Hello everyone and thank you for your patience regarding the lack of posts in the last two weeks. Life as we all know has habit of getting in the way of things. I had some virus that knocked me off my feet but thankfully I am much better now. There are also a few other irritations that are occupying my mind. Those irritations are not fully resolved but I decided to give myself the proverbial kick in the arse and decide to stop feeling sorry for myself.
Anyhoo, thank you all for your continuing support and I hope you enjoy the following post.
Chronologically this is episode 21. (Series 6 episode 1).
First broadcast in the UK on 26 February 1992.
This episode is not based on a Colin Dexter novel.
Where’s Colin?
Blink and you will miss him. He is one of the concert guests at 24minutes and 35 seconds.
Thanks to Anna who spotted Colin at around the 23 minute mark sitting next to Susan Fallon. (She is hidden behind the Violinist).
Directed by John Madden: he also directed The Infernal Serpent, Promised land and The Way Through the Woods.
Written by Daniel Boyle: he also wrote the episodes, Second Time Around, Happy Families, Deadly Slumber, The Day of the Devil.
SYNOPSIS
An Oxford Don, Henry Fallon, who recently returned form America is found shot in what appears to be a suicide. A complication arises in the shape of Henry’s wife, Susan, who it transpires, much to Lewis’s surprise, was engaged to be married to Morse.
Lewis receives a call from Henry Fallon’s doctor, John Marriat, who had been on holiday during his patient’s death, to ask if Morse and Lewis could visit his surgery. The visit to the surgery and the subsequent information passed on by the doctor to Morse and Lewis questions the coroner’s inquest verdict of suicide.
A complicated case and a complicated relationship between Morse and Susan makes solving the case difficult and leaves Lewis having to untangle those two complications without upsetting his boss.
REVIEW.
(warning, this review may contain some spoilers)
This is one of my all time favourite episodes and what a cracking start to the sixth series. Looking at this episode at a fundamental level it has all the elements for a great crime episode; apparent suicide, an apparent murder, romance, tears, laughter, pathos, shocks and a partnership that keeps evolving between Morse and Lewis.
I’m repeating myself but once again the producers gathered together an excellent cast of British character actors; Richard Pasco as William Bryce-Morgan, David Haig as Peter Rhodes, Adrian Dunbar as John Marriat, Samantha Bond as Helen Marriat and of course the lovely Joanna David as Susan Fallon. I wonder if it was seen as a badge of honour amongst actors to be asked to appear in Inspector Morse? I would have appeared on the show for nothing. However I am not an actor and cannot act. Though my kids say I am good at acting the fool.
This episode showed the warmth and depth to the relationship between Morse and Lewis. Lewis of course has the more difficult role in this relationship as he tries to help solve the case but tread on eggshells when the case becomes entangled in Morse’s romance with Susan. Lewis’s struggle to decide what he should do with the cassette tape is wonderful and Kevin Whately shows his acting mettle as he struggles between his love and admiration for Morse and his duty as a policeman. The conclusion to his struggle is wonderfully poignant and may bring a tear to the eye.
The scenes between John Thaw and Joanna David are electrifying. Joanna David’s character Susan’s struggle with the past and the present is mesmerising as she struggles with her love for her dead husband and her re-found love for Morse. Joanna David’s subtle and restrained performance is sublime. John Thaw’s acting performance is majestic as he tries to control the turmoil of emotions that are within him and also solve a case of the death of a man who ‘stole’ the great love of his life.
Lewis’s remark to Morse that it all makes sense somewhat that Morse is sullen and “sour” as Lewis puts it after he finds out that Morse was close to marrying a very beautiful woman, Susan. This is a very telling statement by Lewis and it does give a great insight into why Morse does have a sour temperament at times. One does find as one gets older and finding yourself alone that one thinks back on those lost loves with some bitterness. It is all a matter of ‘if only’ and ‘what ifs’.
The only reason this episode didn’t receive a ten out of ten is the character of McGregor played by James Grant. I write character but it is more of a caricature. I do believe that the actor is Scottish but he laid on that accent with a trowel. In all my years of living in Scotland I have never heard that particular accent or that speech pattern.
Episode Jag Rating – out of 10.
Music.
The main piece of music in this episode is Scubert’s String Quintet in C major. The movement at the beginning of the episode is the second.
