Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece Mystery 2012 (Read 99589 times)

FlaJean · « **Reply #120 on:** July 02, 2012, 01:46:26 PM »

Masterpiece Mystery 2012 presents the best British mysteries. See the complete 2012 MASTERPIECE MYSTERY schedule.

NOW DISCUSSING
Let's talk about any PBS program of interest to us.

Inspector Lewis: Indelible Stain
July 29, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
A controversial American academic is found strangled after a guest lecture at Oxford, leading Lewis and Hathaway to narrow down a list of motives that includes politics, ambition and vengeance, in order to find their culprit.

ALREADY DISCUSSED

Inspector Lewis: Fearful Symmetry
July 22, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Lewis and Hathaway are drawn into a darker side of Oxford while investigating the murder of a suburban babysitter. Will the babysitter's secret life help the detectives unravel a tangled web of lies and deceit to find their killer?

Inspector Lewis: Generation of Vipers
July 15, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Suspicions abound as Lewis and Hathaway investigate the death of a lovelorn Oxford professor. Was her death caused by an embarrassing Internet leak, or something much more sinister? Toby Stephens (Jane Eyre) guest stars.

Inspector Lewis: The Soul of Genius
July 8, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Botany, rivalry and secrecy collide when Lewis and Hathaway attempt to find the killer of an obsessed professor. Kick off the new season of Inspector Lewis with The Soul of Genius. Celia Imrie (Cranford) co-stars.

Endeavour
July 1, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Before his signature red Jaguar, before Inspector Morse, there was the rookie Constable Morse, deductive powers already running in high gear. Shaun Evans (The Take, The Virgin Queen) portrays Endeavour Morse, the low man on the force returning to Oxford with no track record and his future on the line.

ZEN: Encore Episodes (from 2011)
Three 90-minute mysteries — Sundays, June 10, 17 & 24, 2012
What does an honest cop do when corruption rules on both sides of the law? Detective Aurelio Zen (Rufus Sewell, Middlemarch), based on the novels by British crime writer Michael Dibdin, brings justice to modern-day Italy, whether the authorities want it or not. Check your local listings to see if the programs are broadcast on your PBS station.

Sherlock Holmes: The Reichenbach Fall
May 20, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
The crime of the century is just a prelude for the unhinged criminal mastermind, Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott, Lennon Naked), when he poses the diabolical and inescapable "final problem" to Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes: The Hounds of Baskerville
May 13, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Sherlock and Watson track a gigantic hound to Baskerville, where the military is conducting top-secret experiments. But whether demonic or dubious, something is stalking the moors.

Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Belgravia
May 6, 2012 at 9pm
One 90-minute episode
Picking up from Season 1's gripping cliffhanger, the whip-smart Irene Adler (Lara Pulver, True Blood) takes on Sherlock in a game he is ill-prepared to fight...love. Watch online through 6/5/12

Discussion Leaders: JoanP and marcie

marcie · « **Reply #121 on:** July 02, 2012, 05:50:34 PM »

I plan on watching the episode on my cable "on demand" this evening. I'm looking forward to it.

I tried searching to see about the origin of John Thaw/Inspector Morse's limp. LOL. There are dozens of theories stated as fact, from Thaw limping to conform to the description of the Morse character to Thaw having polio, a broken foot or only one leg.

MaryPage · « **Reply #122 on:** July 02, 2012, 06:18:08 PM »

No, Thaw's daughter played the editor of The Oxford Mail.

She was the one who answered Morse's questions about when the crossword puzzles came in and who delivered them and so forth.

I looked it up.

Babi · « **Reply #123 on:** July 02, 2012, 07:42:47 PM »

Glad to hear more are scheduled, FRYBABE. I did enjoy the one last night. Maybe one of them
will reveal how Morse acquired his limp.

JeanneP · « **Reply #124 on:** July 02, 2012, 08:47:27 PM »

Doubt they mention the Limp. I was thinking that it was something that happened when he was a young child. Could have been polio because that was around in the early 50s. Don't think he only had one leg.

marcie · « **Reply #125 on:** July 03, 2012, 01:14:07 AM »

I watched ENDEAVOUR tonight. It was very good. I too hope that they will make more.

marcie · « **Reply #126 on:** July 06, 2012, 10:48:50 AM »

This Sundays episode of Inspector Lewis sounds like a good one!

