Inspector Morse (TV Series) Dead on Time (1992) User Reviews

Lewis solves it.

[Sulla-2 · 9/10 · 27 July 2015]

There is the apparent suicide of Henry Fallon who, suffering from a fatal disease, appears to have shot himself. The problem is that he is deemed to be incapable of performing the act. The victims wife was, at one time, engaged to be married to Morse - Susan Fallon.

Suspicion falls on Peter Rhodes,who is thought to be responsible for the deaths of Henry and Susan Fallon's daughter and grandchild. Fallon had asked him at 3.pm to come to the house at 6.0pm but the evidence appears to be that his phone was out of order at the time.

This episode fully explores the relationship between Morse and Lewis which has not, in my opinion, been given full credit. There are few partnerships that have the chemistry of these two characters.

Morse eventually comes to the conclusion that it was an assisted suicide but never actually solves the mystery. Lewis does but keeps it to himself.

My problem with this is that Morse just lets it go and does not appear to want to continue his enquiries. Totally out of character.

Morse meets an old flame

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 28 August 2012]

When a terminally ill man, Henry Fallon, is found slumped over his desk with the gun that killed him beside him it looks like a clear cut case of suicide. Morse takes a keen interest in the case though as it turns out he was once engaged to the man's widow, Susan. She has been beset with tragedy; not only is her husband dead; her only daughter was killed in a car crash along with her grandson several years before. When Henry's GP returns from his holiday he contacts the police to let them know that he believes it would have been impossible for him to have shot himself in the condition he was in... if that is true it must have been murder! The most likely suspect is the man who found him; Henry's son in law Peter Rhodes; an antiques dealer who had been promised a large loan by Henry but the latter had changed his mind. As the case progresses Morse spends more time with Susan; it is clear that he still has feelings for her; possibly enough to cloud his judgement. Lewis meanwhile discovers evidence that points to another suspect...

The series often has a sense of tragedy about it; this is particularly true in this episode... one just knows that things can't work out for Morse and Susan as that would change Morse's character too much; even so it is impossible not to hope it will at least end in a good way for them... of course it doesn't; at it would have ended even worse if Lewis had told Morse what he had learnt. John Thaw puts in another fine performance as Morse, showing the character's romantic side; in a subtle way of course. Kevin Whately was also good as Lewis; showing how much he cares about his boss. The regulars are ably supported by actors, including Adrian Dunbar, Samantha Bond, David Haig and Joanna David.

It made a nice change to have a murder mystery where there wasn't another killing every half hour; we only had to wonder who the killer was and why they did it rather than constantly thinking which character was going to be murdered next!

Means more than what it lets through

[Halfang · 9/10 · 6 July 2009]

This review is specifically a reply to besah's one, since he did a good job, but certainly needs a second watching.

The characters in this episode are, to say the least, strange. All of them give a little to add to the great whole. Morse explores his past, and to do so he requires a "visit" from the almost-to-be Ms Morse, which certainly is a visit from the past.

However, Morse lives in the present, and his new life (hello there, Lewis) brings new perspectives to old matters. As you will see in this episode, there is a great deal of your favourite Morse, but underlying, and more subtly, is a greater deal of your (if not yet favourite, then soon-to-be) Lewis.

Looking at the plot, is sort of realistic-ish, but as Maigret said, "wheter you pulled the trigger is irrelevant". I wasn't so much concerned about who had done it, but the reasons for doing so, and how would that affect Morse. Thankfully, Lewis was there caring for him. Morse would never know, but we did, thanks to this brilliant episode.

