Lewis - Der Oxford Krimi

Call me an Anglophile, I don't care--it's probably true. This is a program for dedicated Anglophiles and those aspiring to be one. (LOL) The continuing adventures of Detective Inspector Lewis and his trusted sidekick Detective Sergeant Hathaway stand out for the strength of production values, acting, writing, and direction that are credits to the Masterpiece: Mystery! series tradition here in the States and television anywhere. Unlike most reviewers, I've never seen the Inspector Morse series which gave this one its genesis, but be assured I will be checking those discs out on Netflix shortly. Just know that this series stands completely on its own and is without peer, at least in my experience. The principals all acquit themselves with increasing wit and flair as the series progresses, creating a palpable matrix of living relationships which provide the sort of ongoing back story that insists you return, like that finish at the end of a wee dram of single malt, for more.

The cinematography (this is shot on film, not video), score (it is far too high quality to call it simply "music"), sharp pace of direction, and of course the acting, by both regulars and guests, is more than first-rate--it is better than we have any right to expect. Oxford is a very photogenic backdrop for the stories which manage rather niftily to send up the upper class snobbery of England at the same time that it celebrates the hallowed tradition of academia and culture with which it is inextricably entwined. The squarely middle-class education and perspective of the older Lewis is also projected against the Cambridge-educated Hathaway, a lapsed theologian who is at once intellectually on par with these Oxford denizens while yet at the same time apart, due to the inter-school rivalry as well as his own lineage, which we learn more of as the series progresses. The subtle windups Lewis and Hathaway deliver each other are to be savored, for they are the real mark of affection and respect each develops over time for the other.

That each episode fills in certain intriguing details of our regulars' back stories at the same time it guides us, with red herrings aplenty, through the solution of some very puzzling cases is also part of the magic of Inspector Lewis. I find myself at moments ignoring the developments of certain cases, not because they are dull, but because I am so consumed by disclosure of personal details and the repercussions amongst series regulars. Their lives matter to us, greatly, and their relationships are not completely static.

Never dull, frequently witty, and almost always a step ahead of us, Inspector Lewis is a series that entertains at all times, often plumbs surprising emotional depths, and occasionally achieves the elusive grace of art.

I've been enamored with British mysteries since I was in college (eons ago) and of course I've seen Inspector Morse and then Endeavour. I didn't find these until later in life and was absolutely taken by them. Addicted is a better word. As I finished Endeavour (I've not seen series 8 yet) I was sad that I figured I'd never see a mystery series that good again. But found this spin off and after two seasons I have to say it's far better than those two. I love this show. It's the writing in this series and less the acting. The actings great but Endeavours characters were better but the mysteries and the plot are much better here. I can't say enough good things about the show except to say if you've not seen it and are a fan of these types of shows this one is a MUST WATCH! And the acting is too notch I just thought Endeavours young Morse was exceptional. Enjoy !! I think I'm going to have to get Britbix to continue watching all the great shows of the BBC etc. They just don't do it like this in the US, that's for sure. I wouldn't trade an episode of this for any US movie I've seen in the last 5 years!

Hearing about Lewis for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as Inspector Morse was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good.

The good news is, like the prequel series Endeavour, Lewis is every bit as good as Inspector Morse and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general. There is not much to criticise actually, it's a show that started with a lot of promise, got better and better for a while with each season but a few of the episodes the last couple of seasons for my tastes have veered on the bizarre and too convoluted (not helped by the poor decision in the last three seasons to have one story spread over two weeks, where one was most likely to have forgotten what had happened previously and who was who, especially the case with Down Among the Fearful). This said, even the weakest episodes have much more watchability than those of New Tricks and Midsomer Murders, mostly a fan of both but both got tired after changing so much in later seasons. There is certainly plenty to love however.

As to be expected, the production values are of very high quality. All the episodes are beautifully shot, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, each episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of classical music is very well-incorporated in every episode (have not quite been able to feel the same way about the finale to the Firebird the same way again), whether it's a character listening to it, a kind of motif or some kind of musical clue.

Lewis is very smartly and intelligently written, with lovely droll exchanges between Lewis and Hathaway, some nice humour, surprising amounts of emotional impact and a real effort to properly develop all the ideas introduced rather than leaving questions in the balance. Really appreciated all the references to Morse too. The story lines a vast majority of the time are most compelling, are never dull, are very suspenseful and have plenty of twists and turns that not only does one not see coming but effort is taken to explain it all. Life Born of Fire, Falling Darkness, Dead of Winter and Beyond Good and Evil are particularly good in this regard. The characters are well written and engaging, who can't help love the dynamic between Lewis and Hathaway (the former being the world weary one with the hunches and the latter the more logical and witty), and that between Lewis and Hobson has a lovely warmth too.

