Endeavour (TV Series) Zenana (2020) User Reviews

7/10 my worst score since the beginning...

[ajsafe · 7/10 · 17 May 2020]

On 25 february 2020, gjpugh-12537 wrote:

"Also the identity of the 'Tow Path killer' turned out to be Fred's suspect, even though he had four witnesses to say he had an alibi, or did I miss something?"

Thank you, I thought I was the only one (who did not understand)!

Has anybody clues? Some scenes have been edited (cut), maybe ?

At least, Morse reveals himself to be human after all: he makes big mistakes, he cheats a (supposed) friend...

So yes, a bit disappointed...

Too Much...Perhaps

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 25 August 2020]

I have to agree with those who say it was overwritten. Good editing and a couple superfluous storylines removed would have helped. Morse seems much edgier in this offering. He and Thursday butt heads continuously and their friendship is shattered. Not to mention the different plot elements, from the rush of characters crossing that bridge, getting themselves bumped off, to a mentally ill woman, to a school for girls with an overzealous headmaster who are out to do the vigilante thing. The business with the insurance companies would have been enough, but there is the utter coincidence of the chief's wife's situation. Too many things cooking. I guess there will be one more season. Interesting how it all transfers over.

Starting To Flag A Little

[TondaCoolwal · 8/10 · 26 February 2020]

Like many others I think I've been swept along by the whole Endeavour idea. We loved Morse so much that we just had to see him as a young copper and pick up on the threads of things which shaped his later entity. Accordingly, we have be very yielding. Having said that, the early series were beyond criticism. However, this last one has left something to be desired. Standing back, we find a great many inconsistencies, unbelievable coincidences and contrived situations. How many times has Uttoxeter featured in a crime series? Here, its inclusion was simply to be part of a acronym pointing to something most of us worked out in episode 1. If I followed correctly, Sturgis, who would have been aged about 13 in 1949, burnt down the family pub making it appear that he and everyone else, apart from his sister, had perished. He is then able to support himself somehow, change his name and presumably obtain identity documents . Then get a job which facilitates his murderous craving. Even more far-fetched is the appalling incompetence of Thames Valley Police in failing to take the simple precaution of having the towpath routinely patrolled in order to reassure the public and prevent more murders. Reporter Dorothea Frazil, with no obvious motivation other than curiosity, keeps a file on freak accidents occurring around the country. Apparently on a whim she asks Morse to investigate them. He, of course, uncovers the link which leads back to Ludo and Violetta, but the circumstances of the accidents/murders are rather difficult to accept. Must admit though that the finale was exciting. Finding out that Ludo was a baddie came as no surprise. But the double, triple, quadruple cross involved at the end was amazing. As in Deguello, guns featured, wild west style. And despite Morse and Thursday parting in contempt, dependable old Fred came through for our boy in the end. Entertainment value 10. Believability 0.

Tensions rise between Morse and Thursday in this impressive season finale

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 24 February 2020]

Another murder on the canal tow path leads to the arrest of the man Thursday first suspected and suggestions that Morse 'got it wrong'... then yet another killing leads to the man's release and tensions flaring between Morse and Thursday; leading to the suggestion that Morse should apply for a transfer. Meanwhile he investigates the series of 'accidents' mentioned in the previous episodes. His superiors believe he is wasting his time but he is sure they were more than just accidents. After another incident he develops a theory about possible link between the deaths that aren't obviously connected, as well as suspecting that there are similar cases elsewhere in the country. Away from the case Morse's friend Ludo approaches him to ask for help identifying the man he believes his wife has been seeing which puts Morse in an awkward position as he is that man.

This season of 'Endeavour' has come to an end all too soon; at least we got three good episodes which contained both single episode stories and season long plot lines. The way the Tow Path Killer story played out raised tensions between Morse and Thursday which are only raised by Morse continuing to investigate the 'accidents'. The various cases are interesting and go in directions one might not expect with a major character but in danger and a moment of real tragedy. Some may find the ending more than a bit melodramatic but it worked for me; I particularly liked how the end of the case is shown to parallel the climax of an opera playing nearby. The cast were on fine form; particularly impressive was Anton Lesser for displayed real emotion as CS Bright. Overall a fine episode that left me looking forward to the next season.

