S05.E05: Quartet

[Popples]

Quote

An assassination attempt at an international sporting event opens a new case for Endeavour and Thursday, but their investigation is quickly brought to an unexpected end.

[2727]

As much as I love this show, I'm not sure I'd want another season if Thursday really does retire!

It was heartbreaking to see Morse so sad about Claudine and then for him to face possibly losing Thursday as well: "I still need you!" Although not too long ago Morse was planning to walk away with only a note left behind, so Thursday was being a lot more considerate. His hand on Morse's shoulder was about as much affection as he allows himself to show and it gave me a little lump in my throat.

Did Joan's invitation to Morse to come in for coffee really mean she was inviting him for sex? I don't know what's going on in that girl's head, I swear. Morse himself has gone from proposing marriage to keeping a tentative and wary distance from her.

Edited March 6, 2018 by 2727

[humbleopinion]

This show encapsulates everything I love about this series...

Murder, intrigue, twists and turns

Morse punting the boat along the canal...swoon

Morse heartbroken...again

Joan popping up when he is the most vulnerable

[2727]

3 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Morse punting the boat along the canal...swoon

I even thought he looked sexy in that ugly athletic shirt under the giant costume!

Also loved seeing Trewlove with her hair down. I couldn't quite read Morse's expression when he saw her and Fancy snogging on the bridge. Envy, concern, regret, protectiveness, even a bit of anger? He's never shown any romantic interest in her and I don't quite see why he'd even care.

Morse has never given a fig about recognition and glory, but even so, I've been surprised at how far he's gone to protect Fancy and give him credit he didn't earn. I hope theirs turns into a true mentoring relationship. (And that Fancy gets his head out of his ass.)

I looked up the actor who plays Fancy -- he looks so different out of his 60s style:

Edited March 6, 2018 by 2727

[humbleopinion]

Think it is out of character for Trewlove to fancy Fancy...see what I did there...

Morse may have misidentified the 2 on the bridge...  however, Fancy is always giving Trewlove forlorn looks in the station...

Deliberate misdirect?...

[Popples]

If Thursday retires in the next episode, I'll be sad. If he dies, I'll be livid! It could go either way, but part of me leans toward them killing him off because we got so much more of his background this series. It might be table flipping time, next week.

I really enjoyed the mystery in this episode.

7 hours ago, 2727 said:

Also loved seeing Trewlove with her hair down. I couldn't quite read Morse's expression when he saw her and Fancy snogging on the bridge. Envy, concern, regret, protectiveness, even a bit of anger? He's never shown any romantic interest in her and I don't quite see why he'd even care.

Morse has never given a fig about recognition and glory, but even so, I've been surprised at how far he's gone to protect Fancy and give him credit he didn't earn. I hope theirs turns into a true mentoring relationship. (And that Fancy gets his head out of his ass.)

I looked up the actor who plays Fancy -- he looks so different out of his 60s style:

I wondered if Morse's reaction to Fancy/Trewlove is that he feels Trewlove could do better. He's starting to kind of slowly warm up to Fancy, in this episode at least. Morse was annoyed with him at first, but gave credit (and praise!) where it was due when Fancy spotted the wrong time on the clock.

Fancy's actor was also in Poldark, but I don't remember his character at all.

The newspaper at the end showed Tommie Smith and John Carlos doing the Black Power salute from the Olympics, which means the date was October 17, 1968. I'm just wondering if they're showing these things because the last episode of the series is going to conclude with another major event's date, or is it just showing us to remind us what year it is.

Seriously, if they have another series and Detective Chief Inspector Frederick Albert Thursday is not back for it, I'm not sure I will be either. I'm slightly dreading the next episode.

[Dessert]

The name is Bond. Endeavour Bond. 

Fun episode. The plot was well done and that was one scary foreign language tutor.

Poor Morse! Thursday tells him to be more careful because his girlfriend doesn’t need a dead hero. Meanwhile, she leaves him for Vietnam Nam.

[fauntleroy]

The actress who played Bagshot played pretty much the same part in Foyle's War a few years ago. She's pretty convincing.

[jjj]

Well, I'd watch a series of the Bagshot character involved in intrigue.  But this was a very different type of episode, and so many subplots.  Funny that the dog of the bowler-hat spy was named "Winston", and I thought Morse would end up taking him home.  

Secret letters at the end spell out:  ROYAL PECULIAR -- and those two members of the Royal Peculiar branch were indeed peculiar.  It would not have surprised me at all if they had turned on Morse at the end.  Who was running away from the shed?  And what secret signals were needed in Oxford in 1968?  

I thought the newspaper headline from from summer 1969 (moon landing?), but I must have seen that wrong, because we are clearly still in summer of 1968.  

[Dessert]

5 minutes ago, jjj said:

  I thought the newspaper headline from from summer 1969 (moon landing?), but I must have seen that wrong, because we are clearly still in summer of 1968.  

The headline was about the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, which took place in October of that year. I think they also referred to it in the episode.

[jjj]

14 minutes ago, Dessert said:

The headline was about the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, which took place in October of that year. I think they also referred to it in the episode.

Thanks, and the headline I saw was about the first manned Apollo mission, which was October 11, 1968.   (That was when the bowler-hat spy had the papers under his arm.  By the way, I assume he doctored the page of phone records that Morse wanted to see early in the episode.)

Edited July 23, 2018 by jjj

[Dessert]

Ah, I missed that.

They will probably deal with the moon landing in the next series. It was such an overwhelming event - worldwide.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Dessert
Added a relevant thought.

[magdalene]

It's  a miracle Morse hasn't gotten killed yet. At least once every episode Morse walks into physical danger all by himself.  And it was several times this episode.  Safety in numbers, Morse!