The above piece is played a few more times through the episode. Significantly the above piece turns up in an episode of the Endeavour series, ‘Lazarreto‘, series four, episode three. The piece is played at around the the 21 minute mark in the Endeavour episode.
At the concert that Morse and Susan attend we still have the Schubert Quintet but this time the fourth movement.
Literary References.
None that I am aware of.
ART
Thanks to Nancy for the following IDs and information.
Nancy says the picture to the right of Morse
Is “Woman Reading a Letter” by Jan Vermeer.
Nancy wrote, “Watching episode “Dead on Time,” I also realized that the Turandot opera poster which often appears in Morse’s police office now hangs in Morse’s living room. Next to it is the “Madama Butterfly” poster, too.”
LOCATIONS
Our first location is the church where Mrs Marriot meets Morse to tell him she doesn’t believe Peter Rhodes killed Henry Fallon.
The location is St Michael’s Church, Bray, Berkshire, England, UK.
Here is Morse walking up to where Mrs Marriot is sitting waiting for him.
Below is how it looks today and the next picture is looking down the lane from the church. In the above picture you can see the red brick houses in the background.
Morse’s car is parked next to the white fence in the background.
——————————
Next up we have Byres Hall the home of William Bryce-Morgan.
The house is actually Nether Winchendon House, Nether Winchendon, Buckinghamshire.
—————————
Up next we have Morse and Lewis’s only visit to a pub at 56 minutes.
I believe the pub is the Turf Tavern. The Turf Tavern, 4-5 Bath Place, Oxford OX1 3SU. http://www.turftavern-oxford.co.uk/
——————————–
Our next scene is when Morse and Susan are out walking at 37 minutes into the episode.
The river is the Cherwell and we are looking at Magdalen College in the background.
———————————-
The next scene is when Morse is lying down and Susan tells him he should be working. Morse replies, “I’m a detective. Detectives think. Today I choose to do my thinking lying down.”
This was filmed in Deer Park, Magdalen College. In the background you can see the tower of Magdalen College. In the middle ground you can see a large gate to the right and a smaller one to the left. Below is a better picture of them.
——————————–
Ar around 11 minutes William Bryce-Morgan goes to London to let Susan know about her husband. The building is the Senate House, University College London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London.
Malet Street is the road that runs perpendicular to the road where the still is filmed.
——————————–
At 23 minutes Morse and Susan attend a concert.
The location is the Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford.
———————————-
After the inquest Morse talks to Susan.
The location is in Reading. The steps Morse and Lewis walk down after the inquest belong to the Forbury Hotel. The Reading Crown Court is next door.
At the end of the episode Lewis finds Morse standing again at Deer Park.
The one location that has been driving me mad is Peter Rhodes antique shop. I just can’t pin it down to where it is. If anybody can help let me know. There isn’t much to go on but here are the best views. Update 11th March 2018. LUCINDA HARTSTONE has told me the location of the antiques shop is in Eton, by Eton Porny First School, High Street, Eton.
Sadly, the shop is now a Budgens, a small grocery shop.
At 1 hour and four minutes Susan and the doctor meet.
This is the Vaults and Garden Cafe which is part of University Church of St Mary the Virgin.
23 minutes. – After the recital attended by Morse and Susan.
It is difficult to make an accurate identification as we the viewer do not get to see much of the location. With all that ivy in the background it could be Exeter College or Lincoln College but I think it’s Hertford College. I have looked through the scene slowly and careful and I am close to 100% in believing it’s Hertford.
MISCELLANEOUS
The gun that killed Henry Fallon was his own. The gun box reads “To Dear Henry. Bon Voyage“. I cannot make out the rest. This must have been his going away present from the Oxford University when he left for America.
——————-
The character of Susan is based on the character of Wendy Spencer in the Colin Dexter novel, The Riddle of the Third Mile. However this episode is not based on that novel but it was used as a basis for the Morse episode The Last Enemy.
Morse was besotted by Wendy and because of that he failed his final exams. In actual fact Wendy also failed her doctorate or to be more precise it was terminated due to the lack of any work being delivered to the University. Wendy started work at the bar in the Randolph Hotel so after.
Joanna David who plays Susan is Laurence Fox‘s aunt.
Joanna David and Laurence Fox.
Quote Me. (Interesting dialogue from the episode)
At ten minutes Lewis is visiting Bryce Morgan to inform him of his brother in law’s death.
