S03.E01: Ride

[radishcake]

Quote

Jeannie Hearne is spirited away in the middle of the night with no explanation. Her body is found the next day in the countryside, alerting the attention of the Oxford City Police. Endeavour may be suspended, but with the case been so close to his home, he begins a investigation of his own.

[AuntiePam]

When/where does this air?  Not seeing it in my on screen guide.

[radishcake]

sorry I forgot to use our new tag. It's airing on ITV in the UK.

[AuntiePam]

So it'll be aired in the States next year sometime?  Geez, first a year's wait for Sherlock and now a wait for Endeavor.  Don't these people realize how old I am? 

[ApathyMonger]

So it'll be aired in the States next year sometime?  Geez, first a year's wait for Sherlock and now a wait for Endeavor.  Don't these people realize how old I am? 

 

It'll probably be a few months. I doubt it'll be a full year.

[halopub]

I'm still deciding what to think of the depressing Gatsbyesque plot, which didn't logically seem like it'd be in their jurisdiction. Didn't they say the lake was miles from town?

 

The cinematography was as gorgeous as ever; I liked the brief humorous beat with Sergeant Strange not realizing he was holding evidence; and that lunch break on the bench was a nice, much needed moment of reflection. Shaun Evans and Roger Allam continue to rise above the writing and are so compelling to watch together - but something about the pacing the writers used to wrap up last season's cliffhanger didn't quite work for me.

 

The episode being broadcast so soon after the Sherlock special made me chuckle a bit. I was reminded of that exchange between Sherlock and John over

Moriarty's "return" from the dead. "Could it have been twins?" "No. It's NEVER twins Watson!"

(not really a spoiler, tagged just in case folks want to experience the hissy fit for themselves)

Edited January 22, 2016 by halopub

[Popples]

I missed Endeavour so much! The anticipation for Morse and Thursday to reunite was almost too much for me, I adore their relationship. I haven't read/seen The Great Gatsby, so any references to it went completely over my head.

 

So happy that Thursday made it, but that cough is really troubling. If Roger Allam hadn't been in this series, I would have rioted.

 

As for the plot, one thing I don't understand is how did Conrad know about Bixby's (Charlie) friend Roddy Farthingale? Was he making a guess about him gambling away his family fortune , or was he stalking his brother from the shadows? I also wish they had spent some time letting us get to know Roddy just a bit, instead of only seeing him want a desperate word with Bixby, then telling us he was close with the student who overdosed. Though I suppose if Morse hadn't been so quick to run back to Bixby's house, Roddy probably wouldn't have died. The magician stuff also reminded me bit of the film The Prestige. And I loved the visuals of swinging sixties arrival.

 

This episode also made me look up fax machines. When Thursday is going through the murder victim's hand bag and looks through her address book, it had "H-Home O-Office F-Fax" written at the bottom, and I thought that might be anachronistic, but apparently Xerox came out with the first commercial version in 1964.

 

Hopefully they make mention of who was stealing evidence last series.

 

 

I'm still deciding what to think of the depressing Gatsbyesque plot, which didn't logically seem like it'd be in their jurisdiction. Didn't they say the lake was miles from town?

 

They mentioned last season that the police service was streamlining into the Thames Valley merger. Maybe it became their jurisdiction because of that.

[halopub]

So happy that Thursday made it, but that cough is really troubling. If Roger Allam hadn't been in this series, I would have rioted.

............

They mentioned last season that the police service was streamlining into the Thames Valley merger. Maybe it became their jurisdiction because of that.

 

I wanted to yell at Thursday when he lit up that cigarette. I don't appreciate the regular ominious hints about his future.

 

Ah...that makes sense. I was wondering why Morse's colleagues headed out to a lake 12 miles away.

[AnnaMayWong]

The Magician's Tale WAS reminiscent of The Prestige.

Thank goodness that the program has resumed! Yay!!

[7-Zark-7]

On 1/21/2016 at 7:38 PM, halopub said:

The cinematography was as gorgeous as ever

The cinematographer and location scout deserve every award they can get. They were the real stars of this entire season. 

Since the plot was clearly Gatsby inspired, I was sure the rich woman would have been the one who ran the girl over. I guess they had their limits.

Edited May 11, 2016 by 7-Zark-7

[whatsatool]

She as Daisy and Endeavor as Nick.

