Inspector Lewis (TV Series) The Ramblin' Boy: Part 1 (2013) User Reviews

It's a terrific episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 29 August 2019]

Foolishly I'd given up on the show at this point, I hated the way ITV had treated this series, the same way they're now messing Midsomer Murders up.

Foolish of me, this proved to be one of the very best episodes, it's a very deep, complex mystery, one with multiple characters, so you'll need to concentrate or you'll be lost.

I'm always so positive about the presence of Hathaway, indeed too often the show relied on his charisma and presence, but on this occasion, we benefit for the change, DC Gray is a wonderful character, Lewis has a new lease of life.

The mystery is excellent.

Loved it. 9/10

Inspector Lewis and the embalmed body

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 23 June 2013]

I for one enjoy the Inspector Lewis series, and I will be sorry to see him go. I have to admit that a large part of that is due to the reminders of John Thaw's Inspector Morse and his calling out of "Lewis!" Kevin Whately at this point is like a comfortable old shoe that's been in the living room for years. And I like Laurence Fox as his partner, and the relationship he has with Lewis.

In this episode, The Ramblin' Boy (I believe I saw parts 1 and 2 combined), Hathaway goes on leave, and another officer, D.C. Gray, is brought in to help Lewis when a corpse - an embalmed one, no less, is found in a field.

The body turns out to have been taken from an undertaker's and another corpse cremated in its place. But whose? There are two immediate possibilities: Tara Faulkner, whose husband owns the funeral home and has supposedly run off; Jack Cornish, the colleague of Lewis' with whom she ran off. When Tara's brother, Dr. Whitby, is found dead, an apparent suicide, the plot thickens.

Some of this crowd had attended a party at the Faulkners -- Jack Cornish, Dr. Whitby, and Whitby's partner Emma; in addition, Emma's student Jay, who works at the undertaker's was there working as a waiter with his girlfriend. And later on, Jay has something urgent to tell Lewis, but almost doesn't get the chance.

So it's the usual complicated story, in a tradition going back to Inspector Morse, where one has to pay attention. But I found it good watching, and also amusing, as Lewis calls Hathaway on his holiday to ask him to check out the Faulkner's farm house for signs of life.

In the end, missing bodies, missing people, an unstable individual, and illegal activity all play a part in "The Ramblin' Boy," with a little romance thrown in as Lewis attempts to move on with his life.

I can't compare these to Inspector Morse; there was only one John Thaw. I try to go with, "let's not ask for the moon, we have the stars." I believe this is the last season of this series; I hope to see the actors in other things.

A Group of Secretive Rats

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 23 March 2018]

I will try to divide the episodes to your satisfaction since there was no demarcation on the ones I saw. We are introduced to a pretty extensive cast of characters. There is a party at the beginning where there is obvious distaste in the air. Some sort of deal is forged, but one of the principles is filled with self-centered venom. We also meet a young couple, working the party, given the gig by he boy's father. However, at some point there is a murder, made to look like a suicide (sleeping pills). There are lots of skeletons in the respective closets. We are also introduced to a matronly professor who is full of anger and angst.

Well I am still loving the Lewis series

[stevenduhig · 8/10 · 30 June 2013]

*Warning Spoiler included - Inspector Lewis is still my number 1. Also saw Parts 1 and 2 combined and found Babou Ceesay's performance as D.C. Grey particularly refreshing. Can we please have an explanation of how they met up when he was a kid? Was it supposed to be a flashback to a particular Morse episode? Certainly feel there is room for more exploration of a relationship there and will be very sad to see the series go if that is indeed the intention. This series must be about the more complex plots, and I for one find this series a lot more difficult to guess out than even Morse was! Nevertheless there is an enormous amount of competition out there. Bound to say that, although I do also like Midsomer Murders a little, the Midsomer Murder plots, body count, restricted locale and John Nettles (Bring back Bergerac) are nothing short of incredible in comparison to Inspector Lewis.

Original, interesting and engaging

[grantss · 8/10 · 3 November 2022]

(Review is of both parts).

A dead body is found in a forest. Not murdered: death was by natural causes. Strangely though, the body had already been embalmed! Lewis sets off for the undertakers to figure out what is going on. Hathaway is on holiday so Lewis has a new bagman, DC Alex Gray.

A fairly original episode of Lewis in that it doesn't start with a murder. Well, not an obvious one. This also adds intrigue as there must be a murder in the mix somewhere (it wouldn't be Lewis otherwise). So for once the first step is figuring out the crime, and then figuring out who did it.

Some interesting sub-plots too. I liked Hathaway being largely out of the picture: his smart alecness wears thin after a while and his absence gives Lewis a chance to shine on his own. Hathaway's replacement, DC Gray, proves himself resourceful without hugging limelight. Would have been good to have him back for a few more episodes but sadly that did not occur.