Lewis – “That’s quite a machine.”
Bryce Morgan – “You should have one, believe me”.
Lewis – I wouldn’t know where to put it sir.”
Bryce Morgan – “Between your knees man”.
——————————–
At twenty minutes. After the inquest Morse talks to Susan and then returns to lewis.
Lewis – “You know it kind of explains things sir. Losing a woman like that I might have turned a bit sour myself.”
————————————
At around the 22 minute mark Lewis finds Morse in his office getting dressed to go to a concert. Lewis tells Morse he too is going out for the evening to a new Indian restaurant.
Lewis – “I’m a steak and baked potato man myself, but Mrs Lewis likes to live on the culinary edge.”
———————————
Morse and Susan are out in Oxford and Morse is lying on a bench.
Susan – “You’re supposed to be working.”
Morse – “I’m a detective. Detectives think, mainly. Today I choose to do my thinking lying down.”
———————————-
At 44 minutes Morse has been invited over to lunch with Susan and Bryce Morgan.
Bryce Morgan – “So Morse, a police man eh. You surprised me I must say.”
Morse – “How so?”
Bryce Morgan – “A writer. Always had you pegged as a future literary gent. Calm on the outside but inside heaving with all manner of passions waiting to be expressed.”
———————————
At one hour and 13 minutes Morse has just had his head bitten off by Chief Inspector Strange. Lewis and Morse exit the office.
Morse – “What the hell is wrong with the man?”
Lewis – “he said sir, he just wants to be sure.”
Morse – “That’s what we all want isn’t it…Matey.”
Connections to the Endeavour and/or Lewis series.
At 13 minutes when Susan and William visit the police station they are greeted by a WPC. We barely get to see the actor’s face but her name is Lesley Vickerage.
Lesley appeared in an episode of Lewis, Down Among the Fearful (2013 Series 7, Episode 1). She played Katherine Dutta.
————————————
Richard Hampton who played the coroner will turn up again as the coroner in the Morse episode Absolute Conviction.
CAST
James Grout as Chief Superintendent Strange (Born: 1926 Died: 2012)
Brendan O’Hea as Telecom Engineer
David Haig as Peter Rhodes
Susan Jane Tanner as Nurse Rogers
James Walker as Henry Fallon (Died: 28 February 2017)
James Grant as McGregor
Richard Pasco as William Bryce-Morgan (Born: 1926. Died: 12 November 2014)
Joanna David as Susan Fallon
Christopher Owen as Solicitor
Richard Hampton as Coroner
Samantha Bond as Helen Marriat
Adrian Dunbar as John Marriat
Dominic Keating as Murray Stone
Well that is all for this post. I hope you enjoyed it. Take care.
Mr. Sullivan, I love you for doing this website.
You’re welcome Athena. I hope you find lots to interest you.
Mrs Mariat told her husband that Peter Rhodes was in the car when the accident happened, to explain the burn on her hand. Presumably she told this to Mariat in the immediate aftermath of the crash, and so he knew about Rhodes’ involvement all along. But how did the Fallons find out about it? It must’ve been from Mariat, who hated Rhodes for being his wife’s lover, and knew Susan personally, being her physician at the time. But did he tell it to Susan at the time of the accident? If he had, and Susan had told her husband, then it seems unlikely that Henry Fallon would have saved Rhodes, whom he’d be blaming for his daughter’s death, from alcoholism and support him financially. That means that Mariat informed Susan at a later time, when Henry’s illness opened an opportunity for Mariat to take his revenge on Rhodes and, as he hoped, make Mrs Mariat love him again. But then Mariat bears the brunt of responsibility for masterminding the whole suicide-murder setup, AND specifically for Susan’s death – intolerable though living without Henry might’ve been for Susan after Henry’s imminent passing, Henry himself would not want to have a part in his wife’s death by making a suicide pact with her; he’d have wanted her to live. And so Morse is right and Mariat did kill her.
On the other hand, one could say that Susan’s plan starts unraveling because Morse happens to get assigned this case. Susan’s despair reaches the breaking point because, as the events unfold, she is drawn to Morse but can’t bear to admit to him that she killed her husband. Perhaps there was NO suicide pact at all and it’s Morse’s appearance that inadvertently drives her to suicide, in which case Morse, and not Mariat, is her unwitting killer.