A fabulous episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 23 February 2020]

The Towpath killer strikes again, leading to a huge falling out between Morse and Thursday.

This was very much the finale of a three part story arc, this series has been different to previous efforts, in that it's all interconnected, even the characters from the first part returning.

It was a very good first half, but the second half was thrilling, intriguing and simply put, wonderful. Endeavour at its absolute best.

It was sad to see Morse and Thursday as loggerheads, and sparring with one another. However it does seem in keeping with the future character of Morse, everything throughout Endeavour has been measured and purposeful.

Morse fans will spot the nods to Masonic mysteries, we hear if McNutt, lots of talk about Sweden, I thought we were dealing with Hugo de Vries here, they certainly teased it.

Best of this series, as with the previous run, they end this one with another magnificent finale.

This was special, I didn't want it to end. 10/10

Amazing show but why the short season

[ginastanford · 9/10 · 25 February 2020]

I have loved this show since the first movie. I crave the elaborate plots, the Morse way and music. This episode was good, but it felt like it was making statement by the closing curtain at the end. I do feel that all that have supported this show deserve more then a 3 episode season and this kind of ending if that is it . I am not of the mantra: at least we got something. This show has been amazing and so have the people supporting it.

Series winding up...

[newslogger · 26 August 2021]

***some spoilers***

Despite complaints about how the Endeavour series has "deteriorated" over time, it should nevertheless have become clear to viewers that Fred Thurday realized he was becoming burned out and needed to retire sooner than later--even having declared a couple of times that he was "putting in his papers", and that Morse, realizing this, would inevitably become impatient with Thursday's growing obstinance and insistence on prematurely closing cases before Morse could tie up any outstanding loose ends.

I totally agree that more than one towpath murder should have been sufficient to require increased police patrols or, at the very least, improved lighting. Why women would continue to walk the path alone at night was, of course, beyond stupid and reckless.

I have to believe, however, that Morse must have been suspicious from the get-go of the slimy, deep-pocketed Ludo with his silly grin, his annoying habit of tilting his head, and constant offers to ingratiate himself with expensive wines. Please--lose those bloody bottles!

Over the course of the entire series, I think most viewers have managed to read Morse's facial expressions and body language well-enough to figure out that he doesn't take everything he sees at face value. However, the manner by which scenes are deliberately and quickly edited together make us forget or blind us to significant clues alluded to earlier on, so we can be forgiven for not being as observant as he. Indeed, wasn't that the genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

A lovelorn, human Morse would naturally make him vulnerable but only to a point. That confrontation scene in the restaurant where Morse holds out his hand to Violetta in the firm belief that she would unquestionably choose him and walk away from the smug, self-assured Ludo felt more like impulse on his part than reasoned thinking. Morse should have known better, suspecting right then and there that he was being set up by the both of them, but I can only assume that the scriptwriters preferred to have Morse leave dejected so as to confirm once and for all that Violetta wasn't worth his time and trouble in the first place. Honestly, she wasn't his type, anyway, but...love being blind...

Finally, we should all know by now that television series, no matter how popular and successful they may be, must inevitably come to an end hopefully before the story lines become redundant and predictable and the characters annoying. Familiarity breeds contempt. The list is long of great series that have soldiered on longer than they should have, but nothing is forever.

Set up >>>>

[IClaudius7 · 9/10 · 17 August 2020]

In the immortal words of Marion Barry, "the b*tch set him up." AND, of course, the question is, was he set up from the beginning ? Ludo played Moriarty to Morse's Sherlock, so one has to analyze to what extent did Ludo use Morse for intelligence as to his scheme.

That being said, the multiple causative factors for the murders, the interplay between Morse and Thursday about Morse's growth as a detective as against the seasoned wisdom of Thursday were fully on display. And Jim Strange's nuts and bolts attention to detail, helped round out this episode.

Overall, I must say I still enjoyed season 7 even though some questions remain about Morse's status at the end of Episode 3. Season 8 awaits !!! Nonetheless, this series is the best on TV 📺.

