Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2 – TV Review
First Reaction – Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2 is a comfortable series that keeps things calm.
Where to Watch
Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2 is set to arrive on DVD and digital 14 April 2025, courtesy of Acorn Media International.
Director: Jozua Malherbe, Karen Jeynes
Writer: Karen Jeynes, Anathia Rubela, Chase Rhys, Beer Adriaanse (Screenplay)
Cast
- Maria Doyle Kennedy (Wolfwalkers)
- Tony Kgoroge (Blood Diamond)
- Kylie Fisher (Fraksie)
- Jennifer Steyn
- Elton Pandrew
Plot: Tannie Maria sees food as “medicine for the body and heart”. She envies romance as much as she enjoys cooking and eating. But it’s death that shakes up Tannie Maria’s life, when one of the correspondents to her column is brutally murdered.
Runtime: 50 Minutes per episode
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2
Once Upon a Time
We begin the series with Tannie facing her distant relatives wanting answers about her husband’s death. She continues her work at the local newspaper as the locals continue to deal with their problems in her correspondence. Elsewhere, Hattie decides to run for mayor and Jessie continues to find cutting-edge stories.
This is a nice return for the series, and opens up the bigger story behind Tannie’s past. We see what everyone is up to next and blend in a nice series of cookery. However, it doesn’t get into any new mysteries until later on and doesn’t make a big returning impact like most shows would do to grab our attention for upcoming series. (3/5)
A Little Guilt Goes A Long Way
This begins in the aftermath of the fire and the death of a local. Outsiders are called in to investigate the fire and discover how it started and spread so quickly. Meanwhile, Khaya leads the case into the death and Maria continues to deal with her personal problems from her past.
The show is struggling to get going this season so far. Jessie does have a new role which will boost her career. Maria and her past feels like it is going to drag along. Meanwhile, the case begins, which is going to last for a while and is the thing that has become the most interesting in the series. Hopefully, things will get going and the show will get into gear soon. (2/5)
The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants
We continue the tension between Maria and Alieen, as Khaya begins an early investigation. Elsewhere, Jessie is enjoying taking her new role as acting editor of the paper. Meanwhile, Hattie finds her competition for mayor getting more intense before the debate.
This continues to build the bigger series of stories in the town, while giving small clues behind the fire. There isn’t too much happening though, and we are easily in the filler part of the story coming out. It can be a bit frustrating that not more is happening leaving us wanting more from the series. (2/5)
His Favourite Snoek
This jumps into the aftermath of the robbery attempt on Maria. She is left in the middle of a difficult decision about how to reveal the news to Khaya. Jessie revelation leads to a shocking new suspect in the arson attempt. Maria begins getting questioned about her husband’s death, as the team decide whether to investigate more. Elsewhere, Maria and Jessie find love interesting rivals clashing.
We continue to struggle to get into the bigger case. The romantic angles for Maria and Jessie are not the most interesting. This series is struggling to get going, and getting invested in the story has become harder. It needs a much-needed boost to get the story moving. (2/5)
Crash Bang Wallop
Maria faces the reality that her home is going to be taken away from her, as her past continues to haunt her. A new murder presents a new series of questions. Maria, Jessie and Hattie work together to investigate the case. Meanwhile, Khaya leads the investigation, which has plenty of potential suspects.
This gives the series a much-needed boost, with a new mystery and a larger suspect pool. It keeps the personal lives evolving and Maria begins her plan to keep her home. This is the sort of episode we would have liked a little earlier because it lays more of the groundwork for the bigger story going on. (3/5)
Home is Where the Bearnaise is
We start with Maria deciding to investigate the murder victim, leading to her breaking into his office. Meanwhile, Alieen begins questioning her partner’s choice. Jessie deals with her problems and makes a decision. Finally, Maria faces an uncertain future in the place she made her home.
The pieces begin to come together in the murder case. Meanwhile, the interwoven personal lives begin to clash. The case is interesting to see present difficult suspects. However, the personal lives connecting so much is making it feel like we are stepping into a soap opera. Sadly, the show is caught between an interesting murder mystery and an overly dramatic soap opera. (2/5)
Come Home to Roost
We begin with Alieen writing to Tannie to confess the guilt she feels and the pain her husband left her in. Elsewhere, the mayoral race faces the big voting day, and Hattie questions whether she can pull off the upset. However, it leads to Jessie facing an uncertain future, returning to her former role. Finally, the case begins to come to a conclusion and the suspects must be tracked down.
We jump to the final chapters of the stories coming together giving everyone hope. Maria, Jessie and Hattie realize how much they enjoy working together. Meanwhile, families reunite, but the threat is still out there, waiting to get captured. It leaves us nicely prepared for the final episode of the series. (4/5)
Always Look After your Pots
The final episode follows the suspect getting tracked down. It follows the rest of the residents coming together to move on with their lives and Maria plans one of her best dishes. Everyone finds a way to move on after the events, no matter what has changed for them.
It feels like a comfortable closing episode, and it brings the community together. However, it lacks the sparks the series could have had and has a few other things up the sleeve for future events. (3/5)
Overall
Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2 has struggled to get going for the most part. The murder case has plenty of mystery about it, but it doesn’t seem to have enough of a suspect pool. Maria’s storyline trying to keep her home, shows the pain she suffered through and the memories flooding back. It does feel like the series had one or two too many episodes and could have told the story in a more contained formula. However, if you were a big fan of the first series, you should continue to enjoy the adventures of the characters again.
Final Thoughts –Recipes for Love and Murder Series 2 continues a familiar series of stories but can feel longer than it needs to.
