Julie and Sean arrive at the Barnaby residence. "Is this where Chief Inspector Barnaby lives? We've come a long way on the bus about clues and everything," says Julie. Joyce invites them in. "Are you Mrs Inspector Barnaby?" asks Sean. "I'm ever so hungry."

James' body is found dumped in a pond in Setwale Wood. Hannah Harrington identifies James' body. "Yes, that's James, my son. You won't need a doctor to pronounce him dead... I'll be in the yard. George is still alive. At least we might be able to save him." George is the dog. James is at a phone booth at night making a call. "Hi, how's it going? Shut up. I'll tell you when I see you. Don't keep me waiting. Any trouble and you know what's going to happen." Simon goes to James house at night and yells for him and blasts his horn. No answer from James. Meanwhile, the script is smart, thought-provoking and suitably grim, the humour also being a breath of fresh air. Nothing felt inconsequential, everything had a point and it was intriguing and maintained attention throughout. The story is absorbing and rich in atmosphere, with some neat twists and turns, a very memorably tense climax and the murderer's identity being one that one doesn't see coming. The characters are suitably colourful and eccentric, though also not what they seem.Setwale Woods are owned by James Harrington, who is determined to start a forestry clearance, despite vocal opposition. Most vocal in opposition is local farmer Simon Bartlett and lawyer Bernadette Sullivan, with whom Bartlett is having an affair. Harrington and Bartlett get into a fight outside the court house and injudicious words are said. Some time later Susan Bartlett is found dead in a pond in the woods. Barnaby speaks to Hannah Harrington. Barnaby says, "You've known Mrs Bartlett a long time?" Hannah says, "Forever. When we were kids there was hardly a day we didn't meet, usually in the wood. There's the ruins of a cottage there. We didn't think anyone else knew it. Of course everybody did. It's even marked on the map....They were burning witches here up until the 17th century. One of the things the witches were accused of was putting the evil eye on people. When I saw those flowers laid out in the shape of a dead body, another dead body, it made my blood run cold." At Jonah's house, someone comes in and hits him over the head with a wrench. He falls to the floor. All the photos are removed and the place is set on fire.

A Worm in the Bud" lulls in pacing in the middle with the-kids-playing-detectives not adding to the story as much as it could have done. Agreed also that the murders are on the bland side this time, in a show where they can be brutal and sometimes elaborate, and also on that it was an annoyance about not being given an explanation for why Susan wasn't killed straight after being made unconscious (if indicated in the episode, it was very vague to me). Still, it's a good episode with a good ending. The best scene is the children boarding a bus for Causton and going to see Barnaby at home. He isn't there, but Joyce is, and the little boy isn't interested in the mystery -- he just wants food. Victoria overhears Simon calling Bernadette. She tells him, "If there's anything you can do to stop people believing her suicide was your fault, you should do it. I know you didn't have much time for her in life lately, but I'd like to think that in death you can do something more decent than rush off into the arms of your mistress." Simon starts to cry.Growing up in Midsomer Worthy, Victoria was the prettiest girl in the village, and forever won the heart of farm worker Jonah Bloxham. He maintained a shrine to her in a small rustic cottage in the woods, even after she had moved on and married into the Bartlett family. Following her husband's passing, her son Simon inherited the family farming business, passed down through the Bartlett bloodline for generations. Barnaby goes to Mrs Harrington's house. Victoria says the flowers will grow again. Barnaby wants to know if there Is anyone she would regard as being an enemy or someone her son would? Victoria says people often fall out with each other but she doesn't know anyone who would do such a thing. There are some untied endings at the end. For example, why was the first victim in the bushes six hours before she is found in the pond? That is never answered, though the murder mystery is built on this fact... A few days after Susan’s death James Harrington is found dead in slurry on his farm. The autopsies on the two bodies show that they had ingested valerian before they were killed by drowning. The valerian rendered them unconscious. This is consistent with the children seeing Susan asleep. Barnaby makes a leap forward when he learns that Setwale is another name for valerian, and that valerian has been a remedy in the locale in times gone by.