Make an effort
Evaluation: *****
Call the midwife
Evaluation:****
What comes after Thursday? Like a clue in one of Morse’s crossword puzzles, the answer is cryptic – and the answer isn’t Friday.
The character of Chief Inspector Fred Thursday, played by Roger Allam in Endeavor (ITV), is an enigma. He is not mentioned in the original series starring John Thaw, Inspector Morse, nor in the sequel Lewis.
But the dreaded old cop and war veteran is a formidable presence for young Morse, both a mentor and a father figure. What catastrophe happens to permanently lock him out of our detective hero’s future?
When the show returned, Thursday toyed with the idea of accepting a promotion to Chief Super, a job that was meant to be something of a sinecure. (Any reader who happens to be a police commissioner offended or triggered by this insult please complain to ITV, not me.)
The character of Chief Inspector Fred Thursday, played by Roger Allam in Endeavor (ITV), is an enigma
Fear not, though Trixie (Helen George) married her posh boyfriend Matthew (Olly Rix), she will continue to give birth
Surely that extra bit of brass on Fred’s uniform couldn’t make his charge despise him. It seemed increasingly likely that Thursday would be dead – but wouldn’t that add an extra sparkle to the old man’s legend?
Writer Russell Lewis, who has developed the scripts for every episode of Endeavor since launch in 2013, clearly has something devious and brilliant in mind. I’m stunned as I usually am before the solution is revealed.
The final series began with a beautifully crafted musical mystery set by the performers of a symphony orchestra. In the middle of a performance, the lead violinist passed out from anaphylactic shock – killed by particles of crushed peanuts on her strings.
First it seemed to be the conductor, and then the tea lady. But the plot took a final, cunning turn and . . . Well, if you haven’t seen the ending yet, I won’t spoil it, but it gave a whole new meaning to the phrase “playing second fiddle”.
If Trixie ever leaves, it really would be the end, like the Tower of London loses its ravens
As always, asides and inside jokes were scattered throughout the script like grace notes. When Morse (Shaun Evans), returning from his extended vacation, remarked that he’d been exploring the West Country “in Hardy’s footsteps,” Sgt. Jim Strange (Sean Rigby) innocently replied, “So it’s a nice mess.”
And when a whistleblower named Mickey Flood was found crucified with his tongue ripped out, Thursday muttered a world-weary lament over the body: “If luck rained, Mickey couldn’t get wet to save his life.”
Shaun Evans directed the episode and emphasized how attached he is to the character. When Morse creator Colin Dexter died in 2017, he left instructions in his will that no other actor should ever play him.
But he didn’t say there should never be a remake of Inspector Morse. If there ever is one, Evans would have to star. Now there’s a tantalizing thought.
Like Fred Thursday, the nuns and nurses from Call The Midwife (BBC1) are almost never mentioned again.
Sister Frances and newlywed Lucille (Ella Bruccoleri and Leonie Elliott) have already disappeared and been forgotten this year. Now Sister Nancy (Megan Cusack) disappears from the show. Fear not, though Trixie (Helen George) married her posh boyfriend Matthew (Olly Rix), she will continue to give birth.
If Trixie ever leaves, it really would be the end, like the Tower of London loses its ravens.
Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) hasn’t lost a Trixie — instead, she’s gained a camp osteopath in the guise of the bride’s brother, Geoffrey (Christopher Harper), who comes to the wedding, which is a suitably sentimental affair.
The last camp osteopath to be featured in a period television drama was Stephen Ward, the seedy villain of the Christine Keler affair. There was no way Sister Julienne would allow such a bad thing to happen.
BLOW-UP of the weekend: At Hinkley Point C, Guy Martin on his Great British Power Trip (C4) learned what would happen if “for some terrible reason” the nuclear reactor melted. A trap door opens and throws the radioactive core into the water. Fingers crossed, Guy said. Quite.