Doing a rewatch of all those older Midsomer Murders episodes made me come to a conclusion: DS Ben Jones likes to get pegged.
Now, hear me out:
In Secrets and Spies (episode 12.03) we get to witness the following dialogue between Jones and Ms Watson, a young woman he obviously hooked up with before, after a break-in at the museum she's working at:
W: Bit of a mystery, Mr Jones. J: Certainly is, Ms Watson. W: Are you ever coming round again? J: I– I can't sleep with a suspect. W: Suspect? J: Well, you could've done it yourself. W: Huh. J: An insurance scam. W: How about tonight? J: No... Look, just check your stock and give me a call. At the station. W: It wouldn't take long. I'd be gentle. J: Oh, you. W: I'd still respect you!
At first, their conversation is mostly teasing, obviously two former lovers who enjoyed themselves with each other. She is eager to meet him again, asking early on if he isn't interested in repeating whatever happened between them before this encounter. He deflects but still keeps teasing her while also doing his job.
However, it gets really interesting after she offers a repeat that very evening. He still tries to deflect, so his stern words that she should call the station not his personal number do not have any bite in them whatsoever when he keeps smiling at her.
And then she said those two sentences that made me think (after shouting "What do you MEAN?" at my TV screen repeatedly): "I'd be gentle." and "I'd still respect you." The last sentence implies that she offers something to him where he would have to open up and let her do it – and while that can still mean lots of things including some BDSM stuff, it's the context of her "being gentle" about it that makes me come to the conclusion that she's offering to peg him.
And his almost shy smile when he said "Oh, you" tells me that she already did it at least once and that he liked it. A lot.
Which would also explain his nonchalance when he talked to John Barnaby about finding butt plugs at that place they once raided in Echoes of the Dead (episode 14.03).
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Make of it what you will.
