"People do just die, every day, for no good reason. It's never fair," says Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) to a young man whose father was killed in a car accident five years previously. Lewis had been Inspector's Morse's long-time sergeant. Morse died, Lewis passed his exams and himself became a police inspector. Then two years ago his wife was killed in a London hit-and-run. Lewis left Oxford and took a police post in the British Virgin Islands. Now he's returned, unhappy and sad to the bone. Almost by accident he picks up a murder case when the inspector who was to be in charge had to prepare to give testimony.
Regan Peverill was a brilliant mathematics student at Oxford. She was taking part in a research project on sleep disorders. One night, as she lay asleep hooked up to recorders and monitors in a small lab room at the research center, someone walked in and shot her in the neck. It turns out that Regan was not only brilliant and beautiful, but arrogant, heartless and who loved power plays involving others. As Lewis and the sergeant who has been temporarily assigned to him, James Hathaway (Lawrence Fox), try to puzzle out motives, they begin to encounter not only several suspects, but several more murders. At the heart of the mystery is not just Regan's activities, but the wealthy Griffon family, of Griffon Cars fame. There's young Danny Griffon (Charlie Cox), another Oxford student and math whiz who was a friend of Regan but who turns out not to be as brilliant as she was; Danny's mother, Trudi Griffon (Gemma Redgrave) and his late father's brother, Rex (Jack Ellis), who manages Griffon Cars. They all live together in the huge family mansion together with the company's financial adviser, Tom Pollack, and Pollack's daughter, who is almost Danny's age and thinks she loves him. It was Danny's father who died in that car crash five years ago. As his heir, Danny will take a controlling interest in Griffon Cars when he reaches 21. His uncle, who Danny believes is sleeping with his mother and killed his father, will be out. It's not long before people begin to die.
The wonderful thing about a well-constructed mystery is that complicated motives and involved relationships are fun to follow if we pay attention. Here we have a number of characters with possible motives that range from academic jealousy, intimate and buried personal dealings, love and imagined love, inheritances, primogeniture and crucial high-level business deals. We may not know what's going on -- it is, after all, a mystery -- but we can be surprised and feel clever along with Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway as they put the pieces together. There are no irritatingly false red herrings, no attempt to create artificial acting moments to demonstrate a character's angst, and no melodramatic moments on the mean streets. Inspector Lewis, the program, is a worthy successor to the intelligence and style of the Inspector Morse series. The story is satisfying and intricate. In a nice bit of homage, what seems like an indecipherable crossword clue Morse scribbled down, after encountering the family shortly before he died, turns out to hold the key. "It's typical bloody Morse," Lewis says with exasperation. "Why couldn't he just say what he meant!"
Kevin Whately was 36 when he appeared as Sergeant Lewis in the first Inspector Morse episode. Now, he's 56. He not only is a strong, straight-forward actor, but his face has aged into that well-worn, tired look that commands respect. As Hathaway, Lawrence Fox makes a great pairing with Whately. Fox is a tall, lanky 28-year-old man who knows what he's doing, both for his character and as an actor. He's the son of James Fox and nephew of Edward Fox. The two actors create interesting and likable characters. They work well together, especially as we see Lewis trying to deal with his anger over his wife's death and Hathaway, respectful, smart and sympathetic, but who is not willing to be a doormat for Lewis' emotional struggles. At one point, when Lewis has barked back once too often at him, Hathaway simply says, "It's not my fault your wife died, sir," and then goes back to discussing the case.
Regan Peverill was a brilliant mathematics student at Oxford. She was taking part in a research project on sleep disorders. One night, as she lay asleep hooked up to recorders and monitors in a small lab room at the research center, someone walked in and shot her in the neck. It turns out that Regan was not only brilliant and beautiful, but arrogant, heartless and who loved power plays involving others. As Lewis and the sergeant who has been temporarily assigned to him, James Hathaway (Lawrence Fox), try to puzzle out motives, they begin to encounter not only several suspects, but several more murders. At the heart of the mystery is not just Regan's activities, but the wealthy Griffon family, of Griffon Cars fame. There's young Danny Griffon (Charlie Cox), another Oxford student and math whiz who was a friend of Regan but who turns out not to be as brilliant as she was; Danny's mother, Trudi Griffon (Gemma Redgrave) and his late father's brother, Rex (Jack Ellis), who manages Griffon Cars. They all live together in the huge family mansion together with the company's financial adviser, Tom Pollack, and Pollack's daughter, who is almost Danny's age and thinks she loves him. It was Danny's father who died in that car crash five years ago. As his heir, Danny will take a controlling interest in Griffon Cars when he reaches 21. His uncle, who Danny believes is sleeping with his mother and killed his father, will be out. It's not long before people begin to die.
The wonderful thing about a well-constructed mystery is that complicated motives and involved relationships are fun to follow if we pay attention. Here we have a number of characters with possible motives that range from academic jealousy, intimate and buried personal dealings, love and imagined love, inheritances, primogeniture and crucial high-level business deals. We may not know what's going on -- it is, after all, a mystery -- but we can be surprised and feel clever along with Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway as they put the pieces together. There are no irritatingly false red herrings, no attempt to create artificial acting moments to demonstrate a character's angst, and no melodramatic moments on the mean streets. Inspector Lewis, the program, is a worthy successor to the intelligence and style of the Inspector Morse series. The story is satisfying and intricate. In a nice bit of homage, what seems like an indecipherable crossword clue Morse scribbled down, after encountering the family shortly before he died, turns out to hold the key. "It's typical bloody Morse," Lewis says with exasperation. "Why couldn't he just say what he meant!"
Kevin Whately was 36 when he appeared as Sergeant Lewis in the first Inspector Morse episode. Now, he's 56. He not only is a strong, straight-forward actor, but his face has aged into that well-worn, tired look that commands respect. As Hathaway, Lawrence Fox makes a great pairing with Whately. Fox is a tall, lanky 28-year-old man who knows what he's doing, both for his character and as an actor. He's the son of James Fox and nephew of Edward Fox. The two actors create interesting and likable characters. They work well together, especially as we see Lewis trying to deal with his anger over his wife's death and Hathaway, respectful, smart and sympathetic, but who is not willing to be a doormat for Lewis' emotional struggles. At one point, when Lewis has barked back once too often at him, Hathaway simply says, "It's not my fault your wife died, sir," and then goes back to discussing the case.