Actually one of the more poignant Morse episodes!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 7 July 2009]

Dead On Time is beautiful, and very sad towards the end. One thing that stood out was the beautiful music by Schubert playing over the first five minutes or so. It perfectly matched what was on screen, and somehow made the scene very poignant. The plot is fairly complex, with the apparent suicide of an elderly don, and we learn that the victim's wife, played by a sympathetic Joanna David, and Morse some 30 years previously were engaged to be married. The plot then reveals a car crash, resulting in the death of the victim's daughter and grandson, but this unfolds after the son-in-law is implicated for the murder of his father-in-law. I thought the ending was extremely sad, with Susan killing herself, and Morse refuses to accept that he is wrong, as he thinks the family doctor did it, in a conspiracy between him and the victim to implicate the son-in-law, but Lewis learns that Susan did it to fulfil her husband's promise. The writers quite sensibly made Morse more sensitive here, but I did find him very scary in the interview room scene, that is all thanks to the outstanding performance of John Thaw. Kevin Whately matches him perfectly as his loyal sergeant Lewis, even more so when he can't bring himself to tell Morse the truth, and James Grout, Joanna David, Adrian Dunbar and Samantha Bond provide able support. All in all, an episode that is most likely to tug at your heart-strings. 10/10 Bethany Cox.

Outstanding.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 29 March 2020]

Morse is one of the best shows ever made, when it's good it's good, when it's on top form very little comes close, this is one of the best.

Dead on time is a fabulous murder mystery, but it is so much more, we get such an insight into the personal life of Morse, we meet the woman that he almost married, plus we see how much Lewis cares for his grumpy colleague.

Such a smart plot, it will have you puzzled right the way through, you'll be intrigued, but you'll also be engrossed by Morse's behaviour as he is re acquainted with his former love.

It's a wonderful episode for Lewis, possibly his best, he shows how clever he really is.

An amazing cast, some truly brilliant talent pops up here, Joanna David is tremendous, she's fantastic throughout, mentions also for Samantha Bond and David Haig.

One of the best of the best, 10/10.

One of the Best

[susanhudek53 · 10/10 · 2 August 2018]

I loved this episode. We definitely get more of an insight into the characters of Morse and Lewis. Lewis has a true love for Morse and Morse is so despairingly in need of someone's love. John Thaw is wonderful in this show..his character has so many facets to his personality. He's not just a grumpy guy..he's so much more. Lewis is truly a kind and very efficient partner..I just love his character more and more. I bought the box set from Amazon..money very well spent.

Morse grabs for the past and forgets the present

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 1 March 2016]

I saw all of these when they were first released; now I'm watching them again. I'm older and I think that's why I find them more depressing.

In this episode, "Dead on Time," Morse and Lewis are asked to investigate the death of Henry Fallon. On arrival, it definitely looks like a suicide. He had a debilitating disease and had talked about taking his life.

Morse knows the family. Henry Fallon was a Professor at Oxford, and Morse was engaged to the woman who is now Mrs. Fallon, Susan.

When Henry's doctor informs Morse that Henry's hand could not function enough for him to kill himself, suspicion falls on the man who was in the house at the time -- his son-in-law, Rhodes. Rhodes is a widower - Henry and Susan's daughter and grandchild were killed in a car accident some years earlier. Rhodes was helped in his business by Henry Fallon.

This episode delves into Morse and Lewis' relationship, one of the best partnerships ever -- Morse, gruff and sometimes patronizing, and Lewis, who pays no attention but admires him anyway, and knows that Morse thinks highly of him.

It's Lewis who solves this one, as Morse is too involved. Lewis has some info that Morse doesn't have, but he never gives it to him.

Someone here on IMDb said it was out of character for Morse to just accept what he was told and not continue with his inquiries. I think when things calm down, Morse will realize the truth and also what Lewis did for him. They've just got that kind of unspoken thing between them. Morse, the intellectual, and Lewis, the family man who has to get home so his wife can go to her knitting club -- each sees something when working on a case the other can't.

These bromances are always more fully explored than the man-woman ones. And with the rich acting in this series, that's fine.

Best episode in regard to insight into Morse's character (development)

[clemsamlang · 10/10 · 10 May 2014]

I watched this episode yesterday and was so deeply impressed I decided to register just for delivering a review.

