I am not about to reveal whodunnit here – find the Final Episode here. And if you want to catch up with Episodes 1 to 4, or revise them before you discover whodunnit, click on that link then scroll down to find the earlier episodes.

Host Bryan Bruce offers a quick recap that reminds us who the eight suspects are and what their motivation could have been to murder Richard Carrington. But when he hands over to Danny Mulheron’s DI Bill Morris, the focus turns to opportunity. Just three characters clearly had the opportunity to ensure the poison would be in the first slice of chocolate cake. Then means comes into the frame and of the four suspects who had access to potassium cyanide, just two also had opportunity. Both are guilty of crimes but only one hears the dreaded knock at their Lockdown door.

It is a classic whodunnit strategy to first point the finger at the guilty party then distract the audience with all the other possibilities – and in this script writer Bryan Bruce is true to the genre. Each character, judiciously drawn from a wide array of contemporary archetypes, is richly created with backstories surfacing naturally as the investigation proceeds.

The actors’ job is to make their characters true to what is revealed in the end while arousing just enough suspicion to keep us guessing – and all rise splendidly to the challenge. Even when one or two seem to overact or seem insincere, their behaviour turns out to be valid.

There is no absolute answer to the question of viewpoint, which I’ve raised in my reviews of earlier episodes. Limiting the audience perception to what those investigating the crime gradually discover can make for tight drama that allows us to share the detectives’ quest. But sometimes the audience is made privy to things the detectives don’t yet know, which adds drama to the question of whether they will find out, and if so how, within the constraints of police procedure. There are also whodunnits that reveal exactly who did what to whom – and even when, how and why – so that the ensuing drama arises from observing how the detectives arrive at the answer we already know.

Death Bye Chocolate is certainly cognisant of the law and keeping within it, even when convincing characters to accept being interviewed without a lawyer present, is one of its strengths. It can stand proud alongside other recent productions we have reviewed, in creatively solving the problem of how to make drama in Lockdown. And given the whole Covid-19 response derailed NZPTV’s fundraising drive, it has proved an ingenious way of getting that back on track too – thanks to the donated services of all the talented participants.

Acclamation is due to all involved, not least for proving yet again that constraint can generate great creativity.
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P.S. For those interested in the question of viewpoint, I have noticed Eli Kent and Eleanor Bishop are paying very particular attention to that in their created-in-lockdown online version of Chekhov’s The Seagull – so far, at least, in Act One and Act Two – and that self-imposed discipline is paying off handsomely.
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The night Richard Carrington died suddenly of what was assumed to be a heart-attack, after scoffing the first slice of the chocolate cake made by his daughter to celebrate the first anniversary of his second marriage to now-pregnant Rachel, was also the night everyone had to be in their respective Lockdown bubbles by midnight.

If the first respondents had known right away that potassium cyanide was the cause of death, the detectives may have arrived in time to issue the standard “No-one may leave the house!” command and conduct an on-the-spot reconstruction of who exactly was where and when as the fatal night had played out. But they didn’t get involved until the pathologist’s report prompted their murder investigation, well after Lockdown had begun.

You need to be a sleuth in more ways than one to keep up with Death Bye Chocolate. When I go to NZPTV I realise we have to scroll down to the Drama section to find Episode 4 – and there is lots to absorb in this one.

Asked by Host Bryan Bruce to “bring us up to speed”, DI Bill Morris (Danny Mulheron) expresses understandable frustration at not yet having a clear picture of how events unfolded that night. He also claims they have completed the first round of interviews, then later clarifies they have yet to phone the Carrington’s ‘family friends, Denzel and Aroha Morrison. And these interviews will be conducted separately in case they contradict each other.

When DI Cooper interviews her, it turns out Aroha (Moana Ete) is so pissed-off with her husband that she is spending Lockdown with her parents. Her reasons for accompanying him to the celebration dinner, however, are cogent – and add more possibilities to the whodunnit puzzle. Nevertheless, setting aside her personal feeling about him, being a nurse, she immediately administered CPR to the collapsed Richard.

Aroha also confirms Jane’s picture of who was sitting where at the dinner table, and does her best to recall who left it, when, and for what reason. Despite her antipathy to her cheating husband and the mess it has got them into, Aroha – as played by Moana – comes over as the most relaxed and together of all the potential suspects. Whether this points to emotional security, sociopathic detachment or a devious ability to hide her true nature is up to us to decide.

DS Jane ‘Coops’ Cooper (Rachel Henry-More) updates DI Bill Morris on what she has discovered – which we already know by way of the omniscient camera – about what’s been going on between Denzel and the now twice-widowed Rachel Carrington, and the implications concerning Richard’s recently altered will.

Bryan pops back to share the contents of a new forensic report that reveals important information about the knife that was examined on the assumption it was the one used to cut the cake. Then he opens his magic laptop to discover the next police interview is about to start, and take us to it.

