User Reviews

Hearing about 'Lewis' for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as 'Inspector Morse' was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good. The good news is, like the prequel series 'Endeavour', 'Lewis' is every bit as good as 'Inspector Morse' and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general.

'Lewis' hit its stride properly in Season 2, although the pilot was promising and Season 1 was mostly strong even if not everything had settled yet. Season 2 started off fantastically with "And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea" and "Music to Die For", if not quite good, is no less inferior. Innocent again doesn't bring much and is not particularly interesting.

The acting is fine, anchored by Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox. Whately is again very good and carries the episode with aplomb, advantaged by that Lewis is much more developed and as said he has more development. Clare Holman adds a lot. Forgot to mention inexplicably in my review for "And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea" that Fox is a breath of fresh air in a great contrasting role that reminds one of a more intelligent Lewis in his younger days and his sparkling sparring chemistry with Whately is a big part of the episode's, and show's, appeal.

Production values are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot (some of the best of the show at this point), and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of pre-existing music is very well-incorporated.

Much of the writing is smart and thoughtful, some lovely droll exchanges with Lewis and Hathaway and some emotional impact. The story draws one right in and never lets go, with gripping twists and turns and a tense and surprising climax.

Overall, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This was a truly fine effort in the Morse tradition. It takes a really wise and knowledgeable writer to formulate a plot, dealing with the connections between the forces of East Berlin and the world of spying. One thing that is always necessary (I think of John LeCarre) is to make your villains complex and convincingly normal. We have two levels at work here. One is a simple romantic triangle that leads to people making serious errors in judgement. The other is much higher level set of balances concerning the Eastern Bloc. There is also a kind of respect for people who had to survive under an oppressive governance. Very well done.

(watching from Australia during Covid lockdown) Makes me want to go to Oxford right now; glorious photography (bad luck I can't leaver the country and UK visiting is dangerous in these plague times) A very sophisticated treatment of Germany in the Cold War, and examination of the motivations and pressures that led to traitors and damage to lives Great connection to Morse and development of Lewis after some training wheels episodes - particularly unresolved characterisation of Lewis which had even Hathaway looking at him as a specimen) in series 1. We see a smart of attractive character at last. Lewsi-Hathaway "bro" relationship starts to see real developmentm, with very clever amusing writing, with sophisticated lines and situations. A lot of fun..

A nice piece of writing and well acted by the entire cast. I especially liked Tom Goodman-Hill as Richard Helm in this episode. The way he interpreted the character and brought a subtle performance in the role was brilliant. I hope to see more of him in the future.

I have always liked the chemistry between the Lewis and Hathaway characters, a tribute to the chemistry of the two actors in those roles, but I really enjoyed Goodman-Hill's character in this episode and felt it brought a certain flavor to the mystery. He is an under-rated actor.

I first noticed him in Death In Holy Orders, the P. D. James vehicle starring Martin Shaw. Hard to not enjoy these British mysteries . . .

A history professor is murdered in a friend's home. Lewis and Hathaway's investigations lead them to the University's boxing club, the husband-and-wife owners of a posh restaurant and a connection with the East German Stasi during the Cold War. Somehow all these factors lead to this man being murdered.

A fairly intriguing episode of Lewis. Doesn't have anything like the wonderful emotional and sentimental aspect that the previous episode had but the mystery side is very good.

Does get a bit too complex for its own good at the end several possible suspects and motives are pursued. Similarly, Lewis goes full Morse and starts accusing people until someone gives themselves away.

On the subject of Morse, the writers are clearly imbuing Lewis with the same quality as Morse in that he falls for a woman who happens to be a suspect and could well be the murderer. That constant feature was irritating in the Morse plots as it showed lack of judgement and professionalism and it's hardly more palatable here. At least Lewis seems to be less actively seeking the relationship.

A seemingly untypical long view for it's length. Probably because of the story's complexity with so many interesting twists and turns. It definitely wanted me to gather all the pieces of the mystery's puzzle and put them together finding the villain.

One problem I had though was how conveniently all the intricate puzzle pieces fell perfectly in place. Lewis and Hathaway looking for needles in a haystack miraculously mostly were able to stay on course when a false path would of lead them totally at more dead ends. That all the Germans with Stasi dealings would all be in this small pocket of England was too convenient.

Overall good satisfying story. Lewis and Hathaway can be very dry. Story good enough to want me to check out the next episode.

A reasonably interesting story featuring an appealing mix of elements with a boxing strand helping to offset the series's increasing obsession with youth and university life to the exclusion of real life and a strand on eastern Europe that adds some meat.

The series's ever-growing fixation on Da Yoof leads to some pretty awful casting of people who can barely speak an intelligible sentence let alone act. Joanna Christie is one such. Not only is she devoid of acting ability but her inability to speak in anything other than grim flat-vowelled South-Yorkshire tones unleavened by any sense of cadence makes her character complete nonsense given that both her parents speak with pronounced South African accents, albeit of the pantomime variety. And the idea that she is of such beauty and charm that two fit young men would compete for her favours is too silly to consider further.

Overall not a bad story but it does make use of one of the wearisome features of both Morse and Lewis in that the (far too frequent) scenes of tutorials and seminars display a level of academic sophistication barely worthy of O-level.