I've watched a good half of all episodes and will recommend this one URGENTLY to you… … but ONLY if you have watched at least 5 others previously !

The episodes' s plot is Shakespearean fiendish (though not entirely selfish). It reeks of revenge, love, hatred, lost possibilities and much more. Including even a "Deus ex machina" ...

It is most revealing of Morse's character - who is drawn very personally into this murder case. So far indeed as to loose his grip on evidence, motives etc. Which gives Lewis a chance to rise above his usual role - indicating the attitude he will come to be loved for in his much later role as detective in his own right …

At first it seems soooo simple - but then "fate" starts to entangle all players into her fangs. Yet things eventually turn out quite differently! You'll only get an insight into what's occurred when Morse's finally "left" …

OH - and a goodie at the end: The title has a threefold meaning, an a) literal b) metaphorical and c) technical one … ;-)

Will Morse Ever Get the Girl?

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 3 March 2018]

Certainly, this is one of the better episodes of this series. An Oxford Don is found dead at his desk, an apparent suicide. When Morse comes to investigate, he realizes this is the husband of a woman he was once engaged to. The cause of death becomes questionable because of the timing of some phone calls. Morse begins to come into conflict with Lewis after he seeks out the former lover and soon becomes blinded to some possibilities. Mixed in all of this is the death of a mother and her child and an apparent cover-up. Once again Morse starts to move into a romantic relationship but can't break through the shadows.

Unbelievable

[legibbo · 6/10 · 30 May 2020]

I love Morse and this episode has another great set of actors and basically a good plot. Except that a detective would never be allowed to investigate a case to which they had an emotional attachment. This sort of nonsense happens too often in Morse. Some have questioned the credibility of Lewis's actions at the end. But 1. There is a long history of police doing such things and 2. It is entirely consistent with his loyalty that Lewis would want to protect his boss from the painful truth.

Maybe the greatest Morse episode?

[kindofblue-78221 · 10/10 · 18 March 2022]

I am working through the complete Morse series. I've always thought that Second Time Around is the best Morse. But after watching Dead on time I may just have to reassess.

Dead on time fits perfectly together whereas, second time around does have some plot holes and a little too much artistic license.

It's hard not to empathise with Morse throughout this episode. The final scenes are heartbreaking. The acting is stupendous.

There's not a single weak link in this episode. No plot holes. It's simply, television of the highest quality.

Dead on time. The new number 1?

Morse and the ex fiancée

[besah · 7/10 · 30 July 2006]

Morse is called in to investigate the apparent suicide of Henry Fallon who, suffering from a fatal disease, appears to have shot himself. Complicating matters is the reappearance of the victims wife who was, at one time, engaged to be married to Morse - Susan Fallon.

Suspician falls on Peter Rhodes,who was responsible for the deaths of Henry and Susan Fallon's daughter and grandchild. However, nothing about this murder is what it appears.

This episode fully explores the relationship between Morse and Lewis which has not, in my opinion, been given full credit. There are few partnerships that have the chemistry of these two characters.

After all the hype surrounding this episode it failed to live up to expectation. Perhaps I should watch it again and give it another chance.

Morse Fawns Over a Murder Suspect and Acts Like a Fool

[jethrojohn · 5/10 · 5 February 2022]

In contrast to seemingly everyone else, I hated this episode. Really, really hated it. Mostly because Morse acts like a complete idiot the entire time.

He fawns over Susan, the woman from his past who left him for another man, like a love-sick puppy dog. It looks like he wants to lick her boots half the time, he's so infatuated. And all the time he acts like an idiot, disregarding the case and police procedure completely.

And for what? A woman that manipulates and twists and turns people around her little finger out of some need to have people worship at her feet.

The evil ladies don't stop there, with Miss Moneyponey herself giving particularly evil and spiteful life to an amazingly distasteful character.

The only ones I feel sorry for are Lewis (who needs to solve the case himself cause Morse doesn't have enough blood to operate his brain), and poor old David Haig, playing a very pathetic and easily manipulated man burdened by guilt he doesn't really deserve.

