@genplant29 said:

That's neat, brat. And the views certainly beat my current available outdoors view (besides the fact that the present time is 10:30p.m., there's a big electrical storm - that includes pelting rain - in progress!).

I envy you East Coasters, you seem to get way more thunder & lightning than we get over here. I think we have finally hit summer here. It's been high 70's into the 80's the last couple of weeks, I think we even hit 90 one day this week?

That website's too addictive bratface. Thanks for posting it! Lucerne, Cornwall, and Austria were outstanding. I loved seeing the cats too -- windows are always a big part of THEIR territories.

@bratface said:

I envy you East Coasters, you seem to get way more thunder & lightning than we get over here. I think we have finally hit summer here. It's been high 70's into the 80's the last couple of weeks, I think we even hit 90 one day this week?

It's been mid to upper 90s most of the time around here - and very humid. I hate it. How people of old times stood it, prior to the era of a.c. (let alone pre-electricity or pre- manufactured ice), I don't know. We get quite a few summertime late-day electrical storms hereabouts in the East Coast's Midatlantic central region due to the atmospheric pressures of a sweltering day building up so much that eventually some venting, up above, needs to happen for a little while.

@merryapril said:

That website's too addictive bratface. Thanks for posting it! Lucerne, Cornwall, and Austria were outstanding. I loved seeing the cats too -- windows are always a big part of THEIR territories.

You are welcome. I love most of them, although there are a couple that are just depressing (the junkyard below, the soviet era housing blocks, etc.).

So no recaps, opinions, etc.? I thought for sure that at least gen would have left a post.

Hi, brat. I actually haven't seen it yet. Have been in over head with things to do since during last week, so haven't watched anything other than news in a couple days. I've got the season premiere episode of Endeavour all set and ready to watch though - so hopefully sometime on Tuesday day or night it'll happen.

@genplant29 said:

Hi, brat. I actually haven't seen it yet. Have been in overhead with things to do since during last week, so haven't watched anything other than news in a couple days. I've got the season premiere episode of Endeavour all set and ready to watch though - so hopefully sometime on Tuesday day or night it'll happen.

As you know I do not mind spoilers. So I'm looking forward to your comments.

Since you don't get to see the episodes until a week or so later bratface, I would've thought you'd want to avoid reading any recaps here so soon! So be forewarned - there are indeed spoilers ahead!

I thought it was a fine opener, with a couple of compelling murder mysteries - only one of which seems to be definitively solved (yet another killer don!) while the preview for Ep. 2 hinted that a possible serial killer, and not the don, is responsible for the other. There's a plot point (I don't know if it'll be a recurring theme this season) pertaining to psychic phenomena that I found to be interesting and kind of spooky: a woman proves to be truly gifted with a Sixth Sense, and experiences premonitions of violent events. Also, one of the minor characters is a flasher! SO, things are hopping in Thames Valley.

The episode started out with NYE (of 1970) celebrations, but loner Endeavour Morse spent his holiday in Venice. While there, he hooked up with a beautiful opera-goer for a one-nighter. Later when he's back home and attending a concert, a well-to-do and very unctuous Oxford alumni who he slightly recalls as a classmate tried hard to ingratiate himself to Endeavour. It was obvious the man was determined to get close, and his efforts succeeded. But wouldn't you know, it turned out he's the husband of Endeavour's one night stand!!! This raises all sorts of questions: Does he know about their tryst? Is that why he ingratiated himself? Will he seek revenge? Could the tryst have been a set up? Is the husband engaged in illegal business and wants to use or corrupt Endeavour? Is he just a rich psycho? No doubt we're sure to see much more of the slippery fellow, and his wife. I have to say I found it a little odd that Endeavour's suspicion wasn't aroused by his assiduous efforts to be chummy. But then again we know this isn't the first time he's been fooled when it comes to his personal life, and it won't be the last either.

I hate that Thursday's turning into a Grumpy Old Man. Oh well, I guess decades of policing will do that to a person...

@merryapril said:

Since you don't get to see the episodes until a week or so later bratface, I would've thought you'd want to avoid reading any recaps here so soon! So be forewarned - there are indeed spoilers ahead!

