clinic

• One of the suspects is a male nurse at the clinic who has been behaving suspiciously. When confronted, he admits to stealing almost-expired medication from the clinic's pharmacy (which would otherwise be disposed of despite being usable), and running an unlicensed free clinic for the island's poorest residents. Both of these are crimes, but once Poole is satisfied that the nurse had nothing to do with the victim's death, informs the man that there is no charge against him, and makes a point of telling Dwayne to make sure he gets back "his" property (the stolen medication), implying that he is free to continue running the clinic.

4 - A Deadly Curse

• The murderer agrees to confess after Poole promises to keep the true motive for the killings a secret: the victims had discovered a rich mineral deposit that would have led to a mine being carved into the island's rainforest, a place the murderer truly loves. Camille is impressed that Poole agreed to keep the killer's secret, not just for the sake of keeping his word, but to preserve what the murderer felt was worth killing over.
  Fidel: But it's still murder.
  Richard: Of course. But as long as he goes to prison for it, I don't see any need to pull down the jungle as well, do you?
• At the end of the episode, Poole commends Fidel for all the extra work he's put in to help solve the case, and says he's recommending Fidel for promotion to Sergeant.

5 - Murder Onboard

• Despite Poole's repeated failures at comforting Camille in "Murder Onboard" he doesn't give up until he manages to be kind to her, however awkwardly.

Series Three

1 - Death of a Detective

• Mixed with a Tear Jerker, but when Poole's body is found, Dwayne and Camille are openly weeping, and Fidel remains rooted to the spot, unable to say anything. No matter how vitriolic their friendship was, they all loved Poole sincerely.
• D.I. Goodman takes a walk on the beach with Camille, and says that, though he may have made a poor first impression, he is a good detective, and is committed to finding out who killed Richard Poole; even if he only just arrived on the island, he can perceive that Richard was Camille's friend, not just her colleague; she might be skeptical of his abilities, but she can tell his sentiments are sincere;
• Goodman prefaces The Summation by remarking on the irony that he is the only one of the assembled company who never met Poole, but can see from the effect he had on Camille, Dwayne, and Fidel that he was both a good detective and a good man.
• Dwayne proclaims that he will celebrate the late inspector's memory properly, i.e. by drinking himself under the table. Given the number of times Dwayne made fun of Poole and snarked at him, it's touching to see him giving Poole his Due to the Dead;
• Fidel, whose promotion to sergeant Poole sponsored, likewise calls Richard "a good man", and the team all raise a toast to him;
• Notably, when Camille invites Goodman to the bar to celebrate the solving of the case, Goodman declines, not out of shyness, but because he considers Camille, Dwayne and Fidel to be Poole's team, and himself (at that point) an outsider.
• But by way of showing their acceptance of him as Poole's replacement, the team invites Goodman to take the Inspector's desk in the police station.

8 - Rue Morgue

• Mixed with Funny: Humphrey is distracted when his ex-wife Sally comes to St. Marie and asks if they can get back together. Camille can't resist spying on Sally while she is waiting at Catherine's bar:
  Camille: She's a bitch, isn't she?
  Catherine: Actually, she seems rather sweet.
  • Camille looks severely disappointed. She may not be aware of, or return, Humphrey's feelings for her, but she is firmly on his side and ready to think the worst of the woman who broke his heart.

Series Four

8 - Unlike Father, Unlike Son

• Florence takes a moment to tell Humphrey's disapproving father that his son is not just a brilliant detective, but also "the most generous, kind, unintentionally funny man I know."
• At the end, Humphrey's father concedes that he might have been wrong, that he can see that Humphrey is in his element, and that St. Marie is actually a beautiful island that Humphrey's mother might enjoy visiting.
  • Having solved the case and finally earned a "Well Done, Son" Guy moment from his father, Humphrey is on top of the world, and more than ready to celebrate with his team:
    Florence: I think JP is drunk. He's insisting we dance.
    Humphrey: Oh, dear. Well, there's only one thing for it.
    Florence: Go and join him?
    Humphrey: Got it in one, Detective Sergeant, got it in one. Come on!

