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Inspector Morse: Service of All the Dead (1987)
Wow, this episode impressed and unsettled me.
I have had a lifetime of brushes with the figure of Morse and have resolved to delve deeper into the character/earlier works. Although I've read a full Morse novel by Colin Dexter, seen a fair bit of the Endeavour TV prequels (multiple series) and seen a few episodes of the Inspector Lewis TV sequels, "Service of All the Dead" is actually the first of the original Morse TV show episodes I've watched in full and as an adult. And it surprised me by impressing me--and unsettling me, not an easy feat.
As you can tell from the above, I have had only a semi-solid impression of Morse the character. I decided to dive into focused viewings of the original TV adaptations--and aside from a sharp-tongued, opera-loving guv'nor and his less urbane sidekick, I wasn't sure what to expect.
I didn't expect what "Service" offered: less-common cinematography (e.g. weird, almost voyeuristic camera angles; reflections of actors in objects other than mirrors) and editing choices plus stark, un-melodramatic murder and suicide tableaux, all combining to leave an unsettling impression on the viewer. The creepy "high church" Anglican choral and discordant organ music contributed to the effect.
As I was watching, I felt a progressive sense of dread, one that was often fulfilled/confirmed. It's the polar opposite to the atmosphere of a show like, say, Midsomer Murders, which even in its earliest 90s episodes was saturated with an (enjoyable) air of camp and with perpetually low stakes. Service, like Midsomer, has a rather high number of connected murders in short order---but the murders in Service always feel ominous, the stakes remaining high, even intensifying.
Having read a Colin Dexter novel, I expected Morse's dealings with women to be fraught with tiresome (by this point in the history of literature) and belittling female cliches. And sure enough, "Service" includes those...however, I was willing to overlook that silliness (and Morse's unprofessionalism in dealing with female witnesses) because of the arresting performance of Angela Morant.
She plays a beautiful, raven-haired, late 40s caretaker of both the local church and her disabled mother. I wished she could have played a more original character but she did it very well and I couldn't look away when she was on screen. The final scene with her, with the famous Morse musical score by Barrington Pheloung (RIP as of 18 days ago) beginning to play, was enough to make me forgive the slightly lacking characterization.
That plot is why I gave 8 stars rather than 10. It suddenly, in the last 10 minutes of the episode, became convoluted, with a somewhat unlikely twist stubbornly half-concealed until the last possible minute.
I can't get worked up denouncing the plot development, though. The rest of the episode was so enjoyably tense and memorable that I think it's worth owning and rewatching. I agree with a previous reviewer that Lewis' facial expressions during a perilous moment for a suspect were excellent, and the director's and editors' choices to hold the shot, watching his expression unfold, were so incredibly effective compared to a standard TV show which would have cut away after the requisite three seconds.
I'm really excited now to continue my deep dive into the Morse TV films of the 80s and 90s. I was too young then to appreciate this character and the combined efforts of the TV writers, director and editors. A job well done by all.
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Vanity Dies Hard: Part 1 (1994)
Protagonist (only just) saves the show
I have read approximately 75% of Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine's large body of work, but not the novel upon which this TV production was based. I understand it was published in the 1960s, 30 years before this 1995 TV adaptation. Perhaps that explains some of the dated attitudes expressed by characters in the show?
For example, a female character who looks to be around age 40 marries a man who looks to be in his early 30s--and Wikipedia entries for the respective actors confirm this-- yet multiple characters say things to or about the woman such as "You married a man SO MUCH younger than you!" and "...at HER age!" It gets distracting. Next time, cast a significantly older or older-looking actress.
This protagonist is a wealthy woman played by Eleanor David, and it is this character and the actress who keeps the whole show from sinking. It's not that she's so fantastic an actress (she's "okay" here) and it's not that she's given great material (she's not). But, she is successfully sympathetic in a cast filled with bad actors and unlikeable louts, plus she's also a compelling beauty with a mane of red hair and arrestingly high cheekbones. She convincingly plays an upper-middle class character, gently reared and used to falling back on the comfort of her chequebook, always at the ready.