[SusanSunflower]

yes, I loved it ... Nick and Daisy and Jay Gatsby and magician's son's secret (if not evil) twin, oh wait!!! ... all rather tortured but it hung together in the end. I was so happy just to watch Allam and Evans.  I felt quite maternal, measuring up how Shaun had matured since I saw him last ... into a more strapping and handsome young man  (and I found Allam more handsome and attractive as well, as one does with fondness).  Imdb says Shaun Evans is 36 years old (b. 1980), I'm startled. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[whatsatool]

Couldn't figure out twin history.

[zxy556575]

I love Endeavour so much, both the person and the show. Not sure why I find it so compelling, but I've watched the series probably four times, and I never do that.

It was nice to see Morse stop chopping wood in his tie and get back to police work.

I wouldn't have pegged Shaun as 36, either!

[beadgirl]

Yay, it's back!  I never thought I'd see a mash-up of The Great Gatsby and The Prestige, though.  And as always, Morse and Thursday are wonderful together.

The more I see these British shows, the greater my contempt for the idle rich.

The wrap-up of the cliffhanger from last season was too abrupt and off-scene, which makes me wonder why they even bothered with the cliffhanger.

[tootsie]

Really, really enjoy this series (but will have to rewatch this particular episode because as a northeastern Ohio resident, I was "really, really" enjoying the NBA series, too, and flipping back and forth and so lost some of the twins story) Usually I think that "twins' being the answer to the mystery is a lazy way out but believe I'd forgive this series almost anything. It's SO '60's!

Whenever I watch Endeavour I find myself mentally juxtaposing this clear-eyed young copper against John Thaw and his world weary Morse, trying to find the latter in the former. Have read all the Morse books, too, so the whole crew of characters, even Strange, have occupied my thoughts for 3 decades or so. Nice to see so many iterations of these old friends

[M. Darcy]

Both Anthony Donn and Roland Marshall were later in the Morse episode Deceived by Flight aka the Cricket episode.  And, there was supposed to be a Colin Dexter cameo in the college chapel (but I don't remember a scene in a chapel).

Quote

Couldn't figure out twin history.

I'm still confused. 

[SusanSunflower]

It definitely needs a re-watch now that we know that there are twins and one of them was "evil" and had been banished for a decade. It was a large cast and I had problems weighting the significance of the characters as they were introduced.The exposition was there but there were so many men of a certain age introduced so quickly that when the existence of twins!!! (and switched bodies) was revealed, it felt like a cheat. That "she of all people" didn't recognize the imposter" issue was handled reasonably (he was kept at arms length by plot developments). Although very different, I also kept being confused about who the two women were -- yeah, it was the 60's, man -- but one was central and the other a cipher. 

I'm still not sure why "Dingby" having a copy of the Vogue portrait over his bed didn't raise more stalkerish alarm and suspicion ...

Regardless the whole thing was fun to watch and there was a buoyancy ... as if the writers enjoyed writing it and the actors, etc. and they all knew it was just a bit over the top, even a bit tortured. But a good time was had by all. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[fauntleroy]

It has been so long since the end of Season 2 I had no idea what was happening with the prison and the chopping wood. Some kind of recap or at least a better connection would have helped. Such self-indulgent mooning about seems out of character for Morse. Monica was the nurse in the flat next to his? And he didn't let her know because...some unconvincing waffle.

Evans and Allam and of course the cinematography are terrific. And the cars! Too bad the writing doesn't keep up. The plot was too complex, relying on a tired gimmick. The 'one of them doomed to live in the shadows' seemed pretty contrived. Was disappointed by the pacing - leisurely during the first hour, followed by the two detectives expositing in a hurried barrage of verbiage in the last five minutes. And resenting X, you did this, and then knowing they would never, you did that, then this, and then this...

I guess we know who scrawled the Bible verse on the car, but it seemed random. Would haven been nice to know what happens to the unhappy couple - but no time.

[SusanSunflower]

As with Sherlock, my feelings may change if they can't control their "cleverness" in next episode ... dear god, let the Gattis effect be confined to Gattis projects, please. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by SusanSunflower
typos

[whatsatool]

I have no idea what was going on.

[Mumbles]

This was an episode that I enjoyed going along for the ride for the first hour twenty minutes but as the preposterous solution was revealed, was all wtf. And the Gatsby parallel was a bit on the nose.

I too had a hard time remembering why Morse was suspended and am now watching the last ep on Season 2 on Amazon Prime. (I wish PBS had rerun Season 2 beforehand.)

