Death in Paradise announcement answers big Beyond Paradise question
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Beyond Paradise is approaching fast and it has been confirmed that Humphrey (Kris Marshall) will find himself back in Saint Marie following his split from Martha (Sally Bretton).
In the penultimate episode of the show's first season Martha shattered Humphrey's heart when she revealed she couldn't be with him knowing that they wanted different things.
Their relationship has been tainted by sadness since the show's premiere in which Martha suffered a miscarriage.
That devastating blow caused both to reconsider what married life would look like for them.
While Humphrey still carried the notion of children in their future, Martha leaned heavily into a life without children, rather than put herself through the hardship of IVF and the reality of another possible loss.
The pressure and fear of Humphrey becoming resentful led her to end things and, judging by her staunch resolution (coupled with the returning of the ring), it doesn't seem likely she'll come around any time soon.
Martha may have made some big decisions, but a certain finale teaser trailer revealed that Humphrey is also wrestling with some of his own.
We are, of course, referring to the imminent Death in Paradise/Beyond Paradise crossover.
During the 36-second clip Humphrey is welcomed back to the island by his lizard friend Harry, who greets him at the porch of his former Inspector House.
The short snip is an endearing one but may have had many questioning what it meant for the future of his and Martha's relationship in Beyond Paradise.
Of course, it's inconceivable that he would leave the show given that it is underpinned by their journey – separate or together.
It does however raise questions on how long his stay in Saint Marie could be and how much time will have passed by the time we meet him back in a possible season two.
It becomes increasingly more worrisome knowing that Ralf Little's Neville Parker is now the longest-serving lead detective in a show that likes to change leadership quite often.
His tenure has been considerably longer than those who came before him besides Kris Humphrey, who exited around the same point Little has reached. This makes Humphrey's arrival at this juncture a little more suspicious than it would usually be.
Thankfully Ralf has cleared things up the way most celebs do these days, with an Instagram Live. In it Ralf confirmed he wasn't going anywhere when he said the following:
"I've been looking forward to making this announcement for a while and a lot of you are going to go, 'We already knew that' but this has never been said officially, it's never been officially stated, so here it is – contracts are signed, sealed.
"There is another series of Death in Paradise being filmed this year and I am delighted to say that I am going back."
"I will be playing Neville Parker again in series 13."
Knowing that Little's Parker will be at the helm of all the ludicrous cases is a relief for those worried about Humphrey and Martha's future.
They may have a rocky road ahead, but it certainly seems that there are no vacant positions (interim or otherwise) for Humphrey to slide back into.
He may be returning to Saint Marie but there's no avoiding what waits for him at home. He'll have to confront those issues the good old Humphrey way, with a certain amount of peculiar charm and plenty of optimism.
Let's hope he doesn't take too long, before Archie (Jamie Bamber) makes himself even more comfortable than he already is.
Beyond Paradise continues Fridays at 8pm on BBC One, and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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