I thought it was a fine opener, with a couple of compelling murder mysteries - only one of which seems to be definitively solved (yet another killer don!) while the preview for Ep. 2 hinted that a possible serial killer, and not the don, is responsible for the other. There's a plot point (I don't know if it'll be a recurring theme this season) pertaining to psychic phenomena that I found to be interesting and kind of spooky: a woman proves to be truly gifted with a Sixth Sense, and experiences premonitions of violent events. Also, one of the minor characters is a flasher! SO, things are hopping in Thames Valley.

The episode started out with NYE (of 1970) celebrations, but loner Endeavour Morse spent his holiday in Venice. While there, he hooked up with a beautiful opera-goer for a one-nighter. Later when he's back home and attending a concert, a well-to-do and very unctuous Oxford alumni who he slightly recalls as a classmate tried hard to ingratiate himself to Endeavour. It was obvious the man was determined to get close, and his efforts succeeded. But wouldn't you know, it turned out he's the husband of Endeavour's one night stand!!! This raises all sorts of questions: Does he know about their tryst? Is that why he ingratiated himself? Will he seek revenge? Could the tryst have been a set up? Is the husband engaged in illegal business and wants to use or corrupt Endeavour? Is he just a rich psycho? No doubt we're sure to see much more of the slippery fellow, and his wife. I have to say I found it a little odd that Endeavour's suspicion wasn't aroused by his assiduous efforts to be chummy. But then again we know this isn't the first time he's been fooled when it comes to his personal life, and it won't be the last either.

I hate that Thursday's turning into a Grumpy Old Man. Oh well, I guess decades of policing will do that to a person...

Thanks, merry. I love spoilers, they do not detract from my enjoyment of a TV show or movie.

But since there are only 3 episodes they sure as heck can't draw anything out too much, plus if the characters appear in more than one episode, there really can't be much character development (or story development for that matter).

Time will tell bratface. Thursday's behavior hints that he's at some kind of turning point in life. He seems burned out. Could retirement beckon? There's a tension between him and Endeavour that didn't exist before. Strange has noticed, and seems to feel the younger cop is being unfairly critical of his mentor, so there's a bit of tension between them as well. This could be laying the groundwork for the Does-Not-Suffer-Fools-Gladly Inspector Morse of the original series. PLUS, since Endeavour was taken in by a beautiful murderess in season 6, if he's duped once again this season I imagine it could push him over the top and make him quite cynical about personal relationships, setting the stage for life-long bachelorhood. There's also Bright and his wife's battle with terminal cancer still in the mix. She's resorting to faith healers now, which kind of ties in with the psychic phenomenon thread. He's obviously devoted to her and who knows how her passing will effect him and his career choices? SO, I think 3 90-minute episodes may prove to be enough to advance some character development among the stars of the show.

@merryapril said:

Time will tell bratface. Thursday's behavior hints that he's at some kind of turning point in life. He seems burned out. Could retirement beckon? There's a tension between him and Endeavour that didn't exist before. Strange has noticed, and seems to feel the younger cop is being unfairly critical of his mentor, so there's a bit of tension between them as well. This could be laying the groundwork for the Does-Not-Suffer-Fools-Gladly Inspector Morse of the original series. PLUS, since Endeavour was taken in by a beautiful murderess in season 6, if he's duped once again this season I imagine it could push him over the top and make him quite cynical about personal relationships, setting the stage for life-long bachelorhood. There's also Bright and his wife's battle with terminal cancer still in the mix. She's resorting to faith healers now, which kind of ties in with the psychic phenomenon thread. He's obviously devoted to her and who knows how her passing will effect him and his career choices? SO, I think 3 90-minute episodes may prove to be enough to advance some character development among the stars of the show.

Mainly I was referring to the serial killer angle you spoke of as to character development. But the way the UK handles its series/season number of episodes & time in-between is my main gripe! I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels this way. Other countries sometimes do the same thing. Swedens 'Beck' does the same thing. They sometimes have over 4 years between series/seasons.

Four years??? Yikes!!!

