Mystery!: Inspector Lewis

This show is extremely well-written and should not be missed by any fan of Morse. I put off watching this for a month because I thought it would be depressing - Morse dead, Inspector Lewis widowed, and now he's been promoted. Would he be turned into a brooding sort of person, or perhaps another Morse? Would the sidekick take on the personality of Lewis? Would they bumble along without leadership? Would it be a sad farce of the Morse series? Well, not to worry - it is WONDERFUL. They were true to the original characters, with a couple of new ones added that bring forth all sorts of future possibilities. The sidekick is absolutely perfect - intriguing, intelligent, subtle, and with a very understated but devastating wit. As for Lewis, even though he's mourning his departed wife, he never strays from the fundamentally optimistic character that we know and love. He's older, more mature, still wounded, but not bitter. The subtle references to Morse are delightful: the anonymuosly funded "Endeavor" scholarship, the comment about no one knowing the first name of Morse (ah, but Robbie Lewis actually does, and so do you, if you've watched the one Morse episode where Lewis overheard Morse reveal it), the old crossword filled in by Morse with cryptic comments, the references to Hamlet, the ring of stain from a Morse beer glass, and the sidekick banging on the window of Lewis' house to awaken him. The mystery part is well up to the Morse standard; the characters are very three-dimensional; and the scenery is as gorgeous as ever. I hope they make more like this one, and I hope they keep the same great combination of writers, actors, and all the rest. You can really tell that this is a winning team, right out of the gate.

Kevin Whately, formerly of the "Inspector Morse" series, returns to Oxford as Inspector Robbie Lewis, just back from a tour in the British Virgin Islands and still mourning the death of his wife in a hit and run incident, in the pilot episode of "Inspector Lewis". This Brit mystery is now into its second season but the pilot sets the tone for a highly enjoyable show. Lewis is just off the plane and still in a colorful islands shirt when he is pulled into the investigation of the murder of an American student. Paired off with young Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), Lewis tracks the clues to another student, heir to an automobile family with far too many secrets. As the bodies stack up, Lewis is under the additional pressure of avoiding an unwanted school-house assignment from his new and skeptical boss, Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent. Lewis and Hathaway will solve the case through a combination of high tech and old-fashioned sleuthing, with an intriguing assist, a clue left by Lewis' mentor Inspector Morse. In the process, the rough and ready Lewis will begin to build a dynamic partnership with the well-educated Hathaway, a former seminarian. "Inspector Lewis: The Pilot" is very highly recommended to fans of Masterpiece Mystery and the Inspector Lewis series.

I would like to give this series a chance before I decide what I think of it. I was never that impressed with Inspector Morris (sorry!) but I kinda got into this. Here's my problem: There were 4 episodes in the 1st season and only the 1st episode was released in the U.S. which hardly gives it a fair chance. Release the full season, or, really go out on a limb and release the 2nd season too. "Inspector Morris" had 33 episodes is it asking too much to see a meager 4 of "Inspector Lewis"?

I didn't see this show when it came out, but I certainly hope they made a lot more than one episode. Anybody who was a fan of Morse surely must be interested in the career and life of Morse's long-suffering assistant. This is the promotion Lewis and Kevin Whately deserve -- the leading detective, the star of the show. This mystery is absolutely up to the standard set by Morse, a series I was sorry to see end. Lewis' assistant here is the more intellectual and educated of the two men, whereas Morse was the more sophisticated man in the prior series. Lewis, however, is a clever man; and where cleverness leaves off, hard work and determination take over. Actually, Lewis is more sympathetic than Morse and more approachable. Yes, this one is a keeper, a film to enjoy for years to come. Let's hear it for Detective Lewis!!!

There's a good reason why Whatley was a sidekick to Thaw -- as an actor, he doesn't have the presence, resourcefulness, and worldly charm of the old man. Throughout the four episodes in the box, Whatley is desperately trying to find an identity, a persona. For the most part, he resorts to stock attitudes and personality traits (the grouch, working-class cynicism, a disgruntled widower, or a fumbling combination of these). Whatever he chooses, Whatley cannot appropriate the character, make it his own -- the lines take over and he becomes as flat as the pages they were written on. Any worse, and he'd be reciting his way through the series. Sorry, but Lewis is just not up to being Inspector in a series of such high repute. If you need a specific example, check out the first episode, where Lewis's sidekick Hathaway (not much of character to begin with) steals the show completely, even taking over the plot! Thereafter, we see Whatley trying on different hats, changing character with every new investigation. You have it all wrong Whatley -- you make the hat yourself! As for the storylines, well, I never thought anything related to Morse would drag, but these cases meander, nearly reaching a standstill in the middle of a couple of episodes. And then you have the remaining characters, the Superintendent and the Pathologist, both cookie-cut with the same languishing creativity. In fact, Inspector Lewis is beginning to remind me of dreadful and crude productions like McBride on Hallmark channel (god forbid!). A shame that Morse should have to end this way.

This is a fine continuation of the Inspector Morse series. This review is not a critique of the story but this annoyingly cut DVD. Instead of recording the episodes straight onto DVD, as was done with the Inspector Morse series, the mistake has been made of recording the US-aired version from PBS' Mystery. None of the story has been omitted, but one has to endure the tedious PBS Mystery introduction, which has no chapter break to separate it, and we don't hear the originally composed music ending the show. This kind of thing is hugely unnecessary. Fans don't want the PBS Mystery interruptions and rushed editing (perhaps an attempt to advertize PBS' show to Inspector Lewis fans), but just the show itself with all the little touches, including the appropriate fade into the end theme music. I don't think it's too much to ask.

Inspector Lewis is a wonderful continuation of the Inspector Morse series. Kevin gives a surperb performance as Inspector Lewis. It puts Lewis in charge of the investigation instead of being "second fiddle" and showing he is quite capable of making senior decisions. It's nice to see Lewis come into his own. I hope there will be more in this series.