Hello everyone and a Happy New Year. I’m very sorry for the long delay in posting but sometimes life just gets in the way of so much. Thank you for all your support over the last few weeks it is greatly appreciated. If I could I would give you all a hug for your continued support.
This post will contain SPOILERS. I hope you enjoy this post.
Endeavour Series One, Episode Four; ‘Home’.
Chronologically this is episode 5.
First broadcast 5th May 2013.
Here is my trailer for the episode.
Where’s Colin?
Colin is sitting at the table on the right. This scene is at 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
Directed by Colm McCarthy: Colin also directed the pilot episode of Endeavour.
Written by Colin Dexter (characters), Russell Lewis (written and devised by). Russell has written all the Endeavour episodes. He also directed;
Lewis (TV Series) (screenplay – 4 episodes, 2010 – 2012) (story – 1 episode, 2006)
– Fearful Symmetry (2012) … (screenplay)
– Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things (2011) … (screenplay)
– Falling Darkness (2010) … (screenplay)
– The Dead of Winter (2010) … (screenplay)
– Reputation (2006) … (story)
He also wrote the Morse episode, ‘The Way Through the Woods’.
SYNOPSIS
Late at night Endeavour is called out to an apparent hit and run. The victim is Prof Alistair Coke Norris who teaches at Baidley College, Oxford. Endeavour is curious as to why there is no broken glass or other debris in the street from the car that hit the professor.
Meanwhile Fred Thursday is disturbed to find a villain from his past, Vic Kasper, has turned up in Oxford. Vic Casper has bought the Moonlight Rooms but the place is being managed by his son, Vince. This particular storyline throws light on why Fred moved to Oxford from London.
Endeavour believes Prof Alistair Coke Norris’s death may be linked to the selling of college land for the purpose of building houses. Endeavour learns that Prof Alistair Coke Norris’s father left the land to the college some fifty years before and the Professor is the lone voice against the sale of the land.
Endeavour stumbles across a connection between Prof Alistair Coke Norris and the Moonlight Rooms and this connection is highlighted further with the death a cigarette seller, Jolyon Frobisher, who worked at the Moonlight Rooms and apparently knew the Professor.
During his investigations Endeavour gets a call from his half sister Joyce telling him their father is seriously ill. Endeavour visits his father and receives a cold welcome from not only his father but his stepmother Gwen.
Can Endeavour deal with all the above and find time to to take his sergeants exam which will release him from his general duties in the police station.
REVIEW.
(warning, this review may contain some spoilers)
This episode ends the first series on a high note. Not only does the episode have a great storyline but we also get to know more about Endeavour and his family and some information about Fred Thursday’s backstory.
During the episode Endeavour receives a call from his step sister Joyce that his father is ill. Joyce’s mother is Gwen, his father’s second wife. Gwen never liked Endeavour and still doesn’t.
Gwen Morse played by Lynda Rooke.
We also met Gwen in the original Morse series in the episode Cherubim and Seraphim (Season 6, Episode 5).
Gwen Morse played by Edwina Day in the episode Cherubim and Seraphim.
In that same Inspector Morse episode we also got to meet Joyce.
Joyce Morse played by Sorcha Cusack.
It was interesting that the actor, Alan Williams, who they chose to play Cyril Morse, Endeavour’s father, had more than a passing resemblance to John Thaw.
Allan Williams as Cyril Morse.
Just as interesting as the above was learning why Fred Thursday moved to Oxford from London. Fred asked for the transfer as his family was under threat from London gangsters, in particular Vic Casper. You have to believe that the threat was a serious one to have Fred ask his superiors for a transfer.
We also learn that Fred took a police constable under his wing in London, Mickey Carter. Mickey was killed by Vic Casper’s gang and Thursday blamed himself for his death. He helped out Mickey Carter’s widow financially until she remarried.
Though we get to learn something about Fred’s history, he speaks Italian and German, he fought in the war etc I still would love to learn more about him.
The cinematography was as ever excellent. Setting the episode while snow fell and was on the ground gave an extra dimension to the photography and as if Oxford City wasn’t already picturesque it was even more so being covered in snow. I can only assume that filming during a period of snow was not planned as the UK has in the last 20 years not always had snow during the winter months. A serendipitous event that helped give the episode a different look and feel.
The producer Dan McCulloch said in an interview, “Shooting for Home took place in January. We were ready for the snow, but not quite so much of it! Filming had to be halted on one day, while we battled the weather for almost a week. In the end, we’re very pleased with the result the chilly landscape gives the story.”
Shaun Evans was sublime in the episode and the scene where he is sitting at the bedside of his dead father trying to deal with the situation was wonderful. No histrionics just little movements of his head and hands but enough to convey his mental and emotional state.
The episode beautifully intertwined Endeavour’s and Fred’s past. We have Endeavour dragged back in his past with his father’s illness and Fred being dragged into his past by the appearance of Vic Casper. While Cyril Morse’s death was an end to an unhappy part Endeavour’s past as he and his father never saw eye to eye so Fred also saw an end to part of his past with the arrest of Vic Casper’s son Vince and what would subsequently happen with Vic probably returning to London.
A special mention for Poppy Miller who played the seemingly distraught wife of Prof Coke Norris who played her part wonderfully. Poppy played the part of the mousy wife who wouldn’t say boo to a goose perfectly. I loved her sudden change in personality and the coldness in her eyes as she realises she is sitting on her gun and then points it at Endeavour. Well done Poppy Miller you made the episode a great one.
Another clever little section in the episode was creating a limp for the older Morse. Of course John Thaw had a real life limp so it was nice that Russell Lewis added an explanation for the older Morse limping.
