User reviews

"Endeavor," through every episode of the first season, presents a smart, sensitive, thoughtful, beautifully filmed and well-written series. It is a huge improvement on "Lewis," and in some ways is better than the original "Morse." This episode is equal to the previous ones. Great performances, good editing, good pace.

"Lewis" has been held back by the limitations of the character the wonderful Whately plays, the too-one-note Fox, and shabby writing. It has been pretentious. "Morse" had the matchless Thaw, and with Whately and other good supporting actors it managed to seem intelligent, if in a heavy- handed way.

Noir forgives unbelievability. In fact, it requires it. A realistic, don't-call-it-cozy, near- contemporary treatments of crime in academia yielding to American influences demands believability - and a firm brake on formula. "Academia is Byzantium" and "Scholarship is Corruption" are heavy-handedly repetitive themes.

But "Endeavor" does not stretch for significance and achieves it in the process. Shaun Evans manages to create his own character and presents him as a troubled young man with a reserved but expressive demeanor. He remains inscrutable enough to convey depth but maintains a fuller humanity than Thaw could as a finished (in more ways than one) character.

The plots pull back from the Sturm und Drang of both "Morse" and "Lewis," showing a more realistic world. And the setting of the show in the 1960s permits a design that lends detachment and style. (Sometimes the 1960s effects are over-played - not EVERY young woman wore an impeccable bob and sported perfect mod colors and tailoring mid-decade. Call it the "Mad Men" influence, via Thames Valley. But that's not really a complaint since the look is gorgeous.)

The message of "Morse" was that life is cruel and people are miserable but art can help if you drink enough booze (and good colleagues make life bearable).

The message of "Lewis" is that life is cruel and intelligence comes at a price, but love can make it worth the harm (and good colleagues make life bearable).

The message of "Endeavor," however, at least through the first set, is that life is life. One has a chance for both peace and damage, and it's better to take both with open eyes (and good colleagues make life bearable - Roger Allam's Thursday is a marvel).

Evans just has to avoid appearing like Dr. Who on an undercover mission in the near-swinging Earth of 1966.

Well, maybe he doesn't have to avoid it, at that.

Actually, I'm not a fan of opera. Therefore at the beginning, this show seemed quite normal to me. The plots are also hard to be brilliant.

However, Shaun just performed so well and he successfully built a good detective, which is so rare for me for many years.

And not only that, the theme music play by Barrington Pheloung fit Constable Morse perfectly. After the last scene of the first season, I didn't lose one minute to looking for the music and download it.

There are still 7 seasons left for me. Luck!!!

Endeavour has for many years been my favourite show, it makes for the most perfect Sunday evening viewing, and the series finale is always something special. The first of these finales, Home, is a wonderful episode. Morse is just about to sit his Sergeant's exam, and gets intrigued by a bit and run accident, meanwhile Fred is provoked by a local gangster.

The writing is immaculate, it's a fantastic episode, a totally intriguing mystery, with some wonderful character play, Fred, Joan, and Morse himself all have turmoil to deal with. Fred's scenes with the villainous Vic Kasper are fantastic. You could say it's a complex mystery, indeed it is, you need to concentrate and take note of what's happening, but it's a hugely rewarding watch. I love that we get to see some of Morse's family life.

The imagery is particularly great here, as is the stunning music. It is glorious from start to finish. 9/10

All the Oxford series are eminently rewatchable and its only along this criteria can one judge the truly superior eps. This is superior.

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 episode of the first season "Girl" was a very welcome return, a fine episode in its own right and was even better. Morse's personality is more established with more obvious recognisable personality quirks and generally things feel more settled. Then there was "Fugue", which to me is one of the best episodes of 'Endeavour', while "Rocket" was just as good.

Allow me to also say the same for "Home". Now this is how to finish a season, here concluding with a cracker.

Once again, cannot fault the production values. "Home" is exquisitely photographed and there is something very nostalgic and charming about the atmospherically evoked 1960s period detail. It was also a genius move to keep Barrington Pheloung on board, with his hauntingly beautiful scoring and immortal 'Inspector Morse' theme, and while the use of music isn't as ingenious as it was in "Fugue" for example it's hugely effective still.