Denzel Morrison (Erroll Shand) – whose electro-plating company is part-owned by Carrington’s company, and also in debt to it – is smoking a joint when DI Morris phones him. Of course the paranoia weed and his financial and marital troubles may account more than guilt for his dodgy demeanour.

This is where the drama zeros in on the ‘means’ part of the ‘means, opportunity and motive’ equation: who had access to potassium cyanide (there is a bottle displayed on the ‘murder board’) and who had a legitimate reason for using it?

There was one small detail casually mentioned in Episode 2 that prompted me to check out a certain chemistry question and, dammit, in the final post-credit teaser Bill asks Coops to do the same, so now you too can do it, for what it’s worth – which could be the $200-worth of hand-made NZ chocolates, offered as the prize for guessing whodunnit.

As always this episode includes detailed instructions of how to vote, donate and be in the draw to win. And you have to do this before the final episode is released. The YouTube page for Episode 4 includes this:

“We are going leave up all the episodes at least until Sunday night (maybe longer) to allow viewers to revisit the clues. Then we will post Episode 5 – the big reveal. But of course you have to have your entry in before we post the final episode.”

See Episode 4 here.
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The phone call DS Jane Cooper (Rachel Henry-More) received at the very end of Episode 2 was from the late Richard Carrington’s ex sister-in-law, Rita Harlow (Susannah Kenton) and what she has to say forms the first substantive part of Episode 3. It also allows the police to catch up with information we, the audience, already know from eavesdropping on private conversations, between the bereaved Rachel Carrington (Louise O’Flaherty) and family friend Denzel Morrison (Erroll Shand), and Richard’s accountant Mark Holden (Fergus Aitken) and his wife Stephanie Holden (Dushka More).

Having told DS Cooper about ‘the affair’, Rich Rita, whose Harlow Enterprises is super busy in Lockdown organising logistics with all their supermarkets, adds some pertinent detail about who was up to what concerning Carrington’s attempt to take over her company. A courier delivery of legal papers for her to sign may or may not be a clue (for us). Rita also explains why she has watched out for her niece and nephew Daniella and Dan since the death of their mother (her sister). And she is quick to dispel any suggestion one or other might have murdered their father.

During this phone conversation the omniscient camera caresses the ‘murder board’ more than once, using the head shots and pinned strings to remind us who is whom and how they’re connected. Writer-director-producer-host Bryan Bruce then makes triple sure we are up to speed by recapping what we know so far and pointing out that everyone at the party had the opportunity and why most had a motive. While such recapitulation may be standard practice for investigative journalism on TV, and reviewing the ‘murder board’ is a recognised trope on some of the more plodding whodunnit TV drama series, it does dilute the potential for dramatic energy in these very short Death Bye Chocolate episodes. But that’s not the point here, I guess – its about us guessing whodunnit to raise funds for NZPTV and be in the draw for the chocolate prize.

A grid view of all the players is used as a transition device for zooming in on DI Bill Morris’s formal interview with Mark Holden. This has the unintended (I assume) effect of suggesting everyone is connected into the call. Clearly Morris (Danny Mulheron) has been briefed on developments by ‘Coops’ so we can enjoy his strategy in questioning Fergus Aitken’s understandably nervous Mark about trust. A suspect’s right to consult a lawyer and have them present is deftly dealt with, so in order to defend himself against worse accusations, the cornered Mark comes clean with his side of the story Rita has told.

Of course everyone who is asked, “Did you murder Richard Carrington?” protests their innocence, leaving us to wonder who might be protesting too much. Bryan uses his final summing up segment to get us exercising our brains on why the latest suspect might or might not have done it. And, as before, an intriguing teaser thickens the plot after the credits, when Daniella (Lucy Dawber) phones Dan (Vincent Andrew-Scammell) with a request.

Watch ep 3 here.
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As the investigation continues into who killed Richard Carrington and why (see episode 1), we amateur sleuths will be applying the MOM test: who had the Means, Opportunity and Motive? With Death Bye Chocolate Bryan Bruce has crafted a whodunnit that comprehensively puts everyone in the frame, especially when it comes to Motive.

Having welcomed us again in his presenter/investigative journalist role, Bryan chats with DI Bill Morris (Danny Mulheron) to be told (twice) that the victim’s will was recently updated in favour of the pregnant new wife, Rachel – already very rich from the ‘accidental’ death of her first husband – and to the detriment of his twin children, Daniella and Dan.

A call from DS Jane Cooper (Rachel Henry-More) reveals she has discovered something about Daniella that leads Bill to ask ‘Coops’ to interview her. Remember everyone is in Lockdown, so all communication has to be achieved remotely. This does raise a question as to how Coops will be able to get everyone’s fingerprints, as ordered by her boss.

Suddenly we are privy to a very private phone call between Daniella (Lucy Dawber) and Dan (Vincent Andrew-Scammell). The twin sibling dynamic, especially in relation to what Coops discovered earlier, is very well realised. The question of who was Dad’s favourite may also be germane – not to mention the work Dan was doing when his Dad dropped by.