Yes the ending is a little over melodramatic. Yes, the scenes between Dr Kern and Millicent Coke Norris are a little Brief Encounter but all in all the scenes don’t detract from what is a great episode.
Two problems I had with the episode. Firstly, Fred drives Morse through to his father’s house but doesn’t appear to be asked inside. Then the next day Endeavour’s father dies and he meets Fred outside. Did Fred sleep in the car? Did Fred drive home then return the next day? Neither elements are made clear.
Secondly, we learn that Prof Coke Norris was killed by a blow to the head with a hammer. Dr. Max DeBryn believed the injury to the head was due to either or a blow from the car or the kerb. Surely to the doctor’s expert eye a hammer blow would leave a different injury a distinctive mark than from being hit by a car or a kerb.
Episode Jag Rating – out of 10.
MUSIC
The first piece of music is at the very beginning of the episode; the beautiful and haunting Requiem, Op 48 by Gabriel Fauré, (Born: 1845 Died: 1924). The whole piece is wonderful.
The section used in the episode starts at 34 minutes and 22 seconds. However, listen to the complete recording it is wonderful. The music is played again when Endeavour is on the train to visit his family. A section of the Requiem is also played after the scene when Endeavour and Thursday are interviewing Dorothea Frazil about the threats she received around the 51 minute mark.
The next piece of music is a jazz.rhythm and blues number titled ‘Dance for you‘. It is sung by Rachel D’Arcy who is the actual artist singing in the episode but goes by the name of Miss Lila Pilgrim in the episode.
Rachel also sings the songs ‘I Need Some Rock and Roll‘ and ‘ The Entertainer’ during the episode.
At around 27 minutes Vic Casper is standing outside his grand home listening to Carl Maria von Weber’s Invitation to the Dance (Aufforderung zum Tanz), Op. 65.
At the one hour and sixteen minute mark Millicent Coke Norris is talking to Dr. Ian Kern while he sorts out Professor Coke Norris’s library. Playing in the background is the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s (Born: 1843 Died: 1907) Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16.
The Grieg music is reprised later in the episode when Endeavour and Thursday are questioning Millicent Coke Norris.
LITERARY REFERENCES.
Quite a few literary references in this episode. At the beginning of the episode Professor Coke Norris is holding a tutorial and says; “Every story has a beginning. Before the gates of Troy. In a certain house in Ithaca. On the road to Thebes.”
The ‘gates of Troy‘ story he refers to is in connection to the Trojan War, which lasted ten years. ‘A certain house in Ithaca‘ refers to the house of Odysseus, who was Ithaca’s rightful ruler. Odysseus was one of the suitors of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the known world. Foreseeing that the situation would not lead anywhere, as there was a multitude of suitors and Tyndareus was unable to choose a husband for her in fear of offending them, he made a proposal to him. He said that if Tyndareus (king of Sparta) would help him win the hand of Penelope, then he would provide a solution to the problem. He then told all of the suitors to swear an oath, which was hence named the Oath of Tyndareus, according to which no matter who Helen would pick for her husband, they would all support the couple. Everyone agreed and Helen chose Menelaus, king of Sparta. Odysseus then took Penelope for his bride and went back to Ithaca. Then Helen is abduced by Paris and soon after the Trojan War begins.
‘On the road Thebes‘ refers to the story of Oedipus. To put it succinctly the story involves Oedipus killing his father and marrying his mother.
At around 9 minutes Endeavour tells Thursday that uniform found Professor Coke Norris’s briefcase. Inside there are essays on The Trachiniae. Endeavour tells Fred it is a play by Sophocles. The play is also known as “The Trachinian Women”, “The Women of Trachis” or “The Maidens of Trachis”. It is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright by Sophocles.
At 24 minute and a half minutes Joyce is with Endeavour in a pub. Joyce asks why he went back to Oxford. Endeavour replies that a policeman goes where he is sent. Joyce tells him that his father simply said about the situation ‘Proverbs 26:11’. “As a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly” is an aphorism which appears in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. Endeavour’s father is making a crude reference to Endeavour’s failed relationship with Susan.
At one hour and 8 minutes Thursday and Endeavour are discussing the contents of the second briefcase. Endeavour says that he can’t see any mention of Vick Casper. Fred says that he is involved up to his neck. Endeavour replies, “Hast seen the White Whale.” This is a reference to Herman Melville‘s excellent novel, ‘Moby Dick‘. Chapter 128 begins, “”Ship, ahoy! Hast seen the White Whale?”
ART
At around the 15 minute mark Endeavour visits Professor Coke Norris’s study. He finds Dr Ian Kern. On the wall over Morse’s shoulder there is a painting.
The painting is called Boats on a River by a Castle by an unknown artist. The style is French and was probably painted in the early part of the 20th century.
Here is the full painting.
At 31 and half minutes Dr. Ian Kern is clearing out Professor Coke Norris’s things from hi s rooms. On the wall behind Dr Kern one can see a painting.
This painting is titled Portrait of a Lady by Edwin Henry Landseer (1802–1873).
Here below is the painting in all its glory.
At one hour and ten minutes we are back in Professor Coke Norris’s room though now they have been assigned to Dr Kern. On the wall on Endeavour’s right their is a small landscape.
This painting is Keston Common, Kent, by David Cox the younger (1809–1885).
Below is the painting.
In the same scene we see a large painting to the right of Morse.
This is Southampton Castle by Augustus Wall Callcott (1779–1844).
LOCATIONS.
At one minute twenty seconds we see Judy Vallens walking through Baidley College.
The real college being used for this location is Keble College.