Morse has always had spectacularly bad taste in women. And this cements that as his biggest failing.

He can't see two feet in front of his nose when an old flame is involved, and he turns from dedicated, clever detective to a numpty of epic proportions. Susan is a selfish, horrible woman who almost destroys Morse here, and he lets her like the good little loyal puppy he is.

There's a fine line between being a gentleman and just being an idiot when it comes to love, and Morse crosses that line by about 100 thousand miles.

Awful episode.

Intriguing, emotional episode

[grantss · 9/10 · 17 September 2022]

An ailing man is found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and all the evidence points to it being suicide. However, his doctor disputes this, saying that he was not physically able to pull the trigger. Morse and Lewis investigate.

An interesting and emotional Morse episode. We have the intrigue of the death and the possibility that it is murder. We have Morse's personal involvement: the wife of the dead man was once his fiancee. This all leads to some interesting developments and an emotional ending.

The Morse entanglement with a female person of interest in a case is beginning to wear thin though. Due to the conflict of interest you'd think either he'd have to remove himself from the case or his superiors would make that decision for him. At least in this case it's an old flame, rather than him taking a fancy to a woman that's potentially involved in the crime, but it is starting to be predictable.

Summary. Morse out-of-control and Lewis out-of-character.

[twschoener · 8/10 · 11 November 2016]

Just saw this today. Best acting by Thaw in any episode. But disturbing ending: 1. Lewis can't bring himself to tell Morse the truth and destroys the evidence that his ex was the murderess (how often does this happen with Morse!). While a mercy killing, it was also a revenge frame that if successful would have resulted in a non-murderer being locked up for life. And most importantly, how could Lewis destroy evidence? If he were caught, we wouldn't have the outstanding Lewis series.

2. The doctor/boyfriend was an accessory. If he were prosecuted, Lewis destroyed the one piece of evidence that would at the least softened his punishment.

3. Suicide of the ex. Ridiculous -- people want to live most of the time. If Lewis hadn't stalled out, he could have saved her, and maybe after a suspended sentence, she would have gone on. The "real" Lewis would have never done these things -- sorry writer of this particular episode.

Summary. Morse out-of-control and Lewis out-of-character.

Far and away the best episode of the Morse series so far

[qjfrmqzx · 10/10 · 22 February 2023]

In a sense the Inspector Morse series has been building up to this episode in which so much is explained about the lead character. To this point Morse has been an enigma as far as women are concerned. He's a cultivated, attractive, single man with a strong personality and rough charm which clearly women find appealing. Yet he is unmarried and nothing develops to change that. Clearly something happened in the past which has scarred him as far as romance is concerned. In this episode we find out what that was when he comes face to face with a woman he tells Lewis he was once engaged to.

The storyline of Dead on Time is pretty near perfect as far as plot, direction and acting. It's involved but all the pieces come together without any holes. The episode's construction is spot on.

Joanna David is just the person you could imagine Morse would want to marry. Attractive without being an exceptional beauty. Intelligent - she lectures in English literature at the University of London - with a serious appreciation for classical music just like Morse. Her brother, played with relish by Richard Pasco, adds a delightful injection of humour with his eccentricities and outrageous butler who sports a pirate's eye patch and is anything but obsequious to his employer and house guests. Samantha Bond has possibly the most difficult role in playing the part of an unfaithful wife who is in love with an absolute louse. She is such an accomplished actress that she pulls it off convincingly. And Whately gives the Sergeant Lewis character such credibilty as being a strong character in his own right and not just an adjunct to his boss.

Clearly Morse and his former lover, now a widow, still feel a strong attraction for each other. To the point that she arranges to spend the night at his flat. But to no avail as far as taking it any further. The storyline makes it quite impossible for the two of them to get married. And her suicide removes the possibilty of any further involvement in future episodes.