Writing, even for so early on, is every bit as intelligent, entertaining and tense as the previous episodes and as the best of 'Morse'. The story has tension, a good deal going on and little feels improbable or too obvious while being suitably complicated. There are plenty of red herrings and twists here, without being cluttered, the identity of the killer while with some early but not obvious at all clues was a real surprise.

Morse and Thursday's father/son relationship, while even stronger later being more entertaining and heartfelt, has a lot of warmth, is so well written within the story and is a large part of the series' appeal and there is some good suspense. How great to see a younger Max and Strange well before he became superintendent.

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, 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. All the acting is very good, Anton Lesser has always been fine to me as Bright while Sean Rigby does a nice job as Strange and James Bradshaw would make Peter Woodthorpe proud. Support is as solid as can be.

In summary, a cracker. 10/10 Bethany Cox

The case here involves an apparent hit and run. When investigated, it is found the man didn't have normal symptoms of being struck by a car. When looked into, it leads to a whole can of worms that involve an illegal land deal, a sort of criminal pact, the illness of Morse's father, and some extortion. As is usually the case, there are factors that come as surprises. The final episode of the first season is highly satisfying. We get to see the human side of he characters where other series seem to make them cardboard cutouts. Of course, there is one more rant by Superintendent Bright, again putting aside justice for smooth sailing. I'm hoping that in season two something will change. Morse has proven himself and by now should not be suspect. Bright is seen more and more a pure buffoon.

As with all Endeavour episodes repeated viewings allow a greater understanding and appreciation of the story but this particular episode is one which demonstrates this better than most. This story delves deeper into the characters of Morse and Thursday than other episodes and is one of the best, the drama and emotion is more subtle than some episodes and all the better for it.

In this episode we get to glimpse at another part of the Morse saga his family, something that never even gets mentioned which makes it interesting to me, to gain any form of insight into what may make him tick.

D. I. Fred Thursday comes across unwelcome criminal ghosts from his past Vic and Vince Casper, who escaped from gang rivals in the London underworld, and sought refuge in an Oxford business venture the Moonlight Room nightclub.

The murders of an Oxford Don Professor Coke Norris, a young woman Judy Vallens who had worked at the Moonlight Room, the sale of university land to make way for a council housing development.

Are any of these in any way remotely linked, and if so how and why?

Police work and detection can be problematic at the best of times, but when politics are involved the rule of law can take a back seat, even where otherwise stick in the mud officers like Chief Superintendent Bright are concerned.

Shaun Evans doing a brilliant job as Morse. Will he get more emotional, and ornery like John Thaw? Glimpses into Morse's early career, and personal life are fascinating. Stories can be tricky to follow at times with heavy Brit accents, and mumbling speech. Series caught stride early. Liked the little gangster flunky with the "Guys and Dolls" attire. Vito S. 5-29-20

I like British series especially crime. This series is supposed to be about a Inspector Morse when he was young.

This series is made in 2013. There is so much smoking in it and Morse seems to start drinking like in the older Inspector Morse. There is a lot of music in the background, mostly classical I think to show that Morse was not just a cop that drank to much but someone that has so called upper class taste in music. The music is loud, and like the few other episodes is just to much. It takes away from what is happening on the in the storyline which is already complicated and hard to understand.

When at the end they try to bring the conclusion and the reasons for the crime and the people that are guilty, Endeavor talks to much. He goes on and on for us to understand. In the Poirot and Miss Marple series they do something similar but it is simple to understand. Endeavor's details are dragged out mentioning details we never knew but are supposed to understand.

So the acting is good by Shaw Evans as Endeavor and his boss Roger Allam as DI Fred Thursday don't like the overacting and shouting by Anton Lesser-Chief Bright. He also played in Garrow's Law.

I don't know if I will continue to watch this series unless they change the format, lower the music and make it less complicated to understand.

Rachel D'Arcy in the showing of the TV show series 1 Episode 4 Endeavour and was just blown away by her voice.

This is a must watch series as the the characters we love are show casing themselves to us IMO it was a real shame not to have Continued with that amazing voice of Rachel's.

It has inspired me to watch the entire Box Set again over the holidays. It's amazing how much I've missed the first time around also life is calmer now my Children have finally finished their education no Morses in family but definitely see the traits of a well educated free thinking mind I'm rambling it's just a great show with sumptuous music 🎶