Now I am clear the production is using an ‘omniscient camera’ viewpoint, allowing viewers – and Byran, who seems to have all and sundry under surveillance – to know more than any character does, including the police. For example, Bryan will be able to observe on his computer that DI Morris is receiving a phone call from someone else. But how Daniella knows, before she answers, that the cops are phoning her, remains a mystery (given she wouldn’t have DS Cooper, who she clearly doesn’t know, named in her contacts file).

My point, here, is that the question of ‘viewpoint’, which is as important as ‘structure’ to any screen drama, has not been handled as well as it might have been. But I’m aware this was put together in a hurry as an alternative means of fundraising for the NZPTV Trust under Lockdown, so I’ll say no more about it. Except this is a genre that demands we notice every small detail, so … hey. I even notice which characters speak naturally and fluidly, and which appear to be referring to a script – which may or may not be a clue to be spotted.

Coops’ phone interview with Daniella begins – then is later reported to Bill. Meanwhile we get to witness another private phone conversation between Stephanie Holden (Dushka More) and her dodgy accountant husband, Mark (Fergus Aitken). Stephanie, who is spending Lockdown at their beach house, has clearly put great demands on Mark and continues to do so. It could look like a stereotypical relationship but Dushka especially makes her character very real.

Bryan recaps the case so far, using the ‘murder board’ – then lets us witness Coops’ report to Bill about her interview with Daniella, thus clarifying who organised the anniversary party, made the cake and iced it. The twins’ different relationships with their father and stepmother come into sharper focus here.

The episode closes with the all-important instructions on how to enter the competition to name the guilty party, thereby investing your donation in the opportunity to win the tasty chocolates prize. And once again, it’s not over till it’s over: there’s another teaser right after the closing credits to ensure we tune in to episode 3 (available from 7.30pm tonight).

All this is achieved in just 17 mins.
See episode 2 here.
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If you are into whodunnits, grab yourself a slice (or five) of this Death Bye Chocolate cake. It has been created by Bryan Bruce and his team as a way of fundraising for The New Zealand Public Television Trust, so the services of all the professional cast and crew involved have been donated. While it is freely accessible on NZPTV, viewers can enter a draw to win $200 worth of NZ chocolates by donating $5 (or more if you like) per vote.

Business magnate Richard Carrington (Russell Raethal) and his second wife Rachel (Louise O’Flaherty) must have thought they’d timed their first wedding anniversary beautifully, to be able to host a small celebration on the eve of the COVID-19 Level 4 Lockdown. How tragic, then, that Richard’s comical scoffing of the first slice of their celebration chocolate cake should have led to his sudden death – just before everyone had to go into Lockdown.

Although it’s being treated as a suspicious death, a heart attack has been considered the likely cause until – minutes before DI Bill Morris (Danny Mulheron) joins NZPTV host Bryan Bruce, to conduct the first ever investigation live online – the pathologist’s initial report reveals the cause of death to be a large dose of potassium cyanide.

As it happens, a ‘Murder Board’ has already been prepared with pictures of all those in attendance at the time: Richard (deceased) and Rachel, of course; his twin children by his first wife, Daniella (Lucy Dawber) and Dan (Vincent Andrew-Scammell); their aunty on their mother’s side, Rita Harlow (Susannah Kenton), owner of the Harlow conglomerate; Mark Holden (Fergus Aitken), Carrington’s accountant, and his wife Stephanie (Dushka More); close friends Denzel (Erroll Shand) and Aroha Morrison (Moana Ete).

Of course the bereaved Rachel has had to be isolated in a hotel because the Carrington home is a crime scene, so that’s where she is when DI Morris phones her for his first investigation interview. For some reason Zoom technology is not recognised as part of the process so the device cameras the actors are self-recording on are anonymous observers – which works fine. I assume this means we see the characters’ body language while DI Morris does not.  

Danny Mulheron does ‘dour detective’ very well, giving nothing away – other than a frustration at these unfamiliar conditions – as he methodically works through his process. In the classic ‘trophy wife’ role, Louise O’Flaherty balances emotion, flightiness and steadiness beautifully, to keep us guessing as to whether and when she might be massaging the truth somewhat.

As DS Jane Cooper, Rachel Henry-More phones in news from the crime scene concerning the knife that was used to cut the cake. She is clearly more au-fait with smartphone technology and is quietly amused when an incoming text sees her boss cut her off. We are left knowing something interesting has come to light but must wait for the next episode (tonight) to find out more.

As the presenter, Bryan Bruce hosts the show like the investigative reporter he is, which could be said to ‘spoon feed’ us more than necessary when watched from a drama perspective. On the other hand, his recapping the facts does leave us free to conjure with the what ifs, how abouts and maybes that are wriggling just below the surface.

I’m hooked. Death Bye Chocolate is shaping up as another creative solution to the challenge of producing drama in Lockdown. Oh, and do take note of Bryan’s caution that nothing should be assumed – there is an illegal assignation to be witnessed after the closing credits roll.

See it here. 

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