The Oxfordstudent.com website had an article about the filming at Keble College; http://oxfordstudent.com/2013/01/24/endeavour-filming-at-keble/
At four minutes Endeavour visits the location of the hit and run.
As you can see in the picture above there is a street sign reading ‘Linkside’. There is a Linkside Avenue in Oxford but this is not the location used for the above mentioned scene. Unfortunately I cannot pinpoint where the actual location is.
At the five and a half minute mark we see Millicent Coke Norris on the platform of a railway station.
The actual location of the above is Horsted Keynes station, Bluebell Railway, West Sussex.
The same location is used when Endeavour is getting on the train later on in the episode.
At five and a half minutes Endeavour drives to Thursday’s house.
This house is in Courthouse Road in Finchley, London.
At six and a half minutes Endeavour is sitting in the car with Joan while Fred visits the tobacconist.
This location is on Holywell Street in Oxford and the ‘tobacconists is actually a shop called The Alternative Tuck Shop.
At eleven and a half minutes Endeavour is talking to the Master, Jolyon Frobisher.
This location is Keble College Dining Hall.
At 19 minutes Fred and Endeavour are visiting the Moonlight Rooms owned by Vic Casper.
The actual location used above is Pusey Street in Oxford.
Pusey Street was also used for a now famous and well loved scene from the pilot episode of Endeavour. At the end of Pusey Street that you can see in the above picture is where they filmed Endeavour and Fred in the car and Shaun Evans looks in his rear view mirror and sees the eyes of John Thaw.
00h28m45s
Dorothea is waiting to talk to Jolyon Frobisher.
It is still Keble College.
00h36m30s
Endeavour is interviewing Jolyon Frobisher.
This is Keble College.
00h49m50s
A porter walks through Keble College.
The above is Pusey Quad of Keble College.
At one hour and two minutes we find Joan sitting on a bench eating her lunch.
This location is part of Exeter college above Brasenose Lane adjacent to the Radcliffe Camera.
At one hour and five minutes Endeavour is talking to the taxi driver who had Professor Coke Norris as a passenger.
We are again beside the Radcliffe Camera. The taxis are parked on Catte Street.
01h10m40s
Endeavour is talking to Dr. Ian Kern in his rooms.
This is Keble College.
The pub that Endeavour, Jakes and Thursday visit at 38 minutes,
This pub is The King’s Arms in Oxford on the corner of Parks Road and Holywell Street.
Thank you to my friend Françoise Beghin for the following location.
Below is the location of Cyril and Gwen Morse’s home.
The above is Colstrope Farm, Colstrope Lane, Hambleden, Henley-On-Thames RG9 6SN.
Actors who appeared in the Endeavour Series 1, Episode 4 ‘Home’ and/or Morse or Lewis.
It goes without saying that both Roger Allam and Caroline O’Neill have appeared in Morse and Lewis respectively. But as they are regulars and have been mentioned in my other reviews I don’t think there is a need to mention them again in the context of this part of my post.
First up is Paul Venables who played Professor Coke Norris.
Paul also appeared in the Lewis episode ‘Music to Die For’, ( Season 2 | Episode 2 ) as Hansie Kriel.
Our second recurring actor is Louis Dylan. In the Endeavour episode she played Judy Vallens.
Louis Dylan as Judy Vallens.
Louise Dylan also appeared in the Lewis episode, ‘Allegory of Love’ (Series 3, Episode 1) playing the character Melanie Harding.
Louis Dylan as Melanie Harding.
Just as an interesting aside. Melanie Harding was Australian and the Harding family who were portrayed in the Morse episode, ‘Promised Land’ were living in Australia. The Hardings had three children, Karen, who was about 11, and the twins whose names were never mentioned. The twins were around 5 years old. The Morse episode, ‘Promised Land’ was set in 1991 and the Lewis episode was set in 2009. This would make one of the female twins around 23 by my reckoning. Melanie Harding could have been in that age range. Co-incidence? I don’t think so.
Anyway, on to the third actor who is Lloyd McGuire. In the Endeavour episode he played Charlie Ayers.
Lloyd McGuire as Charlie Ayers.
Lloyd McGuire played a Prison Officer called Clough in the Morse episode ‘The Day of the Devil’ (Series 7, Episode 2).
Lloyd McGuire as Clough.
Next up we have Richard Hawley. He played the slimy Morris Cubitt in the Endeavour episode.
Richard Hawley as Morris Cubitt.
In the Morse episode, ‘The Secret of Bay 5b’ (Series 3, Episode 4), Richard played an orderly.
Richard Hawley as an orderly with the lovely Amanda Hillwood in the background.
The fifth actor is Lynda Rooke who played Gwen Morse in this episode as mentioned above. Lynda also played Joyce Gaitteau in the final Lewis episode, ‘What Lies Tangled’ (Series 9, Episode 3).
Lynda Rooke as Joyce Gaitteau.
Last but not least is Sonya Cassidy who as already mentioned played Joyce Morse in the Endeavour episode. In the Lewis episode, ‘Quality of Mercy (Series 3, Episode 2), she played Alison. Now I had a little difficulty in pinpointing who Alison was as her name never seemed to be mentioned but I think this is Sonya Cassidy in the picture below.
Miscellaneous
The Professor’s name in the episode Coke Norris seemed a little unusual and was crying out to be investigated. I came across a J. W. Coke Norris who taught only the lower forms Latin and Greek at Harrow. It has been speculated that he was the inspiration for the character of Crocker Harris, the classics master in The Browning Version a play by Terence Rattigan.
Crocker Harris’s wife was called Millie Crocker-Harris. Professor Coke Norris’s wife was also called Millie or Millicent to give her her full name.