[jrlr]

I had forgotten so much that I looked up an episode recap to understand why Morse was living in a trailer and chopping wood instead of back at his job.  I found the Gatsby-ness kind of amusing at first, then just irritating; and the twins reveal was tortured at best.  On a personal note, I've always hated Daisy Gatsby and found this new incarnation just as obnoxious ("Are you falling in love with me?  Men do.") as the original.  

[zxy556575]

55 minutes ago, fauntleroy said:

Such self-indulgent mooning about seems out of character for Morse. Monica was the nurse in the flat next to his? And he didn't let her know because...some unconvincing waffle.

I haven't seen the shows with older Morse but as conflicted and unhappy with police work as Endeavour is, I have to think he'd be pretty damned grumpy in his 50s.

I would have liked to see Endeavour tie things up with Monica, because she deserved better than what seemed like him abruptly jumping ship. The last we knew, he was asking her to leave England with him. But I guess one of his primary personality quirks is the emotional damage sustained from his breakup with the mysterious blond Oxford girl.

I re-watched last season's shows in preparation but it didn't help all that much. Endeavour made a brief, bitter mention of his time in prison, but how long could he possibly have been there before the real murderer was sorted out?

This show has made me dislike opera.

[Lee4U]

I watched Morse - every one of them (some more than once) and I do not see this young man as Morse; people change as they age, yet, but turn into entirely different people?  No.  Is he still brilliant as an officer, yes.  But, other than that - I am struggling to connect the two.  

I like the actor - I have only seen him in one other thing - but, what I don't care for is the tendency to so obviously enunciate every word.  Maybe it is his natural way of speaking but it wasn't in what I saw him before.

And, as I always feel, there is never enough RA - I also wish they would toss in just a wee bit of humor in this - not a lot but, come on, that's not an unusual thing to exist in the world of police - it's part of how they cope.  I appreciate shows that inject some into their programs as it seems more real and, frankly, more enjoyable - for me.

Oh well - I'm in as always for the MM series (except Wallender which, while beautiful to look at, was just so damn depressing at a time when I didn't need it) - I may return to it someday and watch this last season of it, but I doubt it.

[maladroit]

6 hours ago, M. Darcy said:

Both Anthony Donn and Roland Marshall were later in the Morse episode Deceived by Flight aka the Cricket episode.  And, there was supposed to be a Colin Dexter cameo in the college chapel (but I don't remember a scene in a chapel).

 

Quote

Thank you for remembering the title Deceived by Flight!  That nagging memory lapse was driving me batty.  The chapel scene is brief (don't blink), setting the scene of the Oxford student's death by "Chinese heroin."  Filmed in the Exeter College chapel.  And we briefly see a guilty-looking young man praying--I guess that was the fellow associated with Bixby.  Names escape me, especially of characters who appear and disappear so swiftly.

[M. Darcy]

Quote

The chapel scene is brief (don't blink), setting the scene of the Oxford student's death by "Chinese heroin."

Thanks!  I do admit I flipped away for a second to see who was dying on Game of Thrones so I might have missed it.  I need to rewatch the episode again.

[jjj]

Add me to the confused -- but loved seeing "Endeavour" return, nonetheless!  I will watch again.  The twin issue is so confusing -- how did the "new" replacement twin know Morse?  And how did he know about the return of the love interest, let alone how to conduct his end of the conversation?  (I'm sure she had a name, but darned if I can remember it.)  Was the second twin behind the walls all the time, watching what twin number one was doing?  How could he step into the life, otherwise?  And I could not tell the other similar-looking young men apart from one another.  They need to be like Dickens characters, and provide each one with a characteristic mannerism of some kind. Or different colors of pocket squares. 

I'll take the time to re-watch all of the previous season episodes -- although I take your word that it will not help.  I did not even know this would be airing until an hour ahead of time!  Glad Thursday is back, although I think I had read that he was in the cast list for this season.

[JudyObscure]

I lost all track of the plot and was prejudiced against the actress because of her  character in "Indian Summers,"  and yet I loved just watching.  The sixties dance club!  The carnival!  The mansion!  I suddenly noticed that Endeavour has many mannerisms just like Anthony Hopkins.  Weird.

[attica]

It nagged at me until the credits ran and I could see that David Oakes played the twins. Aha! He was the redheaded middle brother in the Borgias. He looks different as a brunet. And those tight 60's trousers were delightful!