I have been working my way through the entire set of Inspector Morse DVDs. So I was prepared for this episode having learned to appreciate the characters and background of each of the recurrent players. This episode made so much sense and answered all the questions I had about why they behave the way they do.

If I could give this episode an 11 star rating I would!

Never a rose without the thorn.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 26 February 2011]

A disabled man is found dead in his wheelchair, his head blown apart by the shotgun in his own hands. Looks like a suicide, but nothing is ever that simple in this series. Morse discovers that the man was incapable of handling the gun, so the notion arises that someone either helped him along in putting an end to his distress or possibly did it without his consent.

There's another sticky problem. Morse was once "engaged to be married" to the man's wife, a rather nice-looking blond. She at least seems not to have been involved because she was in London delivering a lecture on the afternoon of the death.

Morse suspects an antique dealer who found the body and notified the police and he hounds the poor guy mercilessly. Well, in fact, the man is guilty of some abhorrent act but not the crime now under investigation.

A lot hinges on the time line. Who was where at the time of the death? And the reckoning of those locations is complicated by the fact that the telephone was out during the afternoon in question. The crime seems impossible as it now stands. It sounds like Agatha Christie.

In this episode the only person to figure it all out is Sergeant Lewis. Morse can't bring himself even to consider the possibility that his erstwhile fiancée had anything to do with the shooting. As Lewis, Whately gets to give a thoughtful and sensitive dramatic performance for a change. Usually he's just Morse's non-U punching bag.

The character of Inspector Morse devolves into melodrama in this episode. Interrogating his favorite suspect after suffering a traumatic experience, Morse goes berserk, leaps on the man, and begins to strangle him. He's dragged away by Lewis and reprimanded by his superior.

I am plowing through these episodes one after another, and I sincerely hope this one doesn't adumbrate the introduction of more dramatic features of Morse's personal life. Honestly, I don't want Morse to start falling in love, or weeping over the abuse he suffered in childhood, or discovering that there is a God after all. Not an ordinary Christian God anyway. It might be interesting if he had a Road to Damascus experience and converted to Theravada Buddhism.

But, please folks, no more anguish, no murderous rages. Morse is already an unlikable character -- dour and snobby -- but is somewhat redeemed by his few human qualities. The last thing I want is Morse giving up his beer and becoming a vegetarian and a docile husband and loving father. Let us never see him squinting at Oxford and talking with a sneer about all those fatuous, effete, whining, egghead, cry babies and trust fund children who go there, or the supercilious, pompous, inflated, poufs who run the place. And I don't want to know any more about his private life or his past than I already do. Let him carry on as he is.

Morse tried to mess up another case.

[bittermelonisgoodforyou · 5/10 · 21 October 2020]

Morse cannot keep his personal feelings out of his cases, and he almost messed this up. Fortunately, the steady Lewis saved the case.

This was actually a complex case with an excellent ending. Morse' involvement was quite understandable. It's not another situation where he tried to date a much younger person who was deeply involved with a case.

So overall, I really like the ending.

Transfer Morse Off the Case; Fire Lewis!

[macpet49-1 · 5/10 · 18 January 2015]

Morse can't keep from falling for women who do not love him! It's scary. He only wants either completely obvious psychopaths, sadists, liars or borderlines. He's drawn to them. If there's a female character in the drama with mental issues, he's in love. This one is from his past and he becomes ga-ga boy again. The fact that he didn't excuse himself from the case for being too close to one of the persons involved or that his boss didn't chuck him is inexcusable. To top it off Lewis who is normally the sane policeman with homespun common sense is cowardly throughout. He keeps the truth he suspects from Morse all along the way hampering the investigation. That he destroys evidence in the end just to save Morse's illusions reveals that he is at heart a bad cop. I loved this series up until this episode. I'm really finding it difficult to watch further episodes after this. I dislike Lewis anyway and in that he takes over eventually, I don't see any point. It's not believable that someone as inept as Lewis could make Inspector eventually. Shame on the series makers for not holding these characters accountable.