Series Five

4 - A Personal Murder

• Dwayne's eulogy at Cedrik's funeral, with a flashback interspersed as he speaks, capped off with a salute to the deceased.
• At the end, after Cedrik's murder has been solved, Dwayne is still shaken by the whole ordeal, and wonders if Cedrik mentored him as a child because Cedrik wanted to atone for his past. Humphrey says that might be part of it, but only part:
  Humphrey: Generally speaking, I think that good people tend to gravitate towards good people.
  Dwayne: It's why we make a good team(?)
  Humphrey: Surely that goes without saying, Dwayne.

8 - Flames of Love

• Humphrey spends an evening helping JP with wedding preparations and talking him through his pre-wedding jitters, assuring him (in spite of his own failed marriage), that getting married is a good thing.
• As a result, Humphrey inadvertently stands up his date, Martha Lloyd. At the end of the episode, Dwayne rushes out to explain to Martha what happened and she postpones her flight off St. Marie to give Humphrey a second chance.

Series Six

• Humphrey originally came to the island to try and put some spice back into his marriage; instead, he got a Dear John voicemail from her, leaving him alone. He leaves the island to pursue a new relationship back in England.
• Similar to Humphrey, Jack Mooney comes to the island for a change of scenery, as he is still mourning his recently-deceased wife. In Series Nine, he returns to London when he decides that he's ready to face those memories again.
• In both of the above cases, the other detectives and the Commissioner have no issue with their detective inspector's decision; as much as they will regret losing their friend, they recognise that he is doing what is best for himself at this point in his life.

4 - Stumped in Murder

• Humphrey never told Martha he loves her, and it is her last day on the island, and therefore his last chance to tell her. As soon as the case is solved, Florence and Commissioner Patterson both tell him that they will handle the arrest and the paperwork, and not to waste another moment.
  • Humphrey has a Heroic BSoD when he finds Martha's goodbye note at the shack, saying she was unable to bear saying goodbye to him in person. Dwayne yells for Humphrey to get on the bike, since until Martha's plane takes off, there is still time for them to get to the airport.

6 - Man Overboard, Part 2

• Humphrey's declaration of love to Martha:
  I just wanted to say well, I suddenly realized, it's all a matter of perception, really. Some of us are dung beetles, some of are butterflies, or a parrot. The thing is, paradise is very much what you make it. Or more to the point, who you make it with. The honest, simple, very plain truth is that there's no point in me being in the Caribbean if you're going to be over here. Because where you are is where my paradise is. And where you are is where I want to be. I love you. Not "quite" love you, or "rather" love you, but "massively, heart-pumpingly" love you and I'd like to stay in London, with you, forever. If you'll have me, of course. Did I say I love you?
  • This crosses into Funny when Humphrey and Martha realize that everyone within earshot has stopped to watch them. It crosses back into Heartwarming when Humphrey and Martha kiss, and everyone watching starts cheering.

Series Seven

Series Eight

8 - Murder Begins at Home

• Siobhan Mooney is devastated when she discovers her boyfriend was cheating on her. Jack feels he needs to return to England immediately to be with her (especially since he is her only surviving parent), even if it means breaking off the investigation midway.
  • Commissioner Patterson (in sharp contrast to his reaction in earlier seasons when he felt Poole or Goodman was trying to weasel out of their obligations) agrees that family comes first, and the team will muddle on as best they can in Mooney's absence;
  • Even better, when Jack solves the case and cancels his departure to identify and arrest the killer, Siobhan arrives in a cab at Catherine's bar, revealing that the Commissioner arranged her passage from England so she could be with her father.

Series Nine

8 - Now You See Him, Now You Don't

• JP is worried about the results of his Sergeant's exam, but the Commissioner informs him that he not only passed, he passed with the highest score in the history of St. Marie's police force. He then gives JP some advice: that he is an outstanding young officer, but if he wants to fit smoothly into his new rank, he needs to stop doubting himself and display some more confidence in his abilities - confidence, the Commissioner adds, which is entirely justified.

