At the reunion of former students of an all-female college, one of the attendees is murdered. Lewis suspects the murder may be linked to an attack at the college he investigated nine years e... Read allAt the reunion of former students of an all-female college, one of the attendees is murdered. Lewis suspects the murder may be linked to an attack at the college he investigated nine years earlier.At the reunion of former students of an all-female college, one of the attendees is murdered. Lewis suspects the murder may be linked to an attack at the college he investigated nine years earlier.
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- Samantha Coyle
- (as Shannon Tarbett)
- Jarvis Patterson
- (as Brenan Davies)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTitle of episode comes from the Wordsworth poem "The Solitary Reaper."
- GoofsIn a night-time crane shot of the college just after the opening titles, a dark patch can be seen against the slightly lighter sky, where one of the crane-mounted filming lights has been airbrushed out.
- Quotes
[Lewis and Hathaway are questioning friends of a murder victim]
Lakshmi Eyre: Look, do you know how long we're going to have to hang on here? I've work to get back to.
DS Hathaway: On a weekend?
Lakshmi Eyre: [grinning] I'm CEO of Guilty Secrets.
DS Hathaway: What's Guilty Secrets?
DI Robert Lewis: It's a lingerie chain. Sergeant Hathaway doesn't get out much.
[Lakshmi gives Hathaway a seductive look]
DI Robert Lewis: [after leaving Lakshmi, Lewis and Hathaway walk across the quad]
DS Hathaway: Regular customer, are you, Sir, at Guilty Secrets? Loyalty card holder?
DI Robert Lewis: Every high street's got one - it's a major chain. Online and what-have-you.
DS Hathaway: Online? Well.
DI Robert Lewis: Just because I've heard of something you've not.
DS Hathaway: My mind is on a higher plane.
- SoundtracksQui La Voce Sua Soave
Composed by Vincenzo Bellini (1834)
Freya, Lakshmi, and Diane listen to a recording at Diane's house
Ten years earlier, a brutal attack at a masquerade party results in the disappearance of a young man, as well as a coma for then 15-year-old Chloe Brooks (Antonia Campbell-Hughes), who remains unconscious in an Oxford hospital, under the care of Physician Doctor Copeland (Hassani Shapi) and Psychiatrist Doctor Beckham (Orlando Seale).
Ruth Brooks (Hattie Morahan), a student at Lady Matilda's at the time, remains on hand to visit her sister, Chloe, on a regular vigil basis, as she prepares to attend her class reunion, at which murder retains a likely chance to strike again, in this community of everyday customary serial killings. At the time, she had been going with Edward Florey (James Rochfort), who returns to become one of the few male suspects, as some suspect a female perpetrator to the slayings.
Alumni Freya Carlisle (Zoe Telford), now a noted newspaper columnist, and Lakshmi Eyre (Stephanie Street), return to the festivities along with Lady Matilda faculty and staff members Diana Ellerby (Juliet Stevenson), a Professor, and her roommate, Poppy Toynton (Kathryn O'Reilly), who, together with campus porter Pauline Turrill (Melanie Kilburn), help to plan the reunion.
So, as additional new bodies begin to pop up around Oxford, "Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things" affords a few sub-plots to develop elements of the unfolding series, such as one of the guest female's attempting to help Lewis to forget about his late wife, Valerie, who purportedly attended Lady Matilda's College, as he has proved unable to do during the past four seasons, plus Hathaway's determination to toss aside nicotine, through exercise and self-help procedures although he seems more relaxed and healthy this season than before, but little is given Doctor Hobson to do this time around, after Clare Holman has certainly proved her ability to develop her character's direction last season.
But this episode seems a bit more contrived than most from previous seasons, as the law enforcement agency and hospital staff alike await Chloe's potentially awaking from her ten-year coma in order to answer questions relating to the murders. Will she come to in time for the showdown? And what about the wintry weather? Do other Oxford campuses traditionally hold outdoor reunion activities while snow lies across the land in some scenes, but participants wear no jackets in others? And what about the new technical advances to portray the flashback sequences, while the department attempts to piece together a series of photographs from the costume party ten years prior?
Well, if "Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things'" resolve seems somewhat weak and implausible, then at least the acting seems rather strong here from regulars and guest stars alike, in order to hold viewer interest, as we hope for something encouraging to happen this time around.
- WeatherViolet
- Sep 4, 2011
Details
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- Filming locations
- Upper Heyford Airforce base, Oxon, UK(Lewis and Hathaway visit the air base)
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