Great Writing and Acting

[bonnie88-1 · 10/10 · 1 July 2021]

I almost skipped this episode after reading the negative reviews. I'm glad I didn't because I thought it was perfect. I've rewatched the last ten minutes over and over again enjoying the acting, the reading of the letter, and the way they matched the conclusion to the opera and brought down the curtain at the end. Very clever...very well done.

Endeavour continues on its journey towards Morse as we first met him

[ljturner-30865 · 10/10 · 25 February 2020]

The arc, the opera, the frustrating yet brilliant Morse. The steadfast Strange, the stressed Thursday. Endeavour at its best to wrap up a series that seemed almost to lose its way at times

A slightly disappointed end to a disappointing season.

[gjpugh-12537 · 6/10 · 25 February 2020]

*Spoiler alert* I love Endeavour, as I loved Inspector Morse and Lewis before it. And as Endeavour goes on, since series 3 really, I feel it's getting further away from those fantastic series and the original source - the wonderful Colin Dexter. It's not that I don't enjoy it anymore, the cast and the production is still brilliant. But I do feel like they're being let down by increasing flimsy crimes and unnecessary story arcs that overshadow the individual episodes and span the complete season. The unnecessary addition of the annoyingly thin Ludo and his equally awful wife was very much shoehorned in. And did Russell Lewis honestly think we didn't know what was going to happen? The pathetic way he used city names as an acronym was terribly weak and forced. I also didn't understand why he said Morse was his 'tame policeman', he did nothing to help, in fact Morse was the reason they got caught! Also the identity of the 'Tow Path killer' turned out to be Fred's suspect, even though he had four witnesses to say he had an alibi, or did I miss something? Another thing which didn't seem to make sense, was the painful and upsetting divide between Morse and Thursday, I understand why it was occurring, so why at the end did they seem to make it up, does that mean we have to go through the wringer again in season 8? I feel terrible writing negatively about this fantastic TV series, but I have to speak from the heart. I do hope in the next (and possibly final?) season, Russell Lewis goes back to the basics that made Endeavour what it was and can be again.

NOT a disappointing ending to Endeavour in my opinion

[dmc-82863 · 10/10 · 15 April 2023]

When on earth does life proceed the way one expects? The 'disappointing' ending mentioned by another, fully mirrors the strange, unexpected, and yes, unwelcome paths most of us stumble along. Every story in Endeavour is, after all, a fictional 'story'. I would not dare say that John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath' was disappointing to me even though I did not personally like everything in that story. But, alas, differences' are what makes life interesting. Apologies for being a philosopher here, but too often the term 'disappointment' is used instead of the more appropriate 'not as I expected'.

How one episode can totally detract from an entire series..

[a-alexander119 · 6/10 · 21 March 2021]

I've thoroughly enjoyed Endeavor. I had high hopes for its success albeit it definitely had two very strong acts to follow (Morse and Lewis). I was not disappointed.. but then Series 7 Episode 3 came along. I would have been wholeheartedly content if the series had dropped the curtain at the conclusion of Series 6.

Series 7 began odd and went South from there. Diametrically opposite of the preceding seasons, Season 7 and in particular this final episode was a bitter dose to take. Thursday and Morse at each other's throats, Morse getting caught in an ugly affair, and the untimely death of the Governor's wife right after telling him her cancer was in remission. All of these distractions took away from whatever suspense the episode otherwise had to offer. So I'll try to ignore Season 7 and most assuredly Episode 3. One can only hope the final season will somehow erase the memories of this one.

A drop in standards for a great series

[geoff-spurr · 5/10 · 25 February 2020]

Endeavour has been my favourite series ever on TV but standards dropped in series 7. In response to another review, in a show of mutual respect Endeavour will finish with 3 episodes in series 8, giving 33 episodes in total, exactly the same as Inspector Morse and Lewis.

The original series were self contained episodes but Endeavour has become a serial, which worked well building tension to the series 6 finale, but series 7 has felt like 3 episodes of one story which seemed to lessen the overall enjoyment. The ridiculous Ludo and his wife didn't work well as characters (especially in Oxford). The breakdown in the relationship between Fred and Morse was not pleasant for fans to see.

