The Incident at Cooper Hill is the second episode of the eighteenth series of Midsomer Murders and originally aired 13th January 2016.
Nothing prepares a forest ranger, when upon driving through the forest, she suddenly gets stopped by mysterious lights in the sky over UFO hot-spot Cooper Hill. She subsequently disappears from her truck. UFO spotters visiting the site of her disappearance are convinced alien activity is to blame. When her dead body is found, Barnaby and Nelson share the spotters' thoughts, and their investigation brings them to the local RAF base. The detectives discover suspicions, betrayals, and long held buried secrets dating back over twenty years. They also unearth that secret research was being conducted at the RAF base, too, using aerial spying equipment. The case also leads them to uncover secret affairs between villagers and RAF personnel to catch the culprit responsible.
Tropes:
- Alien Episode: A local forest-ranger suffers a strange death after mysterious lights appear in the sky over UFO hot-spot Cooper Hill.
- Believer Fakes Evidence: Tthe local UFO enthusiast (and murder victim) planted evidence because he just wanted other people to believe as he did (his murder had nothing to do with the UFO thing).
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Two victims are drowned by being sealed inside black pods containing a strange liquid polymer.
- Jurisdiction Friction: The commander of the local RAF base is very keen to tell Barnaby that he has no authority on RAF property.
