Powerful story involves ecological cover-up by big business and paedophilia, is slightly more exciting than most, with chase scenes, arson, Morse being in a foul mood even Lewis can't manage. Great acting from Geoffrey Palmer, Barbara Leigh-Hunt (Frenzy), Tom Wilkinson and Cheryl Campbell, who's fantastic:
Lots of piano music in score, which suits subject matter perfectly. The music Cheryl's playing when the gardener interrupts is Mozart's Sonata k 331 andante grazioso at 2.37 (the third - minor - variation). And Byrd's 'Miserere'.
The riverside pub 'Ye Olde Fighting Cocks' is in St Albans. The 'Master' is simply Head of College.
The Sins of the Fathers d. Peter Hammond, scr. Jeremy Burnham - another original story involves inter-family tensions and murder at the brewery, finding the key back in the 1850s.
Isabel Dean (A High Wind in Jamaica, Ransom, Light in the Piazza) makes impression as matriarch, with young Alex Jennings and mum Betty Marsden (Carry Ons), Kim Thomson, Lisa Harrow (who flirts outrageously with Morse after husband has been killed!) Morse doesn't seem to be making inappropriate advances to suspects or victims' wives any more, but where's Dr. Russell, who Morse was getting on so well with in Series 3? And Max?
Hammond directs very annoyingly, shooting randomly at an angle and incessantly through reflective glass or in mirrors.
Driven to Distraction d. Sandy Johnson (Love Soup, Professor Branestawm, Hold the Sunset, Jonathan Creek, The Comic Strip Presents...)
Dexter didn't come up with the ideas for any of this series (though does appear here in a launderette). Anthony Minghella again starts with an interesting cross-cutting of music - which is quite up to date for a change this episode, well, Cole Porter and Marian Montgomery - in helping to lay a red herring as to the clue of the murderer. Well, any experienced watcher of shows like this will know it's not Patrick Malahide as it's too obvious and you tend not to reveal the identity of the killer early.. though maybe that would make a good, twist approach to writing one. Anyway it makes it quite amusing that Morse relentlessly pursues the wrong man for most of the episode (film).
And he and Lewis fall out over their methods, especially lack of search warrant - quite right. Morse is abetted by useful CID colleague Mary Jo Randle (The Bill, Between the Sheets, Lewis). Good too that it moves out of the world of academia for a change.
With Tessa Wojtczak, Christopher Fulford, David Ryall (driving instructor), Carolyn Chao (Minghella's wife) and probably not Fay Ripley as a learner driver (she would have only just graduated from the Guildhall School of Drama).
Masonic Mysteries d. Danny Boyle, one of his earliest credits. (Before this he had made an interesting looking TV drama For The Greater Good, written by GF Newman, with Martin Shaw.)
Julian Mitchell's story continues the previous with the device of putting our hero in danger - the first series didn't exploit this idea, which is great from the audience point of view. This is the episode where Morse is really up against it, framed for murder, jailed, almost burned to death (scene in ambulance with enraged Morse is great moment for John Thaw) in his house (house? I always assumed it was a flat, as he never seems to go upstairs) and - worse than any of that - his beloved record collection is destroyed.
Q's observation though that Morse would not have had sex with the first victim, then left his pants and shirt there, is quite right. Sub plot involving computer hacking seems quite ahead of its time.
With Ian McDiarmid, Richard Kane, Iain Cuthbertson (Morse's mentor) Mark Strong (the PC who stops them for drink driving - didn't recognise him), James Grout of course, Dexter (in the chorus) and lots of The Magic Flute, which Morse encourages Lewis to see - ''Can't tonight - it's Eastenders'"!
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