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In the play on his last day, one student named Taplow, who does not hate Crocker-Harris but feels sorry for him, gives him a small going-away gift – a copy of the translation by Robert Browning of Aeschylus’ ancient play Agamemnon. The gift brings about a series of actions which make Crocker-Harris reflect on his past, contemplate his future, and evaluate how he is going to finish his tenure at the school.
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In the Endeavour episode a copy of Agamemnon is said by Millicent Coke Norris to have been a present from a junior man before Dr. Ian Kern who is helping to sort out Professor Coke Norris’s library after his death.
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During the episode Endeavour visits his mother’s grave,
So, we find out that Endeavour’s mother was only 29 when she died.
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At one hour and four minutes Jakes is reading out a list of aliases used by Georgina Bannard a known prostitute who shared a flat with Judy Vallens; Marion Childs, June Buckridge and Betty Brinker. I decided to Google these names and see if they had any significance.
The first name did not throw up anything of interest but the second name, June Buckridge did. June Buckridge is the name of a character in the play and film The Killing of Sister George. The Killing of Sister George is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich. The character is a lesbian. The character of Judy Vallens in the Endeavour appeared to be a lesbian as she was in love with Georgina Bannard.
The final name, Betty Brinker did not throw up anything of interest.
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One of my subscribers commented, “There was a reference to Sid and Gerald Fletcher (i think it was why Vic Kasper left London). This surely is a reference to film Get Carter as they were the employers of Jack Carter (Michael Caine).”
Thanks Andiamok.
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John Molloy noticed this reference to a British TV show. John wrote, “Around 20 minutes from the end of the running time on TV Fred Thursday confronts Vic Casper in the latter’s club and tells him to leave Oxford. Casper’s response is along the lines of, ” Don’t I get to open the box. ” I suggest this is a reference to the TV game show Take Your Pick which ran in the 1950s and 60s. The show has been subsequently revised and broadcast but in the original series successful contestants who correctly answered quiz questions were given a choice by Michael Miles, the host, to accept the cash he was offering them or open a closed box in which would be an unknown object of greater or lesser value than the cash. Miles would ask the audience if contestants should take the money or open the box, to which they shouted out their preferences.
Thanks John.
CAST
Paul Venables as Prof Alistair Coke Norris
Shaun Evans as DC Endeavour Morse
Louise Dylan as Judy Vallens
Guy Williams as Jolyon Frobisher
Lloyd McGuire as Charlie Ayres
Jamie Glover as Dr. Ian Kern
Sean Rigby as PC Jim Strange
Poppy Miller as Millicent Coke Norris
Roger Allam as DI Fred Thursday
Sara Vickers as Joan Thursday
Anton Lesser as Chief Superintendent Bright
James Bradshaw as Dr. Max DeBryn
Jack Laskey as DS Peter Jakes
Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil
Chris Barnes as Albert Gudgeon
Richard Hawley as Morris Cubitt
Kelly Adams as Cynthia Riley
Clive Wood as Vic Kasper
Nick Court as Vince Kasper
Lynda Rooke as Gwen Morse
Sonya Cassidy as Joyce Morse
Alan Williams as Cyril Morse
Caroline O’Neill as Win Thursday
Edmund Kingsley as Mark Carlisle
Marilyn O’Brien as Prue Carter
John Hollingworth as Taxi Driver (as John Hollingsworth)
Rachel D’Arcy as Lila Pilgrim – Nightclub Singer
Alexandra Doyle as Georgina Bannard
I hope you all enjoyed the post or at least found something of interest. All being equal my posts will now be more regular than they have been for the past month. Take care everyone.
Happy New Year Chris and thank you for another informative post. Wishing you well.
Sarah
Excellent as usual. I’m most impressed with how you managed to identify all of those paintings. One of my favorite classes at university was 19th Century Art. But I’d only be able to ID the big name masterpieces.
Thanks Cappy. If I can’t identify the painting I can usually either identify the artist or the style or the genre or the period in which it was painted. Once I have done one or more of these I then search through my art books or Google to find the painting. It doesn’t always work but I am quite pleased with my hit rate so far.
Was the Interiors of the moonlight room, a set? that bar has been used before, but for the life of me I can’t think where I have seen it.. The room where Cynthia Riley is seen asking for cigarettes, and meets Morse in another seen. Just wondered if you knew. Love your blog.
I suspect that the interior of the Moonlight Rooms in Home is the same as the jazz club that Johnny Johnson works at in S01E05 of another Oxbridge mystery show, Grantchester, if that’s where you’ve seen them before?
Hi Chris
Thank you for your excellent review etc of this episode of Endeavour.
Just one thing: You refer to “. . . the death a cigarette seller, Jolyon Frobisher, who worked at the Moonlight Rooms and apparently knew the Professor.” Frobisher was of course the Master of the college. The cigarette seller was called “Georgina”.
There was a reference to Sid and Gerald Fletcher (i think it was why Vic Kasper left London). This surely is a reference to film Get Carter as they were the employers of Jack Carter (Michael Caine).
Thank you. I have added the information to my post.
There’s also a line ‘it’s Thorpey on the phone’. Thorpey was another character in Get Carter so I think Colin Dexter might have watched the movie just before he wrote this one,
Hi John. Interestin reference thanks. However, Colin had nothing to do with the series other than giving Russell Lewis permission to use the Morse character. All episodes were written by Russell Lewis.
I’m new to Endeavour, long time Morse fan… Do you think Friday realizes by Endeavor’s look that it wasn’t him who took his daughter to the Moonlight Rooms?
Thanks for your work Mr. Sullivan.
I think you are right Melinda. Thursday realises it wasn’t Endeavour who took Joan to the dance.