I wouldn't have gotten into a car with the weird spy boys. No way.

Terrific performance by the actor playing the teacher spy/assassin - pragmatic and ruthless that one was.

Joan is giving Morse so many mixed signals - first she just wants to be friends and sets him up with her French friend. And then when the friend dumps Morse Joan comes on to him.

Thursday has certainly earned his retirement but for Morse's sake and my sake as a viewer - say it isn't so....

[tootsie]

A grand episode, all twists and turns and puzzles. (The episode where the reporter was killed is still my fave because of all the interwoven puzzle clues)  Liked every bit of this one, tho, and wanted to see more of that international -giant-dummy race. What in the world...!!? Just loved it. (But not as much as I loved the Dancing Thursdays) We haven't heard anything from Fred's smarmy brother but I don't think our man Fred should be counting on retiring with any kind of a life savings as support. Liked his compliment re Trewlove. Liked Morse's acknowledgement that Fancy discovered the clock clue. Enjoyed the whole punting on the river scene, but would Trewlove really canoodle on a bridge in public with Fancy? Can't see her with her copper ambitions allowing that but young love perhaps...  Joan looked smashing in red (how can she afford those clothes??) but wish she would go away. Sort of tired of her. Will be sad to see the last episode of the season. Simply a quality production.

[Tardislass]

Having watched this on ITV and now on PBS, I'd forgotten that one of the guest stars was the woman who played Hilda Pierce on Foyle's War and must have cornered the British market on playing spies in historical dramas. Side note-if you haven't watched FW go out and do so, it's probably my favorite historical mystery series-Michael Kitchen is a godsend in it. 

Secondly, it became more clear to me that Joan likes Morse as a friend, but nothing more. Her face and manner when she invited him in for coffee screamed I'm only asking to be polite and not because I want to. Hopefully next season we will find out Joan finally came out and told Morse she wants to be only friends because their scenes have become tedious.

As for Thursday, all I can say is change is a coming. 

[humbleopinion]

Joan was inviting Morse into her flat for nothing more than an sympathetic ear after Claudine left.

The realization of that notion  washes across Shaun's face...the acting is so good.....

The scene between Morse and Thursday in the pub, the emotions conveyed between the two actors is electric.

 Morse doesn't have a family in his daily life but the Thursdays love him, just not in all ways he would like....

When Strange was assembling his trombone...you had to laugh....the funny moments don't hit you over the head...you come to your own reaction by knowing the characters...that is what charms the faithful fans of the show...

[Suzn]

I don't usually care for spy stuff, but to see Morse involved with spies was wonderful, tense and scary.

I hate that there are so few episodes in a season and I will miss this show.  I don't want to lose Thursday and I wish for a resolution with Joan.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Suzn
Idiot spelling

[tootsie]

5 hours ago, Tardislass said:

Side note-if you haven't watched FW go out and do so, it's probably my favorite historical mystery series-Michael Kitchen is a godsend in it. 

Mine, too, though Endeavour is inching upward every year.

[Tardislass]

1 hour ago, tootsie said:

Mine, too, though Endeavour is inching upward every year.

Shaun Evans' acting has improved 100% since the beginning and of course Roger Allum has always been fab:)

[M. Darcy]

I knew that Ellie Haddington looked familiar!  She was on Doctor Who in Last of the Time Lords.  And in other casting news, with his appearance in this episode, Andrew Paul has done all three series in the Morseuniverse. 

[JTM]

On 7/23/2018 at 10:04 AM, Tardislass said:

Side note-if you haven't watched FW go out and do so, it's probably my favorite historical mystery series-Michael Kitchen is a godsend in it. 

Foyle's War -- My absolute favourite, hand's down. The whole cast, the history of it, fantastic. And I too loved that our MI6 Hilda was in Endeavour too!

[Tardislass]

2 hours ago, JTM said:

Foyle's War -- My absolute favourite, hand's down. The whole cast, the history of it, fantastic. And I too loved that our MI6 Hilda was in Endeavour too!

I'm still ticked at ITV for canceling the show, depriving the viewers of two more years of WW2 stories then deciding to renew after the show had ended at VE day. Curse them!

The show probably had my favorite characters who seemed "real". Not the snarky detective, over intelligent wise-acre of most detective shows. But people who were kind, funny and whom you'd want to know in real life. Sam especially, reminded me a lot of my grandma(who was the same age). I believe it was Kitchen who didn't like romantic scenes and so that's why Foyle never really had any love interests. Which was a good thing at the end

[atlantaloves]

Best episode of the season, and thank you dear watchers for letting me know it was Trewlove and Fancy on the bridge, I didn't recognize them. Oh boy! Actually, I think she would be perfect for Morse, but he would never dally at work would he, it would not be proper. I'm with you guys that without Thursday, forget about it.  I don't think they would even think about doing that to us, they know which side of the bread their butter is on.  And, can I just say that the names of the characters are absolutely Agatha Christie like, they are so perfect.  Ahhhhhhhhhhh. 

[attica]

Some of the locations in this ep, the perfume factory, the allotment, and the house where Morse found Bagshot, looked awfully familiar. They reminded me of locations in the S4 ep "Harvest." In that ep, it was a nuke plant, a botanist's allotment, and the house where Morse met the blind clairvoyant woman. I've been internetting to see if in fact they are the same locations, but without luck. ::shrug::

[7-Zark-7]

Thursday: "Trewlove looks promising. A woman in CID, can you imagine?"

Endeavor:  "Can you imagine?" [Flashes back to being on the business end of Miss Bagshot's silencer]

Edited July 27, 2018 by 7-Zark-7