Russell Lewis has taken liberties with the original Morse character, who famously moaned about his lack of romance in his younger days, the will they/won't they storyline with Joan worked well but he's also lived a nurse and had flings with Fred's niece, the French photographer and Ludo's wife.

Series 8 is going to be tricky, it's hard to see how the much loved characters of Fred, Strange, Bright and Max can be a part of it when Morse moves to McNutt so having many new characters will be something of a gamble. It would be great to see the series end on a high but I'm afraid the unforgettable heights of series 2 may not be reached.

One of the best

[jbagasas · 10/10 · 29 April 2023]

Despite the bad reviews, I found it one of the most thrilling and dramatic episodes of the series. Great acting from everyone, and great directing as well. Morse and Thursday show their human nature and their friendship is threatened, Strange is in the middle of this conflict but he stays loyal to his friends, and Mr Bright has another great performance, one of his best. I missed Joan Thursday in this season , I hope she comes back in the next seasons. Endeavour is a great brittish series, and this episode really made me anxious about what will happend to our heroes in the next and final two seasons.

Short change

[lyfsabeech · 9/10 · 24 February 2020]

A brilliant series but why have we only been given three episodes? Previous series were always four. And four are scheduled for 2021.

Top Notch

[MitchITW · 10/10 · 13 March 2021]

We must have watched a completely different episode than the other reviewers. To us, this was a perfect season finale, the tension between Morse and Thursday has been building since the beginning of season 7 and ended the way true friends do, together, through thick and thin, always having each other's back.

The Fallible Detective Sergeant Morse!

[spasek · 8/10 · 18 July 2023]

It was said early on in the series, which has been true throughout: Morse is a brilliant detective, but a very poor policeman, and perhaps it was never more noticeable than in this 7th season.

Tensions between Morse and Thursday continue to mount as Morse believes that the towpath killer is still at large. Thursday is convinced that he's already got the killer in Sturgis. Morse is pretty much put in his place when he learns that Thursday was right and that sometimes hunches and legwork are more important than logic.

We also quickly discover that Morse still has a blind spot when it comes to women in his life. He's never been good at seeing what's right in front of him, in that regard, and Ludo plays him for a fool. Morse is in every way the sucker in this case because he's foolish and arrogant, and his poor skills as a policeman nearly do him in.

Strange warned Morse about taking case files home to work on, and he was right. Things get progressively worse as Ludo continues to show up at Morse's doorstep and uses that to lightly peruse the case files spilled out all over Morse's desk. Morse never even considers the happenstance of meeting Ludo and Violetta or Ludo's constant presence whenever Morse is going through the case files.

Even up until the end, if it hadn't been for Thursday, Morse would have been either in a lot of trouble or possibly dead, as he continues to fall for Ludo and VIoletta's ploy. Once a sucker, always a sucker, and Morse is very much the sucker in this season.

Some fans may be put off by this characterization of Morse, but everyone needs to find some humility, even if it's the hard way. Morse's arrogance, if you follow the progression of the series, has always increased with each season with condescending remarks toward Thursday, Strange, and Fancy. The character of Endeavour Morse has always been arrogant, but in the "Inspector Morse" series, he's also very quick to grant credit to Lewis when he's figured something out that Morse has failed to see.

Morse's fallibility is his blind belief that logic and solving cases like puzzles are all you need to be a great detective, and quite often, it works. However, detectives are also policemen, and there is that aspect that is just as valuable, and frankly, the tools that will actually keep you from getting killed as Thursday bails him out again.

We have to remember that Morse is still a young man, and he still has a lot to learn about himself and what it means to be a great detective.

Amazing and perfect finale

[mark-1206 · 9/10 · 30 May 2021]

It looked like they were hedging their bets on a series 8 which thankfully is filming right now.

I loved this series and this episode. I will not spoil anything but I thought the ending was perfect and it moved me for sure.

Too short a season.