This was an ok episode. Not the best, but a good closer for the first season. I liked that they upped the drama stakes though the solution to the murder mystery was quite far fetched in my opinion.
All in all I enjoyed the first season but cant say I loved it. There is something too understated about it. Especially compared with the best Morse episodes which gave us proper DRAMA (I’m thinking of Second time around, Driven to destruction, Dead on time for example).
Enjoyed the article. Just one thing – wouldn’t Gwen Morse be Endeavour’s stepmother, not his mother-in-law, since Endeavour is not married?
Hello Ronda. Oops in regard to the error. It has now been rectified.
“A special mention for Poppy Miller who played the seemingly distraught wife of Prof Coke Norris who played her part wonderfully. Poppy played the part of the mousy wife who wouldn’t say boo to a goose perfectly.” But I wonder if a real-life mousy wife of a professor who had recently killed him would be able to act so convincingly as if she didn’t know he was dead when Endeavour tells her about the hit-and-run. Also, why would she act as if she were waiting for somebody when she gets off the train and waits on the railway platform? There was no CCTV in those days, so I think her performance was just to mislead the viewer.
Also, is Thursday’s adversary Vic or Vick, [Endeavour says that he can’t see any mention of Vick Casper.] Casper or Kasper (twice) [ … Vic Kasper, has turned up in Oxford. Vic Casper has bought …]? Like P Murray, I thought the story was far-fetched. How fortunate that Coke Norris’s car had so recently been serviced, allowing Endeavour to work out that it had been driven from London the Oxford and back again. Would the mousy wife really have worked out such a clever alibi to cover her crime? How fortunate that a letter had been delivered to the London flat that she should have brought with her from London. And how fortunate that Endeavour found the letter.
At the very beginning we see Judy Vallens waiting in the quad of Baidley College. Why is she there? Why did Judy Vallens deny speaking to Morse on the phone? Thursday hands Kasper the photo of Vallens and Bannard and says, “D’you know this girl?” giving no indication of which girl he means. Why not? Kasper doesn’t ask which one. Why not? Why did Vallens say she’d seen Bannard a day after she’d been murdered? Thursday’s gun, kept in a locked box in his shed, is evidently not police issue. Why are no questions asked?
All questions on a postcard to Russell Lewis c/o ITV Studios.
As always, many things happen from the very beginning and I think we’re able to straighten out a few question marks which have been made.
1) Miss Judy Vallens is waiting for Professor Coke Norris but when he is busy talking to Dr. Frobisher, she walks away.
2) Later we can see the professor’s wife standing on the railway platform letting future witnesses remember her; the woman in waiting. For instance the station master who walks about.
That is a clever thing to do since we don’t know by then that she has already planned and murdered her husband and everything she does from that moment is to cover her tracks. At the police station she also informs Endeavour that she waited for her husband at the railway station. Meaning: if he asks, someone will remember her.
3) When Thursday asks Vic Kasper about the girl on the photograph, he holds a finger above one of the two girls head to point out which of the girls he mean. It’s fast, but it’s there as are many answers. All you have to do is look closely.
4) We also learn that Thursday keep a private gun in the garden shed. Probably a gun he brought with him from the war. In the later episode Sway 2:3, we can see that he kept some things from the war. The gun could also come from his earlier days in London, but I think the war is more likely.
Finally, the company Landeman Construction is involved in this episode. A company that later will return in the coming episode Neverland, 2:4. This episode is in my view one of the better.
Two questions – who was the guy beaten up in the opening scene and did Thursday shoot that untraceable gun.
He is Charlie Ayers played by Lloyd McGuire. You saw Charlie Ayers in the opening scenes walking around the club, drunk. Charlie Ayers was the former owner of the nightclub forced out by Vic Kasper. Sorry, but I don’t remember anything about an untraceable gun. Do you have a timestamp as to when the gun is mentioned?
The gun in Home 01:14:45. Could be the same gun in Neverland 01:18:05. I guess if Thursday used an official police gun he needed to sign for it at the police station, and as far as I know, he did’t. Anyway, the gun is never used in any of those two episodes.
I believe that gun was from Thursday’s days in the army.
Sonya Cassidy is the young lady selling programs at the beginning of “The Quality of Mercy”. I too had difficulty spotting her initially but after having seen her in several episodes of Vera and watching the episode again some time ago I easily spotted her. She does not speak with a northern accent in the Lewis episode.
Didn’t you mean to write that we learn that Fred Thursday speaks Italian (“Fugue”) and German (“Rocket”), not French and German? I don’t recall him speaking French but I could be mistaken.
Hi Jackie. You’re right. I have corrected the error.
Perhaps Fred’s Italian is only limited GI-Italian, picked up in WWII. But I was surprised by his fluent command of German with the guidance and telemetry engineer in “Rocket”.
Hello Chris. Following another excellent “Critical Endeavour” discussion, on this episode, I would just like to add a couple more tenuous connections, I forgot to mention last night. Rest assured, I’m writing all of them down in my trusty notepad, and I will send you an e-mail, Chris, at a later date.
Just for now, I wanted to share with you, two other connections. Millicent Coke Norris gets off the train at Oxford, the morning after the murder, and she pretends to wait for her dead husband, (who she killed the night before) to pick her up. She probably wanted witnesses to notice her at the station, creating a false alibi, that she had only just got back from London, where she had been, to see her daughter. As we know, she used a car, the night of the murder, the car Morse found at her flat in London, and she had completed a round trip from London to Oxford. I thought this was similar to the original Morse episode, “The Wolvercote Tongue”, when Cedric Downes noticed Morse and Lewis approach him at Oxford station, and he pretended to wait for the train from London, to pick up his wife. In fact, of course, she was already dead. Cedric had murdered his wife in a telephone box in London, and he then caught the train from London to Oxford. Before seeing Morse and Lewis, he had perhaps, only just got off the train, but he created the pretence that he waiting to pick up his wife, who had gone to London, to supposedly, change the curtains of their house.