The Lewis-Dr Hobson relationship also makes some progress at last.

On the negative side, the obsessive, meddling tutor was irritating and the sub-plot involving her was rather haphazard. I can only assume she's there as a red herring as I was positive she was the murderer or at least responsible for committing some sort of crime.

Incomprehensible

[emenslaw-1 · 6/10 · 24 June 2013]

I loved Inspector Morse. Although the quality dropped a notch when it became Inspector Lewis, i still enjoyed watching. However, this episode has so many characters and subplots that it was painful just watching it to the end.My wife and I kept asking each other, Who is she? Is he the doctor or the undertaker?. Etc. etc.

Maybe the English are just smarter than we are. Don't know. The acting is fine; the Oxford locations are wonderful. (For some reason this episode did not have Hathaway. His presence was missed.) it is probably a good thing this is the last season. If they ever decide to continue it they need to fire the script writers and hire the writers from Foyle's War.

Dr Who?

[safenoe · 7/10 · 21 December 2020]

I like Lewis even though I've never watched an Inspector Morse or Endeavour episode. Anyway, much concentration is required to enjoy this episode, with its layered plots, interweaving characters, and red herrings.

I was a bit surprised that Oxford Don Emma Barnes (Lia Williams) didn't really resolve her issues about children. I was kind of expecting something shocking in the final act, but not to be.

Peter Davison, famous for being one of the Dr Whos, is the main guest star in this episode where he plays the brother-in-law (I think?) of a GP.

The Ramblin' Boy: The first half

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 22 June 2017]

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.

'Lewis' was a show that started off promisingly with the pilot and the first season, while getting even better with a more settled Season 2 where the show hit its stride. Season 3 was more of a mixed bag (not a bad season at all, but started a little disappointingly, though better than reputed, with one of the show's generally lesser episodes "Allegory of Love"). Season 4 generally was one of the better seasons of 'Lewis', with all the episodes very good to great, and Season 5 was solid with the only disappointment being "The Mind Has Mountains".

Season 6 started off very well with "The Soul of Genius", while "Generation of Vipers" was even better. Unfortunately, "Fearful Symmetry" was very disappointing and has always been one of my least favourite 'Lewis' episodes. Luckily, "The Indelible Stain" saw the sixth season back on track.

The seventh season is certainly not terrible with enough strengths to compensate for misgivings, but has suffered from the bizarre decision to split (or chop, which is more appropriate) the episodes into two halves with a week's hiatus, which didn't work in "Down Among the Fearful" and works even less in this "The Ramblin' Boy".

Certainly there are good elements. The acting is fine, Kevin Whately is very good as pretty much always while Rebecca Front and Clare Holman are just as good (really like the chemistry between Lewis and Hobson, very warm and sweet and should be developed even more). Babou Ceesay does a good job as Gray, Hathaway's temporary replacement, bringing an appealing quiet determination that suited the character very well. The supporting cast are without complaint too.

Production values are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot as always, 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, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of pre-existing music is very well-incorporated (such as the lovely "Salut D'Amour").

Some thoughtful moments in the script, with a nice nod it seems to the classic 'Inspector Morse' episode "Deceived By Flight".

However, although Ceesay as said does well his character doesn't have the same spark as Hathaway, a character who the show just isn't the same without. He and Lewis don't have the same chemistry, which is pretty bland here.

Biggest problem is the story, even in the first half and it gets even more problematic in the second half, it suffers from trying to do too much with so many characters and subplots so the episode feels rushed and bloated. With a constant who is who feel and some subplots still a little vague and not as interesting as ought, the case just feels over-complicated.

Overall, not bad but very patchy, not 'Lewis' at its best. 6/10 Bethany Cox

A curiosity in the series!

[davyd-02237 · 5/10 · 17 October 2020]

Throughout the series, Supt Innocent holds the belief that anyone earning "megabucks" is honest and brings quality to Oxford society and cant possibly be engaged in any wrong doing. This episode rips the Innocent theory to complete smithereens where even "the super cop" comes out smelling of last nights garbage! the list of suspects is quite large to start with, its not clear who the deceased was at the start. Lewis eventually sorts it all out but its hardly the best of a well loved series. This one has very little of Lawrence Fox, just maybe they were running short of ideas?

time to bring down the curtain

[stephen-best · 5/10 · 28 January 2013]

Lewis never came close to the giddy heights of Morse. Nevertheless there were some reasonable episodes on occasion but the time has come to close down the franchise. Ramblin Man stands no comparison with any other episode as it is sub-standard on most counts only the photography and setting bear resemblance to the better days. The Lewis character cannot carry the episode alone. The plot line and writing are struggling, inevitable when a successful series outstays its welcome. It does lend itself to an annual Christmas Special assuming a good script can be drawn up. It just goes to show how good John Thaw was, in comparison.