[bittermelonisgoodforyou · 9/10 · 3 September 2020]

Don't they know we are all sheltering at home and needing entertainment? Why only 3 episodes? OK maybe we have come to expect too much of this show from the great start. It's still an excellent show, but not up to the high standards. Besides, they are solving 2 cases in one show.

Spoiler, I don't think Luda is dead. I think it'll be like Holmes and Moriarity, going for a final grand show down.

Also, I don't think the opera is La Traviata.

"A Much Disappointing Ending to A Great Series"

[carmenjulianna · 7/10 · 17 August 2020]

It wasn't nice to watch 'Endeavours' behaviour towards 'Fred Thursday' (His Superior) at all. The normally great relationship between bith men we have all become to respect was definitely hazardous to watch. Why did the storyline have to include this antagony for them, when it had been such a successful working and (friendly) relationship. It spoilt the series, as it was a continuous three episode storyline, also, continued from the ending of series six was the fall-out between Fred and Endevour. This was due to Freds' slip and misappropriation of certain funds (back hander) and being caught by Endeavour. It was all so upsetting to see Fred fall from grace for a short while, until he got back to his senses. I'm looking forward to the new series and I here's hoping all the old gang are back together inc' Strange etc.

DEATH IN VENICE

[argy-34267 · 8/10 · 21 August 2022]

I was starting to dislike this series, and then we had opera

The critics may not have liked this series, or this episode. It may have been contrary to the Morse tradition. But that was a helluva operatic ending.

Several have criticised Morse and Thursday's relationship breaking down, but it gives scope for Morse to move on and become his older self.

Though I fear we have come to the point where this prequel should have been wound up and we could move back to the original series.

.

The worst episode of a wonderful series

[joseoveras · 6/10 · 17 July 2020]

Unfortunately this season was the worst of one of the best series on television. And that last episode was really bad. The story had gigantic holes. Morse's fight with Fred was unnecessary, as was Morse's arrogance and him smoking in various scenes. Let's hope next season corrects these flaws.

A Disappointing Season

[scottjtepper · 5/10 · 19 January 2021]

This was a real disappointment. Buying insurance policies (viatical settlements) was illegal in the English-speaking world until the early 1990s when, as a result of the AIDS epidemic, it began to be allowed.

There has always been a requirement that when a policy was obtained it be by someone with an "insurable interest," either the insured him/herself, his/her employer, or a relative or someone the insured supported. But then during the AIDS epidemic the whole life (paid in) insurance policy was seen as an asset that could be sold. So by 1995 it was allowed in the U.K. But not before then.

So the plot (seemingly a subplot but then as it turned out the main plot) was completely impossible in 1970-1971. The first episode with the long lost and oleaginous friend sidling up to Morse was also unusual and I realized immediately he was the hubby of the lover and that they were in on a scam. But there was really never any need for them to do so. Just keep buying up insurance policies and killing the insureds.

Oh well, there is always Season 8.

A Pivotal Poiint

[corbcrowe · 10/10 · 6 May 2023]

Not a spoiler to say the design and costuming of this three episode series is simply magnificent. Violetta of course but Morse is at his most mod, short thin tie nearly always loosened and Thursday has a top coat (mackintosh?) in a horizontal pattern. Not tweed or tattersall but a style that sets off his dour dark tweets and brown hat. The sets includes Morse's restoration of the iconic Oxford house (pricey for a policeman even a DI), the vivid boho house of Violetta's Lebanese's dancer's house, the interior of a fictional Oxford women's college warden's office, and of course at last Venice. The hotel room and the opera house are worth the price of admission.

If there is a quibble, it is that there is perhaps too much going on, even if all the strands are necessary to travel up into the knot that one just knew explained certain tendencies of the older Morse. But if things move faster than usual, there are still scenes where characters get to reflect for a beat on their part in the series of tragedies. And the original series itself often ended on exactly the same kind of operatic note.

Of course I will rewatch for the fashion and the interiors. Not a draw always for the quintessential Oxford procedural avant la lettre. But of course we come for the forensics filtered through a strong personality but we hope for the almost too clever literary solution as much based on Morse's gut instincts as his sharply analytical mind. Rather like what solving a crossword is like.