This leads on to my second connection with “The Wolvercote Tongue, the left luggage ticket, which I mentioned on Sunday’s live stream. The “supposed” curtains in the suitcase, were actually Theodore Kemp’s bloody clothes, which were placed by Cedric Downes’ wife, at the left luggage facility of Paddington Station, London. Morse and Lewis found the left luggage ticket on Cedric Downes, as he had taken it from his wife, after killing her. In order, I assume, to stop the police finding the incriminating evidence of clothes, but, alas, Morse was too clever for him. Connecting this to the Endeavour episode, “Home”, Morse eventually realises an envelope addressed to Professor Coke Norris’s flat in London, with what looked like a raffle ticket inside it, was actually a left luggage ticket for Oxford station. Morse uses it, to discover that was where Professor Coke Norris had deposited important papers, showing financial transactions. These papers exposed all the fraudlent dealings involved, in the selling of College land, by the corrupt College Master to the corrupt Construction Company, overseen by the corrupt Councillor. Hence, the very honest and principled, Professor Coke Norris, had compiled mounting evidence, that the sale of college land should not go ahead, but unfortunately, he was murdered. Strangely enough, though, in a final twist, he was not killed by the Master or Vince Kasper, but by his wife.
Nevertheless, Millicent had made one fatal error. After driving back to London, having killed her husband, she realised, she had forgot to dispose of his suitcase, after the “supposed”, hit and run accident of her husband. She thus caught a first train back to Oxford, the next morning. However, by doing that, she missed the first post to her flat in London, which, of course, delivered the left luggage ticket, later uncovered by Morse.
One other connection, I forgot to speak of, in Wednesday’s Twitch discussion. The beautiful Faure Requiem, “In Paradisum,” is played during this episode, which you have illustrated above in your superb review, Chris. This is a musical connection to the final Morse episode, “The Remorseful Day”, and the very first Endeavour episode, the wonderful pilot, “First Bus to Woodstock”.
Finally, in our discussion, we were suggesting titles for the final episode, ever, of Endeavour. Georgia, I believe, gave an excellent possibility, “Segue”. I have just thought of another, what about “Encore”? My reasons for this are simply, as this episode will sadly be Morse’s last, hopefully, if it is a cracker, we will all be shouting for a Morsonian or Operatic, “Encore”!!!
Sorry, I have just realised, I made a typing error. I missed the second u out of “fraudulent”, in my above comments.
I have also just noticed, I accidentally left out the word “was”, in one sentence of my extended comments, above. Sorry about that, I should have said, “but he created the pretence that he “was” waiting to pick up his wife, who had gone to London, to supposedly, change the curtains of their house”.
James, perhaps we should petition Chris to give us the facility to edit our comments. I know I need it quite often. Perhaps it is not in his gift, though; it could be to do with the service he is using.
Hi Bert. You can now edit your comments but you only have five minutes to do so once you hit the submit button. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the reply, Bert, and yes, you make a good point. I’m possibly over pedantic in correcting my own errors, and I presume there is a reason why we cannot edit our comments. I don’t know why that is, but thanks very much Chris, for allowing this facility, so we can discuss, our very favourite detective trilogy of series.
James, I will look to see if there is a way to allow editing of comments.
You should be able to edit future comments now. All those who comment will have five minutes to correct any errors after one has pressed the ‘submit’ button. Hope that helps.
Thank you very much Chris, for enabling this to happen. Have you found the time to read my other comments, today? I hope you enjoy reading them, and you don’t find them too overly long? What did you think of my other suggestion, for the title of the final ever episode of Endeavour? The title that suddenly came to my mind was “Encore”, as we will sadly be watching Morse’s “Encore”. As it is the last episode of Morse, and hopefully, if it is a cracking finale, we will be shouting for more.
Yes ‘Encore’ is a good idea but I think Georgia’s ‘Segue’ is the best so far.
Thanks for your reply Chris. Yes, I totally accept Georgia’s, “Segue”, is the best idea so far. The only trouble is, I think Russell Lewis will have the final say on this matter!!! Anyway, it was a good bit of fun, conjuring up possible titles for the final ever episode. That’s all from me for now. Take care and all the best.
Hi Chris. The original Morse episode, “Cherubim and Seraphim,” looms largely over this Endeavour episode. We the audience, are introduced to a younger Gwen, Morse’s disagreeable step-mother, and a young Joyce, Morse’s half-sister, who we first met, as much older people, of course, in “Cherubim and Seraphim”. We are also introduced, for the first and only time in the Morse universe, in this Endeavour, to Morse’s sadly dying father, Cyril.
We were discussing on Wednesday evening’s Twitch session, whether Russell Lewis has successfully kept to the Morse timeline, initiated by Colin Dexter, and various other writers on the original Inspector Morse series? Has Russell adhered to previous Morse family history, tradition or lore, when connecting these two episodes? It should be said, it must be difficult writing a prequel, to get everything worked out correctly, while you are tracing back someone’s fictional life and family roots. Nonetheless, I have rewatched an important segment of “Cherubim and Seraphim”, when John Thaw’s Morse was explaining to Lewis in the Pub, significant details about his family life and history, that hitherto were unknown to Lewis or the audience. It is fair to say, quite a lot of artistic licence has been used by Russell, and he has not conformed to the history outlined by John Thaw’s Morse. I wouldn’t expect an exact correlation in Endeavour, necessarily, but I will pose the question, has Russell altered the previous fictional outline, a little too much?