The acting is on the most part terrific, apart from an at times annoying Angela Griffin and some distractingly bad accents on occasion (i.e. Zoe Boyle's in Point of Vanishing). Kevin Whately and Lawrence Fox are superb leads, with Whately being advantaged by Lewis being a more rounded and developed character here, Rebecca Front makes for a commanding superior and Clare Holman is reliably strong too. Many of the guest supporting turns have been very strong too.

Overall, a great series and a worthy successor to a personal favourite. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Lewis hits the spot for me. Great location shots of Oxford, typically unbelievably complicated plots where the destination seems less important than journey, and Kevin Whately's now rather world-weary Inspector Lewis trawling his way through police procedure to arrive at the right solution.

I like Laurence Fox as Lewis' laconic and slightly acerbic assistant Hathaway. This is a working partnership not one of close camaraderie - and that works for me. At least in series one, the writers have refrained from throwing random romance in the way of Lewis - other series go a bit too far with distracting love interests - and this means our heroes can concentrate all their energies on cerebral outcomes rather than physical ones.

All in all, a very competent and enjoyable series. 9/10

This is a review of Series One to Seven of LEWIS (also known as INSPECTOR LEWIS). I never imagined that a sequel series could surpass the original (INSPECTOR MORSE), but this is what has happened. The stories, writing and direction remain of the same excellent quality, but it is the performances which really put the series over the top. John Thaw as Inspector Morse often overdid the querulousness and could be a bit irritating sometimes, which was meant to be part of his character. But now that he has the top job, Kevin Whateley as Lewis has really come into his own as a heavyweight actor of true stature. He has made Lewis into such a rounded and convincing character that he is more compelling than Morse ever was. (Perhaps this solidity of character is due to Whateley being a direct descendant of one of the three notorious Thompson Brothers, all of them Parliamentary colonels, of the 1640s and 1650s.) But even Whateley's superb acting cannot match the eerie and uncanny brilliance of Laurence Fox's performances as Detective Sergeant Hathaway. Rarely in a TV series has any actor created such massive complexity of character with such understatement and minimalism. Fox's work is sheer genius. One is tempted to compare Fox with John Hamm in MAD MEN (see my review), where we hang on Hamm's every silence, expecting him to speak, but when he does not, we accept the profundity of his silence as part of his secretive character and sympathise with him. This is very much the case with Fox, whose brooding internal life makes us concerned for him. The strong performances of Clare Holman as the pathologist and Rebecca Front as the Chief Superintendent are equally important in giving the essential fibre to the series to ensure its success. Holman's perpetual cheeriness is rather infectious, and all the more fascinating in that she shows it when inspecting corpses. This series (which will have a Season 8 before long) is a magnificent success in every respect. Dom Perignon all round! However, one does have a certain sympathy with the population of Oxford, which has been diminished by so many murders after all of these years that one wonders that there is anyone left alive in either town or gown. I noticed that there appear to be heavy filming restrictions in place, for in none of the episodes do we see the commercial district or the roads with the most traffic. I only recall seeing Oxford Market used once. We never see the High Street except for the small area at the end by Magdalen Bridge. Oxford comes across all glamorous and antique, and you would never suspect there were other parts of the town which are glum rather than glam. The Sheldonian appears to be everywhere, and every angle of that has been covered many times. Some of the colleges appear to have said no. I have never seen the quaint battlements of New College in an episode, for instance. We never see Magdalen's deer park, we never see the endless walks along the river, which are inaccessible to filming vans. In a sense, a mythical Oxford provides the backdrop for this series. But then, that strangely adds to the effect, for by creating the illusion of an Oxford that goes on forever but is really often the same locations shot from new angles, the illusion of endless murders seems only a natural part of the equation D = ME, where D is drama, M is murder, and E is episodes. It is clear according to this equation that the drama can increase linearly if either the murders increase, the episodes increase, or both increase together. No analysis has yet been made formulating an equation expressing the rates of increase, whether two murders per episode cause an acceleration of the heartbeat, and whether nonlinear phenomena occur, such as particularly shocking murders leading to quantum jumps, i.e. hearts skipping beats. I go to Oxford so rarely these days, but on one visit what did my wife and I see but Kevin Whateley getting in and out of his police car near Merton College as the cameras rolled, on the same side of the street as Anthony a Wood's house. Long may he go on doing so. And let us hope that some future edition of Athenae Oxoniensis includes John Thaw, Kevin Whateley, and Laurence Fox as worthies, which they clearly deserve.