Inspector Lewis Series V: The Soul of Genius
Airing July 8, 2012 on PBS

What is a snark? This is just one of the many unanswered questions Inspector Lewis must ask when botanist Liz Nash accidently unearths the recently buried body of an English professor obsessed with the Lewis Carroll poem, The Hunting of the Snark. Locked in bitter rivalry with his brother, professor Murray Hawes was fixed on solving a legendary riddle hidden in Carroll's philosophical story of an impossible quest for the unknowable. The search for Murray's killer launches Lewis and Hathaway on an impossible quest of their own, taking them from Oxford's botanical gardens to the evidence wall of an interfering amateur sleuth. But when a prime suspect is killed and a secret society is exposed, Lewis and Hathaway intensify their hunt not for the unknowable, but for an all-too-real killer. Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox star alongside James Fleet (Little Dorrit) and Celia Imrie (Cranford) in The Soul of Genius.

JeanneP · « **Reply #127 on:** July 06, 2012, 01:46:03 PM »

Looking forward to it Sunday. I think they make a good team. Not quite the John Thaw and Kevin Whately. They were a perfect match.

salan · « **Reply #128 on:** July 13, 2012, 02:21:10 AM »

I was wondering what happened to this site as there have been no recent postings. I watched Inspector Lewis on Sunday and enjoyed the characters. However, I found the story line a little confusing and a bit hard to follow. Did anyone else feel that way?
Sally

pedln · « **Reply #129 on:** July 13, 2012, 09:51:50 AM »

Sally, I watched it too, recorded it fortunately, because I just got a little tired of it in the middle or the show. It seemed to lack momentum. I finally did watch it all, it was okay, but
doesn't come close to a Morse/John Thaw production.

So, is anything going to come about with Lewis and Michelle? And talk about the pot calling the kettle black -- when Lewis tells Hathaway he need a partner, someone in his life.

marcie · « **Reply #130 on:** July 13, 2012, 06:53:12 PM »

I watched the episode last evening on my cable "on demand." Salan, it was a bit confusing with the additional plot of the death of Steven, the "amateur detective" Michelle Marber's son. I thought that his photo, which Michelle showed to Lewis, looked like Vincent Vega (obviously it was not)

Pedln, I don't think that a relationship will develop between Lewis and Michelle, although they share grief over the death of someone they loved. Wasn't something blossoming between Lewis and the coroner in previous episodes? That doesn't seem to be happening now either. You are right, Pedln, that Lewis is giving Hathaway advice that he should take himself.

JeanneP · « **Reply #131 on:** July 14, 2012, 12:59:35 PM »

People like Lewis, in real life, are not the type to jump in fast after losing a spouse. Little different with Hathaway. I think that in the show he did really like someone when in University. She turned him down.

pedln · « **Reply #132 on:** July 15, 2012, 02:09:50 PM »

And for a while, in the beginning of the series, it seemed that every time Lewis got interested in someone, she turned out to be the murderer.

jeriron · « **Reply #133 on:** July 16, 2012, 08:45:02 AM »

I finally got to watch "Endeavour" on my DVR, I really liked it. I loved Morse
Iwould love to be able to watch them again but there are no Captions. I like the way the last scene ended with the young Morse looking at himself in the mirror and seeing the old Morse.

There was a lot of times when Morse was interested in a woman but it never went anywhere.

marcie · « **Reply #134 on:** July 16, 2012, 01:51:11 PM »

jeriron, you're right, Morse never did form a successful relationship with a woman. Pedln, I seem to recall that Morse also quite often fell for the woman who turned out to be the culprit.

I didn't watch the episode last evening (watched Falling Skies on TNT instead). I'll watch Lewis "on demand" tonight or tomorrow.

FlaJean · « **Reply #135 on:** July 17, 2012, 12:17:52 PM »

I've enjoyed both of the latest Lewis episodes. There seems to be more rapport between between Lewis and Hathaway which is interesting. I looked for the Morris series on Netflix but presently they only have them on DVD and we only use the "streaming" Netflix. Hope they add them.

marcie · « **Reply #136 on:** July 17, 2012, 05:00:33 PM »

I watched the latest Lewis episode, Generation of Vipers, last evening. Toward the end the clues kept going back and forth between two of the characters and finally involved a third. I enjoyed it fairly well. Was there an episode in a previous season where Lewis and the lady coroner had a falling out? She seems to be somewhat cool towards him when they interact.

JeanneP · « **Reply #137 on:** July 17, 2012, 06:42:40 PM »

I like the show but don't think that the writers do as good a job as when they were doing John Thaw in "Morse". Bet some left when he died thinking would not be anymore shows.

Frybabe · « **Reply #138 on:** July 18, 2012, 08:14:11 AM »

Marcie, I noticed her coolness too. I can't remember them having a falling out in previous episodes, so I was wondering about that.

