Dash Dot Dot Dash Dot Dot... (Inspector Morse)

Member Name: Andrew1911

Product:	Inspector Morse
Date:	24/08/01 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convoluted plots, Good lead , Posh folk killing each other

Disadvantages: Can get a bit same-y

Competing against my good friend Mr. Andycharger is nothing new. As we are both lowly chimps in a team of web-monkeys working for a company deep in the wilds of Essex, we must regularly battle each other for the few bananas and nuts that are occasionally thrown our way.

However, andy came up with the idea of using our finely honed competitive skills for mutual gain here on dooyoo. If we each took opposite sides of an argument about a product or topic, we could not only produce a more balanced review, but hopefully build up a dedicated following who would eagerly seek out our wiseness-ness and knowledge.

Put it another way - remember those two guys in the Muppets? That's us. Only younger.

And better looking.

The Topic

It may seem an odd choice but it came up yesterday morning in a conversation, so we thought why not?
The first choice is...Inspector Morse and I have to defend why it's good.

The Case for the Defence.

I'd like to say first off that although I like it, I'm not, you know, mental about it or anything. I can't really remember any of the episode names or for the most part who was in them, but that's not really the whole point. The reason why I quite like Morse is a pretty vague thing.
I'm not really a big crime buff. I don't watch The Bill,Cracker,Prime Suspect or that thing with the female forensic scientist but Morse is something that if I'm in front of the TV I'll at least give it a go.

If you've never encountered this program, here's the thing. Morse (John Thaw) is an Inspector in the Oxford Police Department. Assisted by his Sergeant, Lewis (Kevin Whately) they tackle the many, many murders that seem to occur in the Oxford area. Seriously, over the many series worth of episodes, there must have been a revolving door in the morgue.

Anyway, the plots of Morse are usually up there with the better class of murder-type se
ries and films that have been around. There's never usually a suprise twist right at the end, but a series of seemingly unconnected events that Morse (or more rarely, Lewis) manage to put together after an hour or so of screen time. Devil worship, opera singers and Australian supergrasses have all contributed to some pretty fine TV. Morse is even occasionally outclassed and outsmarted, which makes for a fairy refreshing take on a police drama. Morse's falibility is one of the main stand-out features of the series. He's a failed Oxford student which, as several of the muderers / suspects / locations are Oxford University-focussed, results in some fairly large chips on his shoulders and thinly disgused resentment. He's also a loner (through choice and/or circumstance) which provide ample opportunity for various romantic problems / entanglements during the course of many episodes.

The plots are usually pretty genteel stuff. Oxford dons fighting amongst themselves or a rich family squabble that turns murderous doesn't often result in running gun battles or explosions. But as a side effect, the plots are usually that much more involved and intricate, and as a consequence that much more interesting and satisfying when they're resolved. The fact that they're not always resolved satifactorily is a plus point in my book. An episode where Morse goes to Australia to track down a supergrass is definitely one of the better ones,; mainly on the strength of the unhappy ending. Morse is a fish out of water in Oz; he hates the lager, the heat, the people he has to work with and the culture (or lack thereof). Consequently, his efforts to save the life of the supergrass are hampered sufficiently that not only does they guy get shot, but the guy's daughter gets kidnapped and the kidnapper (who was also the killer) get shot too. The look on Morse's face, who was negotiating, as he get's covered in blood as the guy is taken down is a very
poignent moment. He knows that he's let everybody down and that there's no-one else to blame but him.


I'm not going to spend a great deal of time defending this subject, because I know that this sort of thing will either appeal or it won't, but in closing it's refreshing to watch a good crime thriller that's on the right side of dramatic, without resorting to drama (if you know what I mean.) Also, the relationship between Morse and Lewis is always worth watching, sometimes funny, othertimes furious but it's how it develops right to the end as Morse pops his clogs that's the winning bit.

Give it a shot.

PS By the way, here's an interesting trivia bit.In one episode, a bad guy billed as Morse's nemesiis (and in fact beats him) is played by the actor who plays the Emperor in the Stare Wars films! So there you go. Crime DOES pay.

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