“It’s difficult for him.”
Death in Paradise has seen numerous characters come and go over the years – and the BBC drama could be on the verge of waving goodbye to another of its core characters.
In the teaser for next week’s episode, Marlon’s sister Jocelyn receives a letter informing her that she’s been offered a scholarship at a prestigious school in Kingston, Jamaica, which is cause for celebration indeed.
But that development leaves Marlon with a big decision to make.
“I want to do good by Jocelyn, but I don’t want to not be a police officer,” he says to Naomi, acknowledging the fact that staying in Saint Marie would mean being separated from his younger sibling.
But if he does choose to up sticks, that would require him to leave both his job and his friends behind – a particularly tough choice given how key both have been in his transformation from petty thief to a valued member of the Honoré police department.
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“It’s difficult for him, especially when it could affect his career, a career that’s been turned into his life almost in the last couple of years,” said Tahj Miles of his character’s arc in season 13.
“It’s not just that his decisions affect him, his decisions are also going to affect the people that are close to him. So he’s got no choice but to consider other people’s opinions and feelings.”
Will Marlon stay? Or will he go – and possibly join a new force in another part of the Caribbean?
Commissioner Selwyn Patterson’s time on the show was also cast into doubt when he was shot in the opening episode of the current season.
Thankfully, he survived his ordeal, much to the relief of the show’s long-standing fans, but his near-death experience did force him to “check himself”, according to Ginny Holder, who plays Darlene.
“It pushes quite a few buttons for him, as things like that do. You have to check yourself. What does life mean, really? The things that we take on, do we need to? You put things into perspective, and that’s what Selwyn has to do.”
Élizabeth Bourgine, who plays Catherine, echoed that: “Catherine is in Paris and when she comes back she has to deal with this, with Selwyn. And they have to face, both of them, what they are living for and what they’ve been through in the past.
“And all through season 13 they will both have to face their pasts and the people they’ve met and their friends, and what they want to do with their lives.”
Death in Paradise airs on Sundays on BBC One at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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