Babi · « **Reply #139 on:** July 18, 2012, 08:32:34 AM »

Perhaps she is somewhat 'cool' to him as she expected he would speak up, and he hasn't. She
says she isn't interested in marriage, which could be simple fact or an 'I don't care' reaction.

marcie · « **Reply #140 on:** July 18, 2012, 05:06:47 PM »

I found this comment about the Lewis and Laura Hobson (medical examiner; not coroner) relationship at http://www.squidoo.com/inspector-lewis

"At the end of Series 4, things looked like they were getting tighter between Inspector Lewis and Dr. Hobson. They'd been on a few dates (that we know of), and Lewis seems to be getting over the unexpected death of his wife, which occurred about a year (in TV time) before the beginning of the Lewis program debut.

But, there's the class difference. He's working class and she's university educated. Will the spark between them flame, or will circumstances they cannot control put a damper on love?"

There is about a minute interview with Kevin Whatley about his opinion of having a love interest. Since his opinion is likely what the direction the show will take, you might or might not want to listen to it (in the middle of the page) at http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2011/09/inspector-lewis-the-mind-has-mountains

Babi · « **Reply #141 on:** July 19, 2012, 09:02:10 AM »

Does that qualify as a 'class difference' between them, do you think, MARCIE. It would see to
me that an officer who attains the rank of DI, detective inspector, is considerably different from,
say, the officer on the beat. And people from all kinds of backgrounds now have univerity
educations. Since the war, I think a lot of the old 'class' distinctions have pretty much vanished.
Of course, that doesn't prevent individuals from thinking a degree places someone 'a cut above'.
That can be especially touchy if the better educated party is the wife; I've run into that situation
before. The husband became quite hostile about it.

marcie · « **Reply #142 on:** July 19, 2012, 10:42:56 AM »

Babi, I haven't sensed the same "class difference" between Lewis and Laura Hobson as I did between Lewis and Morse. Morse probably dressed more sloppily than Lewis and had less regard for social manners and did love his pints of beer but Morse definitely had an education in the humanities that permeated his whole view of the world. He was always making allusions and seeing connections that Lewis couldn't understand. Morse always seemed more "ivory tower" Oxford than Lewis.

Babi · « **Reply #143 on:** July 20, 2012, 08:05:23 AM »

Thinking back, MARCIE, I can see that you are absolutely correct. I find it hard to
equate today's 'Lewis' with the young sergeant that worked under Morse, but in the
story line it is the same person. With the same differences in the background.

marcie · « **Reply #144 on:** July 20, 2012, 10:24:23 AM »

Isn't it a fun "turn about" that the blue-collar-type Lewis is now the one in charge and his Sergeant Hathaway is the University-educated junior on the team?

I found this interesting tidbit in wikipedia:

"One notable difference between the Lewis from the novels and [Kevin] Whately's portrayal is that Lewis in the novels is an older man in his early sixties. When Whately auditioned for the role and then learned this fact, he considered it unlikely that he would get the part. However, Colin Dexter has consistently stated that the younger Lewis is an improvement on the character he originally created, and that if he could start the novels afresh he would begin with Lewis as he is seen in the television adaptation."

JeanneP · « **Reply #145 on:** July 20, 2012, 04:51:43 PM »

Strange he would write Lewis as being in his 60s in the Novels. Didnt think that you could be a policeman of any rank in UK after 60. It is 58 for Firemen. Even if Chief. Retirement with full pension is 30 years. My cousin joined at age 29 but had to retire at 58 making it just 29 years which cost him a % of his pension. Now they try to not hire over age 27 and 29 for policemen. that way can get the 30 years in

marcie · « **Reply #146 on:** July 21, 2012, 12:00:38 AM »

That's interesting information, Jeanne.

Babi · « **Reply #147 on:** July 21, 2012, 08:32:23 AM »

How refreshing that an author would actually say he thought a TV version of his character was an improvement. Colin Dexter must be one in a million.

I wonder if that age limit is enforced because of the level of energy and agility
required in a fireman. For them, it could well be a matter of life and death. It was
a considerate move to place an age limit that would permit service through to full
pension.

pedln · « **Reply #148 on:** July 21, 2012, 11:36:26 AM »

Quote

"One notable difference between the Lewis from the novels and [Kevin] Whately's portrayal is that Lewis in the novels is an older man in his early sixties.

That is so interesting, Marcie, as is all this background info on Lewis/Morse, etc. I watched several Morse/John Thaw/Whately shows on PBS and also read several of the novels. And even while reading I always pictured Lewis as he appeared on TV. I guess I must have missed Dexter's description of Lewis. Oh well, the power of a picture.