Her slightly younger husband is also handsome, with a corresponding dark mane of hair and a Hollywood Brat Pack air about him. The actor Mark Frankel sadly died at age 34 in a motorcycle accident, shortly after filming this TV show. Unfortunately, his acting here is markedly worse than his co-star's, and unlike Ms. David, he doesn't at all convince me. The character is supposed to be a well-educated teacher of the middle classes who is something of an intellectual elitist and aspiring Serious Writer (making pompous literary allusions and snide remarks about characters with local/country accents and lesser vocabularies). But the actor has a muddled and not especially educated accent himself, and gives off a showy Hollywood heartthrob air incompatible with the character. RIP, however.
The mystery plot is poorly presented, and a lot of that is down to the disjointed way the director/writer first establish the characters and their relationships to one another. It's not at all clear, for example, why exactly the posh redhead Belle who lives in the local Big House is best friends with the downmarket country florist, Nesta. Even one or two lines explaining WHERE the two met to begin with--not just the quick lines saying they go on double dates with eligible men and that Nesta's sassiness emboldens Belle-- would help the audience later accept why Belle so faithfully searches for the missing Nesta and pays Nesta's bills!
The actress playing Nesta isn't particularly good at conveying the wild mood swings required of the character, and that's a liability.
I just don't buy a lot of the acting and poorly-developed relationships here, and that tanks the mystery plot which is the whole point for this TV series' existence.
It's not the worst way to spend a Sunday afternoon but after seeing this episode's immediate predecessor, the equally stilted and unconvincing "Master of the Moor," I am left puzzled as to why, of all the Ruth Rendell Mysteries series, US Netflix/DVD service begins with these unsuccessful mid-90s ones instead of the earlier Inspector Wexford episodes.
Marple: Ordeal by Innocence (2007)
Shockingly, a non-appalling episode of 'Marple'
To the reviewer who berates the legions of us appalled by most scripts in this mid-2000s reboot of Agatha Christie's detective novels and stories: 'new' is not synonymous with 'refreshing ' as you put it. To be 'refreshing,' a change has to be, you know, good. In the 5-6 Marple episodes I've seen before this one, the changes are largely absurdist or tacky or both. Color me 'non-refreshed.'
Until this episode, 'Ordeal By Innocence.' Now, I'll grant you that I've not read Christie's source material for this episode, however given the telewriters' butchering of Christie's work in several other episodes, I can well believe complaints of a hatchet job here, too. But 'Ordeal' is actually cohesive and entertaining in its own right.
Much of that is down to the cast, which is anchored by two big stars--Jane Seymour and Juliet Stevenson--and bolstered by a stable of talented, well-known actors including Denis Lawson, Alison Steadman and Richard Armitage. Weirdly, the 90s pop singer Lisa Stansfield has a supporting role and is actually pretty good at it.
Let me say right now: Juliet Stevenson improves everything she's in. I don't say that because of her credentials (she was part of the illustrious "new wave" coming out of RADA in the 1970s); truth is, I only found out about that recently, after 25+ years of watching her shine in film, TV, radio, even audiobooks. She is a seriously good actress and if her performance here in 'Ordeal' doesn't move you in some way, you're not paying attention!
And it's relatively easy to pay attention to this 'Marple' episode. It's a classic closed-circle/locked room mystery, with a large family all at home the night one among them is murdered. No outlandish plot points; perhaps the usual 'Marple' scriptwriters were on holiday for this entry.
To my surprise, one of the murders packs a genuine emotional punch, which I attribute to the all-around good acting of the episode as well as to the specific emotional position this character occupies relative to the people around him/her.
Unlike the 5 or 6 other Marple episodes I've seen, 'Ordeal' didn't trigger an eye roll, not even one!
If you're going to invest feature-length viewing time in one of the 'Marple' TV series, begin here. It might well be all downhill from this one!
P.s. Miss Marple is given almost nothing to do, apparently as per usual for the 'Marple' series. But given it's Juliet Stevenson doing a lot of the other stuff, all is forgiven here.