Thursday, October 16, 2014

Inspector Lewis - Lions of Nemea - Episode Review




Murder in Oxford! Panic in the streets!

Well, British panic—which means we’re suitably upset about the whole thing but couldn’t we hush it up quietly?

This Lewis episode brings us back to the heart of England’s deadliest city when Rose Anderson, a graduate in classics, is found stabbed to death alongside a canal.

Lewis and Hathaway are quick to the scene, and have now regained their familiar banter (“Pictures are hung. People are always hanged.” Morse would be proud.) Dr. Hobson is still irritable about the whole situation, but she’s coming around. Chief Superintendent Innocent is hoping Lizzie Maddox will shake up the boys’ routine (I hope so too, but it hasn’t happened so far.) At the moment, she's becoming pals with Innocent, but once again is hindered by the established closeness between Whately and Fox.

Investigation progresses through a series of rather predictable plot twists, and with a solution that only barely hangs together. One revelation, in particular, precisely mirrors one from the pilot episode, way back in 2006. That said, the improbability (something I pardon more in Endeavour than Lewis—though I’m not sure why) is rather lost in the wake of several solid performances during the final unveiling.

The suspects? From the crusty old professor who loves no one but Euripides to parents with a terminally ill child to the damsel in distress and her sleazy astrophysicist husband—we’ve seen all of them before. Notable is Andrea Lowe, playing said damsel in distress. She makes a connection with Hathaway who, gallant but professional, provides a sympathetic ear.

It’s a basic if somewhat unremarkable middle installment. The conclusion is sober, but the impact of some rather good dialogue is muddied by the light-hearted setting of the denouement

My review of next week's episode.

Want something good to watch? Check out my full list of detective shows here.

3.5/5 stars






Hannah Long

6 comments:

  1. This episode marks a return to form, in my opinion. The first was off in some ways--perhaps ones I can't quite put my finger on. I just know it when you see it. It seemed that Hathaway wanted to make a connection with Philippa Garwood (Andrea Lowe)--much like Morse always seemed to hook up with former suspects. He chickened out--probably not wanting to incur DCI Bank's rath. . .

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    1. I liked this one better too (I'm wracking my brains now for why I rated this 2.5 stars - I must correct the situation.) The first one was dragged down by Hathaway being mysterious. However, I've forgotten most of everything about it.

      I noticed the Morse connection too, but I'm so likely to make that comparison that I didn't mention it. He's more professional than Morse when it comes to approaching suspects, but I wish he'd be a little unprofessional sometimes - it would be more interesting.

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    2. Boy, did I screw that up! Let's have another go--

      This episode marks a return to form, in my opinion. The first was off in some ways--perhaps ones I can't quite put my finger on. I just know it when I see it. It seemed that Hathaway wanted to make a connection with Philippa Garwood (Andrea Lowe)--much like Morse always seemed to hook up with former suspects. He chickened out--probably not wanting to incur DCI Banks' wrath. . .

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    3. Related: is DCI Banks worth watching?

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  2. If you need to fill time.
    It's more like Scott and Bailey, than Lewis.

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