I had to go back to the original Inspector Morse with John Thaw to remind myself why it was so engaging, unlike this latest (& I hope the last) Endeavour.
The beauty of the original was 2 great actors with crackling chemistry -John Thaw & Kevin Whately. Then there was the writing.
Any great drama needs a crafty mix of seriousness & levity. The original Morse had this balance absolutely perfect. Even in the most dire case, somewhere along the line we were either smiling or laughing along with Morse, or at something he did or said. Thaw could do serious, pathos, sweetness, & longing without it coming across as maudlin or corny. We laughed when he laughed at Harry Field's fake heraldry for the Americans, or when Lewis & his wife walked out of the opera he'd given them tickets to. We wept when he lost his one true love.
This is where Endeavour fails across the board. In this last series there's zero light relief, everything is doom & gloom. It's wearing. All the actors look like they've taken on their character's longing for retirement. Normally I enjoy Anton Lesser's performances but this time he just made me feel blue & tired. Only Strange came off as still having a drop of life in him. Thursday's marriage is repaired without explanation & back to boring, the son is a right downer all the way, daughter's cameo pointless. In fact everything about Endeavour seems pointless, most of all Morse himself. No cryptic crosswords, no inspirational connections pulling the case in, no engaging conversations between colleagues or suspects. No tension. Just dead, dull, boring, dark, fatalistic, unhappy drudgery.
Endeavour is the right title. Endeavouring to Be Morse (and Failing) would be better.
The beauty of the original was 2 great actors with crackling chemistry -John Thaw & Kevin Whately. Then there was the writing.
Any great drama needs a crafty mix of seriousness & levity. The original Morse had this balance absolutely perfect. Even in the most dire case, somewhere along the line we were either smiling or laughing along with Morse, or at something he did or said. Thaw could do serious, pathos, sweetness, & longing without it coming across as maudlin or corny. We laughed when he laughed at Harry Field's fake heraldry for the Americans, or when Lewis & his wife walked out of the opera he'd given them tickets to. We wept when he lost his one true love.
This is where Endeavour fails across the board. In this last series there's zero light relief, everything is doom & gloom. It's wearing. All the actors look like they've taken on their character's longing for retirement. Normally I enjoy Anton Lesser's performances but this time he just made me feel blue & tired. Only Strange came off as still having a drop of life in him. Thursday's marriage is repaired without explanation & back to boring, the son is a right downer all the way, daughter's cameo pointless. In fact everything about Endeavour seems pointless, most of all Morse himself. No cryptic crosswords, no inspirational connections pulling the case in, no engaging conversations between colleagues or suspects. No tension. Just dead, dull, boring, dark, fatalistic, unhappy drudgery.
Endeavour is the right title. Endeavouring to Be Morse (and Failing) would be better.