On my Inspector Morse DVD of “Cherubim and Seraphim”, from 55 minutes, 27 seconds into the episode, here is this interesting conversation between Morse and Lewis in the Pub.
Morse – “Parents. So often it comes down to parents”.
Lewis – “Oh, yeah”.
Morse – “Do you get on all right with yours?”
Lewis – “Yeah… mostly. When you’re a kid, you don’t realise, do you?”
Morse – “Did they quarrel much?”
Lewis – “No, not really”.
Morse – “Mine did. Got divorced when I was 12. I stayed with my mum, of course. Well, you do, don’t you? And she didn’t have a fancy man, whereas my dad… I’m telling you this for a reason, so there’s no need to go spreading it over the station”.
Lewis – “No. No, I…”
Morse – “Gwen, she’s… She is called Gwen. And they had one baby, Joyce. And then when I was 15, my mother died, so I went to live with them. Nowhere else to go. My Dad and I, we… we got on all right. But Gwen… didn’t like me then, doesn’t like me now. Don’t ask me why. She didn’t do anything especially against me. It’s just the steady accumulation, the drip, drip, drip of humiliation and hatreds”.
A liitle later in the conversation, Morse reveals he has a niece, through his half-sister. Tragically, the essence of the story, was to find out why Morse’s 15 year-old niece, had suddenly died. Here is the last passage of that fascinating exchange, between an almost emotional Morse and Lewis.
Morse – “But I made a vow. I wouldn’t forget… I would never forget how awful it is to be 15. I’ve forgotten, of course. Everyone does. But I’ve been trying to remember… for Marilyn Garrett. She was…”
Lewis – “She was…? I never knew you had a niece”.
Morse – “I don’t go trumpeting my kith and kin around like some I could mention, Lewis. I just thought you ought to know before you meet them”.
These timelines don’t add up do they? Look at the grave, Morse’s mum died at 29 which was in 1950, and if he was was 15 she would have had Morse at the age of 14. I read an interview with Russell Lewis somewhere where he said Morse was born in 1942, which fits better with the dates on the gravestone.
In my final comments on this excellent Endeavour episode, I will include one more tenuous connection to “Cherubim and Seraphim”. Jamie Glover, who played Dr. Ian Kern, in this Endeavour, is the son of Isla Blair, who played, Janey Wilson, in the aforementioned “Cherubim and Seraphim”. Perhaps, Russell Lewis and the casting director wanted some kind of tangible actor’s link with that original Morse episode, because as I said, the connections between the two episodes is very palpable. In the main, due to Morse’s family appearing in both.
Lastly, as I promised last week, here is a link to another interesting interview with Russell Lewis, with questions asked by Damian Michael Barcroft, all concerning this Endeavour episode, “Home”. I agree with you Chris, Damian is rather obsequious and sycophantic, in his dealings with Russell, which is a shame. Nevertheless, it is still very absorbing to read many of Russell’s long and detailed answers, as he explains his thoughts and ideas, that of course, help to create the stories in the Endeavour series.
http://dmbarcroft.com/the-endeavour-interviews-russell-lewis-part-iv/
Sorry, in my above comments, I should have used the word “are”, instead of “is”. For example, “the connections between the two episodes “are” very palpable”.
Thank you for this amazing analysis and all the great comments and observations.
I loved Home – I guess when I first saw it I was just getting into Endeavour and felt it was before it lost its way (completely with S7 for me) also just loved the snow setting – the music in the opening sequence.
BTW Chris someone posted on Twitter the names of the 3 episodes of S8 – Ep 1 – Octave, Ep 2 – Lazarus, Ep 3 – Flowers – I know there are lots of rumours in early filming so probably not right but if so, surely Lazarus would have to be about Ludo you would think. I was really hoping we were done with Ludo/Violetta storyline but I think that was too much to ask for *sigh* – we shall see….so disappointed if they waste the last 3 episodes on that storyline/arc.
Hi Maria. I wonder where they got the information about episode titles. There is no mention of them on IMDB. They may be just guessing. I do hope we are finished with the Ludo storyline apart from just tying up loose ends.
Yes agree regarding the source and accuracy – I think they live in Oxford so perhaps a crew member but I very much doubt that – they are very careful with information (sometimes too much so) until right up to broadcast date. Oh well we shall see.
I did see you posted the filming shot from Oxford – oh yes, I could actually go with a passing mention – after all if they can get away with never referencing Box (at all) in S7 especially after the finale of S6 I think a passing mention of both characters would more than do for me !!
If this is the last season (and we are all sure it is) then they have a lot of ground to cover so the least said about that story arc the better !
Re your comment Chris, I also noticed the resemblance between the actor who played Endeavour’s father and John Thaw. Deliberate I presume. A nice touch. 🙂
There are some very interesting possible oddities in this episode. It takes place in1966. The scenes at the station involve steam locomotives but all steam use on western region ended in 1965 to be replaced by diesel and even then must have been rare because I moved to a town served by western region in 1964 and never ever saw a steam loco,. Diesel power is an option on the Bluebell Line where the scenes were shot
The Baidley Master’s Bentley was shown with a cracked windscreen. Laminated windscreens crack but must have been rare if they existed at all in 1966, But it was a luxury car. My father bought a car in 1973 and a laminated screen wasn’t even a option. Like all production cars of that time its screen was made of toughened glass.
I was mildly surprised by the Baidley fellows divvying up the housing development profits. Oxbridge colleges are registered charities. I seriously wonder if college statutes actually permit that.