Series Ten

3 - Lucky in Love

• On the anniversary of her fiance's death, Florence takes an evening off to visit his bar. Neville, hearing this for the first time from Catherine, rushes to the bar and apologizes to Florence for not expressing his condolences earlier. She admits that she's ambivalent about holding on to her engagement ring, and wonders if the best thing to do is just throw it into the sea, but she can't bring herself to do it. Neville offers to do it for her - but as soon as Florence hears the splash, she is aghast and filled with regret... then Neville holds up the ring, admitting that he palmed it and threw a coin just to test her reaction. She accepts the ring gratefully, and acknowledges that Neville has helped her resolve a lot of her confusion.

7 - Fake or Fortune

• Camille is distraught when her mother's condition takes a turn for the worse; praying silently on the beach, she is visited by the voice of the most annoying man she ever knew - the deceased Richard Poole - who reminds her of what she already knows: that indulging in regrets about what one should have done or said is a waste of time, and what matters is how you deal with the here and now.

Series Eleven

Series Twelve

• When Parker is accused of murder, the rest of the team all operate on the premise that he couldn't have done it; even Commissioner Patterson admits that while he doesn't always like Neville Parker, he recognises that Neville is a good man.
• The final episode of Season 12 has Catherine reveal that Camille is pregnant. Even though none of the officers present know Camille very well - Neville and Marlon only worked with her on one case and Naomi and Darlene never met her at all - they are all pleased to learn that Catherine will be a grandmother, joining in the celebration.

Series Thirteen

• The series kicks off with Selwyn being honoured at the yacht club for 50 years of service to the Saint Marie Police Force.
• In Episode 3, Andrina was interviewing the Victim of the Week, a celebrity chef, when he succumbed to poison. Though she acts unaffected, she's rattled by the sight of someone die in front of her. Selwyn notices and offers comforting words to her to help her come to terms with it. Though he may've been absent for most of her life, Selwyn will be there for his daughter in her time of need.
  • When it's revealed the victim was a serial rapist who assaulted three of the suspects in the past, causing them to band together and poison him together at the cooking competition with small doses of poison in their dishes that he eats, Andrina shows Selwyn the article she plans to publish detailing the chef's predatory history in hopes it convinces other past victims to come and speak out and help in the case. She even publishes it as "Andrina Harper-Paterson", showing she's embracing her dad by taking his name as well as her mother's.
• When Marlon's younger sister Jocelyn is accepted to a school in Kingston, Jamaica, Marlon is thrilled for her, and though he wishes to go with her, there is the lingering issue of there being no available positions for police officers on Jamaica. Selwyn does everything in his power to help Marlon procure a job there, even travelling to Jamaica, meeting up with J.P and getting the Superintendent's attention. In the end it pays off and Marlon has a job waiting for him when he leaves for Jamaica. Why did Selwyn go to all that trouble? He watched Marlon grow from a two-bit hustler to an exemplary police officer and didn't want him to lose all he'd worked to gain. At the end when they celebrate at Catherine's, Selwyn and Marlon share a hug. D'awww!
• In Episode 6, Dwayne returns to fill the vacancy left by Marlon. Though he and Darlene have tension due to their dating past and spend the middle part of the episode butting heads. It's not until the backend of the episode when Darlene overhears a phone conversation Dwayne is having with a doctor. Dwayne reveals the reason he came back was because his father is dying and wishes to spend his last days on Saint Marie. Darlene immediately ceases all hostilities with Dwayne and even invites him and his dad to dinner.
• In the finale, once Neville has solved the case and heads to the airport, he's stopped by the team and Catherine, who're able to convince him that he should be with Florence. Finally taking the hint, Neville races to the harbour just as Florence is about to get on a boat. After seasons of being unable to spit it out, Neville confesses that he wants to be with Florence no matter what life throws at him. Florence is equally joyed to hear it and the two sail off from Saint Marie for whatever awaits them.