Did Morse ever finish at Oxford? For some reason I keep thinking that he did not, and that he regretted it.

marcie · « **Reply #149 on:** July 21, 2012, 06:03:10 PM »

Good catch, pedln! I looked it up in wikipedia and the article says about Morse and Oxford:

"Although details of Morse's career are deliberately kept vague, it is hinted that he won a scholarship to study at St John's College, Oxford. He lost the scholarship as the result of poor academic performance resulting from a failed love affair, which is mentioned in the series in Season 3, Episode 2, "The Last Enemy", and recounted in detail in the novel The Riddle of the Third Mile, chapter 7. Forced to leave the University, he entered the Army and, on leaving it, joined the police. He often reflects on such renowned scholars as A. E. Housman who, like himself, failed to get an academic degree from Oxford."

marcie · « **Reply #150 on:** July 22, 2012, 12:15:47 AM »

We'll be back to Inspector Lewis and Hathaway on Sunday evening in "Fearful Symmetry."

MaryPage · « **Reply #151 on:** July 23, 2012, 11:10:37 AM »

I really, really did not like this one. Oxford was gorgeous, as always. But both Lewis and Hateway seemed off their game and I really hated the sexy photos and all the other sex. Gag me with a spoon.

JeanneP · « **Reply #152 on:** July 23, 2012, 01:09:48 PM »

Something went wrong just as the Inspector Lewis was coming on. Don't know how it happened. TV really messed up. Took 30 min. before I got it up again. Had a hard time catching up to what was happening in it and so was not the best one for me.

Babi · « **Reply #153 on:** July 24, 2012, 08:31:00 AM »

Check your PBS schedule, JEANNE. They will probably be showing the episode again at a
different time.
I was interested that the titles of the first episodes were both literary allusions. The 'snark', and
Blake's line from "Tiger, Tiger". Now 'generation of vipers' from the Bible. They're engaging
my interest before the programs even start.

marcie · « **Reply #154 on:** July 24, 2012, 05:48:34 PM »

I found the "Fearful Symmetry" episode interesting although somewhat confusing. I don't understand the meaning of the second death (how the body was posed).

One bit of banter between Lewis and Hathaway was typical of them and funny... when they walk into the artist's home/studio:

"Professional iconoclast, social photo-anthropologist cum cultural pundit,” explains Hathaway.

“Oxford type,” nods Lewis.

“Oh yeah,” Hathaway concurs."

Frybabe · « **Reply #155 on:** July 24, 2012, 08:22:06 PM »

Marcie, I think both poses were taken from the photos. I vaguely remember seeing one where someone (but I think it was the girl) was skewered in a similar fashion.

What a pair the boy's parents were - one very cold fish and the other an absolute loony-bin.

marcie · « **Reply #156 on:** July 25, 2012, 02:11:30 AM »

I was wondering how the St. Sebastian pose applied to the second death. Maybe you are right, Frybabe, that it was just an image in one of the photos.

Yes, what kind of a childhood could poor Gideon have had?

Babi · « **Reply #157 on:** July 25, 2012, 08:35:22 AM »

That one made me grin, too, MARCIE.

FRYBABE, I wonder if 'cold fish' was because of 'loony bin', or perhaps vice versa. Or
it could just be really bad luck on the boy's part. The dad seemed such a nice man and caring parent in the beginning.

jeriron · « **Reply #158 on:** July 25, 2012, 03:38:36 PM »

If anyone is interested I just watched "Inspector Morse: The story of Morse" I rented it from Netflix. I had seen it before but discussing Morse and Lewis here made me want to see it again Bad thing is no CC. so I had to put the sound up a lot.
I hadn't remembered that Colin Dexter showed up in some episodes the way Alfred Hitchcock in his movies.
At one point Morse (John Thaw) explains the difference in their characters and go so far as to say Lewis is uneducated in comparison to Morse. I had forgotten the music at the beginning and end of each show.
They just came out with the whole set of I believe 33 eps. 25th Anniv. It's way over $300 from Amazon and still no CC.

Frybabe · « **Reply #159 on:** July 25, 2012, 06:18:40 PM »

I've always loved the theme music for Inspector Morse. When I first went looking for info about the composer years ago, I couldn't find much. Now he has a website. http://www.pheloung.co.uk/ It says that he does chamber music and concertos on commission for other musicians, but I didn't see a list of what these works are. Too bad. I'd like to listen to a few. All the YouTube postings, as far as I can see, are for his TV and movie works. Some of you have seen Hillary and Jackie; he composed the music for that. Quite nice. He also composed the music for Shopgirl, also very nice.

On close inspection, it appears that at least some of the concertos and chamber music are included on the Inspector Morse music CDs.

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Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece Mystery 2012 (Read 99589 times)