On the topic of colleges, I assume Matilda’s is a nod to St Hilda’s. Queen Matilda has local connections she signed a peace treaty with her wicked uncle Stephen at not so far away Wallingford Castle. It is now one of the ruins Cromwell knocked about a bit.
If I’m not mistaken do we not see the same classic pale blue Triumph Herald in more than one shot?
Finally a wonderful sight that must strike fear into every Oxford villain’s heart… PC Strange touting a shot gun ! Matey !
I really liked this episode and have re-watched it several times (I just found this show last fall; I watched it so Amazon would stop yapping at me to watch it, I would like it).
Two minor unimportant details in this episode struck me recently. When Strange and Endeavour are checking out the supposed hit and run, Endeavour remarks that you would think there would be some debris, broken glass, etc. Strange responds that that is not necessarily so, when it comes to hit and runs/traffic accidents, rhyme and reason go out the window, matey, and walks off, completely unconcerned. It just sounded odd to me, as though Endeavour was a brand new wet behind the ears police officer and had never seen a traffic accident before and Strange was the wise and experienced one letting him know he was fussing about nothing.
Also, when Fred goes in the shed to get his gun, there is a box of coax cable next to the gun box. Is that something a modest little English home in the mid-60s would have lying around?
Well, I am excited about series 8, and have hopes that 1) it will be an improvement on series 7 (they could show 90 minutes of all the detectives playing solitaire at their desks and it would be an improvement over series 7) and 2) the awful Talentis and their idiotic story line are truly gone, never to be heard from again and 3) they don’t force Strange and Joan together in a ham-handed effort to tie up loose ends no matter how implausibly, and most of all, 4) that Thursday is never mentioned in Morse out of grief, not because he and Morse loathed each other for some damn fool reason so much that they never even mentioned the other’s name again.
That comment about 90 minutes of the detectives playing solitaire actually made me laugh. I completely agree re: the Talentis and their whole storyline – be gone. And forcing Strange and Joan together after six seasons of showing Morse/Joan and neglible to none of Strange and Joan would, I agree be ham fisted and lazy writing to show more ‘poor Morse angst’. Shoe-horning and Forcing the ridiculous ‘great love’ in S7 didn’t work (for many reasons but mainly because the character of Violetta was so wooden).
Sadly, in S8 – i am fully expecting – more of the Talentis (her in flashback, he, possibly in real life) shoving Strange and Joan together for more poor sad angst ridden Morse and most sadly of all- the end of Morse/Thursday through loathing or his corruption which will really tarnish the earlier series. If they had developed a fall out arc cleverly over several seasons it may have worked (albeit still sad) but their relationship and fall out has jumped around since end of S4 really and each season is built up to show ‘their fall out’ and why ‘Thursday is never mentioned in the latter series’ only to resolve itself at the end of each series.
At least if S8 is going to deliver the above PLEASE, can we at least have Morse not behave like a completely unlikable immoral jerk like he was in S7 – he was never like that in the earlier series and certainly Inspector Morse was never that in the Thaw series.
I was watching the film “Last Night in Soho” the other night. The house used as the Morse homestead in “Home” turns up at the 6’35” as the home of Eloise and her Nan. Sadly, I didn’t care for the movie.
It is amazing how often that house appears in film and TV shows. I have seen the movie and as much as I am a fan of the director Edgar Wright the film was not his best.
Just having re-watched ‘The Last Enemy’ – there is a connection between that episode and this. Both Dr. Kerridge and Prof. Coke-Norris are stated as having flats in (as Morse puts it) ‘fragrant Bayswater’. Is this common for Oxford dons?
Hello Thomas. I don’t know if Bayswater is a favourite of dons but it is a wealthy area of London.
I can’t figure out who the second man was who was put in the back of the police wagon with Vince.
Jolyon Frobisher, the nasty Don.
Not just a nasty Don, the corrupt Master of Baidley College, no less!
Hi,
The name of one of the actors is spelled wrong multiple times. It’s Louise Dylan, not Louis Dylan.
But apart from that you enjoyed my 20 hour effort to write this post.
Chris – you are a star. The incredible work that you have done, and continue to do to keep the Morse Universe alive is to be applauded. Nitpickers, sadly, will continue to nitpick.
I regard Iris’s comment as proofreading, not nitpicking. Perhaps it goes without saying that we all appreciate and admire Chris’s efforts. Perhaps it should not go without saying. However, if Chris could spare a few minutes to make the corrections of a few typos, the site could only be improved.
Bert – I apologize for using a harsher term than “proofreader,” and, it goes without saying, I intended no malice.
Thank you Sheldon.
I thank you for your apology – it was hardly necessary.
Did I hear correctly that the dodgy company was called Landesman Construction, an echo from the future?
Indeed you did. Russell Lewis was fond of placing names of characters in the early episodes who would become prominent in later episodes. Ronnie Gidderton (from the CODA episode) is mentioned in FUGUE (series 1, ep.2).
The biggest problem that I had with this episode is that throughout CS Bright is insisting that there be no improprieties shown WRT the Council’s dealings yet, at the end, there is Bright in, seemingly without protest, on the arrests arising from the charges of improprieties.
The entrance to the club in Pusey Street leads into Regents Park College. Would be lovely to get a shout out for my alma mater.
“Unfortunately I cannot pinpoint where the actual location [of Linkside] is,” Chris wrote. I found it as “Linkside, London” on Google Maps. The pin goes to the ‘wrong’ end of Linkside, but the co-ordinates of the area where the camera was are: 51.61134654961649, -0.1956523498265976 to the nearest millimetre 🙂