Coda

The final Endeavour of the season, aptly named Coda, is a surprising one as Endeavor takes his sergeant's exam and Thursday receives some news.

Thursday and other police watch the funeral of Cedric Clissold, a garment factory owner, sure that the Matthews brothers will be taking over the crime organization led by the late Harry Rose. They are taking film of the different men. Meanwhile, Morse is taking his sergeant's exam.

Morse runs into an old professor, Felix Lorimer, who is now separated from his young and beautiful wife Nina. He asks Morse to investigate her boyfriend, Paul Morlock -- someone in cahoots with the Matthews brothers - as he is afraid Nina is in danger.

It turns out that Morlock is also seeing Thursday's daughter Joan. Nina thinks that Felix killed Cedric. Morse does learn that Felix has a connection to the seedier parts of Oxford.

Thursday has been suspended after his attack on a suspect previously, and he now receives devastating news from his doctor. Then Morse, Nina, and Joan Thursday are held hostage when the Matthews gang robs the bank where Joan works. While being held there, Morse manages to figure out just what's going on, and who killed Cedric Clissold.

A very poignant episode, with Morse coming to a realization, Joan making an important decision, and Thursday coughing incessantly. It really tugged at the heart, besides offering up a few twists. Probably the best of the season, and it makes me look forward to the next one. Hope we see it soon.

We enjoyed this episode, but I'd like to add my choice of anachronism, although of course there are so many efforts in the series to avoid such errors. It's the use of the word "Chair" for "Chairman" of a department at Oxford. I don't have any personal knowledge of Oxford, as another person does here, nor have I done any research, but in the 1960s the gender-neutral term was not really in use anywhere with a long tradition. The idea of such a word I think was lampooned for another two decades as implying that a piece of furniture was running the show.

I wanted to make this comment rather than wanting to review the show, but it was a good entry in a good series.

Outstanding. The whole series is outstanding.

I was a teenager then and remember the period. Everything about the period is true even down to the beer jugs of the time. I do not know how they do it.

The story lines are brilliant. There is always a twist in the tale. Brilliantly written.

The acting is superb. Especially Shaun Evans as the young Morse and Roger Allam as Inspector Thursday.

An outstanding piece of work. I have no hesitation in giving the whole series 10/10.

I am so gutted that this series has come to an end already, but they certainly saved the best for last, each episode in this third series has been excellent, but this concluding part was the best yet, I absolutely loved it. Some great character development for Morse once again, we are seeing how his actions are shaping the future of the character that we would see through John Thaw.

All the elements were there once again, fabulous production values, glorious music throughout, a wonderful script and some superb performances, the regulars were utterly brilliant once again, I'd argue that's perhaps been Shaun's best outing to date, Sean Rigby is very much coming into his own as DS Strange.

I am already excited for Series 4.

This was virtually perfect, 10/10

Having recently been, and just finished being, on a roll reviewing all the episodes of 'Lewis', which generally was very enjoyable before having some disappointments later on, it occurred to me to do the same for 'Inspector Morse's' (one of my favourites for over a decade, and all the episodes were also reviewed in my first year on IMDb eight years ago) prequel series 'Endeavour'.

As said in my review for the entire show two years ago, 'Endeavour' is not just a more than worthy prequel series to one of my favourite detective dramas of all time and goes very well with it, but it is a great series on its own as well. It maintains everything that makes 'Inspector Morse' so good, while also containing enough to make it its own, and in my mind 'Inspector Morse', 'Lewis' and 'Endeavour' go perfectly well together.

Was very impressed by the pilot episode, even with a very understandable slight finding-its-feet feel (that is true of a lot of shows, exceptions like 'Morse' itself, 'A Touch of Frost' and 'Midsomer Murders', which started off great and were remarkably well established, are fairly few. The first season was even better, with all the episodes being outstanding. Season 2 took a darker turn, but once again all the episodes were great (even with "Trove" having one of 'Endeavour's' most far-fetched and over-complicated endings, great episode otherwise), with the weakest one "Sway" still being very good, "Neverland" especially was exceptional and a show high-point.

Season 3 is considered by fans as nowhere near as good as previously. Will admit that it is not as good as Seasons 1 and 2, which had more believable stories and didn't try to do too much but count me in as someone who has still enjoyed the episodes and has found a lot to like. "Coda" however is to me and many others the best of Season 3, and to me, despite enjoying "Ride", "Arcadia" and "Prey" (although the last one is very divisive), the season's only outstanding episodes.

Production values in "Coda" are spot on. It is exquisitely filmed, with some extremely creepy low shots and how everything is lit which enhances the atmosphere hugely, and there is something very nostalgic and charming about the atmospherically evoked 1960s period detail. Despite loving the music in "Prey", which added enormously to that episode's atmosphere, to me it isn't really the same without Barrington Pheloung. He makes a more than welcome return as composer here, and as have remarked many times having him be composer on 'Endeavour' as well as 'Morse' and 'Lewis' is a masterstroke of genius. His music is still hauntingly beautiful, and the 'Inspector Morse' theme is still immortal.

Writing, as has been said many times in my reviews for the previous 'Endeavour' episodes, is every bit as intelligent, entertaining and tense as the previous episodes and as the best of 'Morse', with some funny lines from Max. The story is gripping, with the personal life subplots giving off a mournful and poignant quality and the skilfully done dovetailing of both the murder and robbery. How wonderful to learn more about Morse's past too.

Once more we are treated to references that feel affectionate and nostalgic rather than clumsy or gimmicky. There are direct references to "Promised Land" and "Greeks Bearing Gifts", and who can't help think of Lonsdale College without thinking of "The Remorseful Day" for obvious reasons. As well as to 'Dirty Harry' and the case reminding one of 'Dog Day Afternoon'.

Morse and Thursday's father/son relationship, has grown more entertaining and heartfelt with each episode, it has a lot of warmth, is so well written within the story and is a large part of the series' appeal. The pacing is restrained, but that allows the atmosphere to come through, and pretty much all the same it excels in that aspect. The characters are interesting, lead and supporting (apart from the slight disappointment of Bright being closer to what he was like before getting some development for the better in "Prey"), with Morse displaying more recognisable character quirks with each episode and as aforementioned it is impossible not to love his relationship with Thursday.

Shaun Evans as ever does some powerful, charismatic work as younger Morse, showing enough loyalty to John Thaw's iconic Morse while making the character his own too. Roger Allam is also superb, his rapport with Evans always compels and entertains but Thursday is quite a sympathetic character, as well as loyal and firm, and Allam does a lot special with a role that could have been less interesting possibly in lesser hands. Mark Heap is particularly excellent in support, and Sean Rigby is indeed coming into his own.

In summary, outstanding and Season 3's best episode bar none. 10/10 Bethany Cox