Is it wrong that I really want to hang out eating sandwiches with Roger Allam? He's the best.

[Popples]

8 hours ago, attica said:

Is it wrong that I really want to hang out eating sandwiches with Roger Allam? He's the best.

If feeling that way is wrong, I never want to be close to being right.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Popples
Typo

[Stine]

It's been so long since I saw the end of series 2 that my memory of all that went on with the Blenheim Vale conspiracy is quite foggy. But are there any threads from that still left dangling? I just had the thought when they conspicuously stamped the file with "sealed for 50 years" that perhaps they would pick up on that old mystery in the Lewis series, since the 50-year seal would be ending right about now in that show's timeline. But I haven't kept up with Lewis recently, so I don't know if they'd be likely to make that connection between shows. Probably just a far-fetched theory! 

[jjj]

2 hours ago, Stine said:

It's been so long since I saw the end of series 2 that my memory of all that went on with the Blenheim Vale conspiracy is quite foggy. But are there any threads from that still left dangling? I just had the thought when they conspicuously stamped the file with "sealed for 50 years" that perhaps they would pick up on that old mystery in the Lewis series, since the 50-year seal would be ending right about now in that show's timeline. But I haven't kept up with Lewis recently, so I don't know if they'd be likely to make that connection between shows. Probably just a far-fetched theory! 

That is a very interesting idea!  I'd like to think they resolve the "Endeavour" mystery in the "Lewis" series!  But the upcoming "Inspector Lewis" series is listed as the "final season".   It looks like it will be airing on PBS in August -- it was broadcast in England back in October 2015.  It does appear to be the end of that series.  (No spoilers in that; just that all the press calls it the "final season".) 

The good news I discovered in looking up this information is that "Endeavour" has been renewed for another series, to be broadcast in England in 2017, so perhaps here next summer?

Edited June 21, 2016 by jjj

[DHDancer]

I just recently re-watched the Lewis series and my brain is niggling me that there is some Bleinheim Vale reference. I don't think it was closure to the Endeavour story however.

I'm so glad Endeavour is back but I think like all of these episodes, RIDE will stand watching again (and again) in order to pick up on all the subtleties that seem to be part of the fabric.  I think that's what makes this such a quality program: that even when you know the ending, there's still so much to glean from re-watching (ESPECIALLY if you are familiar with the original Morse, and Lewis)  I also spotted the connection from the first series with Prime Suspect!

[Sonja]

On 20.6.2016 at 7:09 PM, Lee4U said:

I like the actor - I have only seen him in one other thing - but, what I don't care for is the tendency to so obviously enunciate every word.  Maybe it is his natural way of speaking but it wasn't in what I saw him before.

I always thought it was him trying to distance himself from his northern upbringing in some way because of the difficult relationship with his father. I was wondering if Shaun Evans' Liverpudlian accent sometimes breaking through was intentional when Morse was upset or knackered and got 'sloppy' or if it was a long day of shooting and it was Evans getting tired. I never watched Morse, so I didn't know where he was supposed to be from initially, but after 'Home', I think that it might be intentional.

20 hours ago, jjj said:

The good news I discovered in looking up this information is that "Endeavour" has been renewed for another series, to be broadcast in England in 2017, so perhaps here next summer?

They are already shooting, so maybe around the same time as this year?

[DeepRed]

On 6/20/2016 at 10:12 AM, fauntleroy said:

Evans and Allam and of course the cinematography are terrific. And the cars! Too bad the writing doesn't keep up. The plot was too complex, relying on a tired gimmick. The 'one of them doomed to live in the shadows' seemed pretty contrived. Was disappointed by the pacing - leisurely during the first hour, followed by the two detectives expositing in a hurried barrage of verbiage in the last five minutes. And resenting X, you did this, and then knowing they would never, you did that, then this, and then this...

Indeed.  It seemed as if the producers spent nearly the show's entire budget on the big set pieces, the glam '60s parties in that fabulous mansion, but not on the writing.  I was confused about who was who too, and I was annoyed at the magician-twins/ending.  It seemed like a cop out.  Having twins as the big solution to any sort of puzzle annoys me; it makes me think that  the writers didn't know how to wrap up the stories.

And yes, why wouldn't Endeavour take Monica and leave the country?  He's so disillusioned by his imprisonment and the Blenheim Vale whitewash that he'll go live in the woods and go back to being a cop almost right away, but he won't leave with Monica?  Makes no sense.