Well, it's certainly not like the olden days of my childhood that's for sure, when new seasons almost always started in the fall, and there'd be several -- maybe even twenty or more episodes per season. On the other hand, I think the overall quality of modern-day productions is generally far superior and worth waiting for. I guess one thing I miss most is there aren't many "anthology" series anymore, where each episode is uniquely cast and/or resolved by the end. It's hard to jump into the middle of contemporary series like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Vikings, etc., etc., that go on for years and require a commitment of time and attention that can be daunting especially when life is otherwise busy. I tried the British anthology series Black Mirror for a few seasons but eventually drifted away when it seemed to be taken over by Americans.

My husband watches every documentary about serial killers so I wouldn't expect much character development in that regard -- aren't they usually creeps who hate their mothers anyway?!?!? Plus, I may be dead wrong in suggesting a possible serial killer angle in the first place - while the don may not be responsible for more than one killing, the mysterious killer of the other victim may turn out to be committing a couple of crimes of passion, as opposed to a random series of opportunistic murders. We shall see!!!

Well, apparently there IS a serial killer on the loose, a whistler whose turf is the canal towpath . A girl walking along there late at night (what WAS she thinking, after 2 recent murders there??? The screenwriter fudged a bit on this point) seems to get it at the end of the episode, and in the preview for the finale another girl is shown walking alone at night, as though she may be another victim. Since Thursday can't let go of his hunch about the first victim's boyfriend (can't recall his name), I wonder if there's something to it? The guy does work for a funeral parlor, which always seems creepy. O.M.G. - is he a necrophiliac perhaps???

When the episode opened I thought we were in store for a helping of PC moralism. But I was wrong for the most part, since a Pakistani immigrant turned out to have committed the most gruesome crime that I can recall in all the seasons of Endeavour. So the racism story line wasn't as overwrought as I expected.

I can't wait to find out what Ludo, Endeavour's one-nighter's husband, is up to. He's got such a feral smile, flashing his mouthful of teeth, that it's impossible he's an innocent! It was quite intriguing when he remarked that his wife doesn't like opera, considering... and especially since her name is Violetta, and just like Violetta of La Traviata she's a "fallen woman". But there's yet even MORE operatic symbolism, as he's trying to force Endeavour to accompany him to a performance of Tannhauser. What's up??? Is the long Wagnerian piece meant to serve as an airtight alibi (spent with a policeman!) while his unfaithful wife is murdered? On the other hand, I don't trust her any more than I trust her husband, so this matter may be much more complex than that.

Hmm? Interesting. I will be watching episode one tonight.

Maybe the boyfriend's 'business' is a bit slow & he's trying to bring in new business?

I finally watched Eps. 1 and 2 of the latest season yesterday late afternoon into night - so am up to speed.

Interesting storylines this season. Yes: Why any woman would still be taking the towpath at night after combination of reported murders and a flasher is beyond me! For that matter, does Thursday have a death wish walking around there, alone, at nights? (You'd never catch me out there alone!)

I may be totally off the mark, but something about the lead scientist's (or whatever exactly it is that he is) "plain" (her term [or did she say "homely" or some similar other term?]) wife reads suspicious to me; she got too much screen time (with no apparent need, otherwise, for some of it) in Ep. 2 to be inconsequential. Were it not that everyone knows women are close to never serial killers, I'd suspect maybe she's the culprit. There seems to be something up with her.

As for the one-night-stand woman's husband, he for some reason decidedly keeps sending off a gaydar reading (even regarding a fashion choice or two), in my opinion. I mean, there's friendly, and then there's "friendly". Whatever the case, he's clearly got a fixation with Endeavour. For some reason I don't think he's the serial killer. There's definitely something up with him though. (Maybe he just has a sexual fixation for his wife's lovers - wanting who she's had?)

It's neat seeing Endeavour's home (that we know from the original Inspector Morse series) increasingly taking shape inside. Still a long way to go though! It's already looking better than during its days as a drug dive where dead junkies were found inside!

RIP to Barrington Pheloung, composer of the original themes and music for the Inspector Morse, Lewis, and now Endeavour series. The RIP for him appeared on the screen at the conclusion of this season's first episode.