Meh.  I hope next week's ep is better written.  Make mine a cheese and pickle.

[BindsTheTuna]

I love having Endeavour back, but I've watched enough British TV to know that if David Oakes is cast, he's the bad guy. :)

Kay and Bruce's home was played by Minley Manor, in the Lake District, but did anyone recognize Bixby's house? 

[zxy556575]

Doesn't Morse have some kind of private income later in life? Maybe it was a settlement after his false arrest.

It makes me sad that Endeavour started season one as a teetotaler and is now pretty much a functioning alcoholic.

[DeepRed]

16 hours ago, BindsTheTuna said:

I love having Endeavour back, but I've watched enough British TV to know that if David Oakes is cast, he's the bad guy. :)

Kay and Bruce's home was played by Minley Manor, in the Lake District, but did anyone recognize Bixby's house? 

According to IMDB Bixby's house was Waddesdon Manor.  However, the interior doesn't seem to have that fabulous white wedding cake of a hall where the parties were held.  I wonder if they were sets.

[BindsTheTuna]

Thank you, DeepRed! 

You're probably right. I bet it's cheaper just to build sets than rent the whole pile.

[whatsatool]

Saw it again so evil twin was hidden in plain sight at magic show? He was disabled man? And he wore glasses and didn't say old sport of whatever. Also wasn't as sweet. I guess good twin made $ illegally like Gatsby. Was he also connected bixby to drugs bus girl? Also what was that brunette guy in chapel?

[nara]

I enjoyed the Great Gatsby storyline and thought that the actress who played Kay was perfect for the role. She's the best version of Daisy I've ever seen! Morse as Nick and the guy who played Bixby were also wonderful. I wonder if other episodes will also be linked to famous novels. 

[becauseIsaidso]

Yippee! However, I am embarrassed to admit that, even though I could not help but thinking that this was something I had seen/heard/read before, the Gatsby similarities never connected in my brain....and that took some doing....Can't wait until the next episode tonight and now I WILL be on the lookout for other old friends!  Just one more thing to enjoy...as well as finally having something elseon tv that is actually worth watching...too much garbage, not enough quality on the tube these days IMNSHO...

[dcalley]

On 6/20/2016 at 11:26 AM, lordonia said:

Endeavour made a brief, bitter mention of his time in prison, but how long could he possibly have been there before the real murderer was sorted out?

From the bench conversation, it sounded like it was a month.

I think the last season was almost two years ago, so I had no real idea anymore what the cliffhanger was. Glad to see I wasn't alone. And I also got some of these men mixed up.

The first time the police spoke to the magician, the evil-twin-in-disguise was there, far off, and the magician claimed he was mute from wartime lung damage. I didn't understand why he had to be far off and remember thinking he could have written any answers, but there were so many people to keep track of that I soon forgot about him.

I  enjoyed learning that "monkey" can be £500. That was a funny misunderstanding Bright had.

[peeayebee]

Glad to hear that I wasn't the only person unable to remember what happened last season. I had to pause this ep and make a trip to Wikipedia to remind myself.

I watched the first 20 minutes or so (with my sister, who had never watched Endeavour and probably wasn't really enjoying this), and then stopped, picking it up a week or more later. I wasn't really so invested in the ep. I wasn't concerned about not following who was who and who did what when and why. I'm not usually that way, but I decided that instead of worrying about not understanding, I'd just enjoy what I could and wait for the next ep... which is waiting on my DVR.

[Casual Viewing]

Very late in watching this episode (I somehow missed it when first televised.) I was disappointed that season  2 left  us with such a cliffhanger  and season 3 just gave us only a very quick summation  of what happened. I was unsure of even how long Morse  was in jail for but in the DVD  extras Shaun mentions  it was  3 months; I wouldn't  have known  that from just watching  the episode which  made it seem only to be 1 month.

This episode was a gorgeous feast for the eyes! I wish we'd seen inside  Waddeson Manor  though as it was one of my favorite houses to tour. It was nice to see the outside  at least.

There  was so  much  happening  in this episode  that I ended up watching it twice and enjoyed  it much  more upon  second  viewing; in fact I'd  say  it is now  the episode I like the most from season 3  after just finishing rewatching the rest  of season 3. That surprised me a bit as I disliked The Great Gatsby and there were indeed some  similarities  to it. It may be because I liked Bixby and also seeing Morse in a different  milieu?

Edited February 24, 2017 by Casual Viewing