How well it will end for Fred and the Thursday family in two episodes’ time remains to be seen. The return of Ronnie Box, Landesman Construction, and the hushed-up Blenheim Vale abuse scandal though, threaten devastation.
In its final series, Endeavour is picking up one of its most dramatic story lines. The last time we were at Blenheim Vale in Series 2’s ‘Neverland’, Fred caught a bullet and Morse was framed for murder. Even after those wrongs were righted, the establishment cover-up left a very sour taste. Add in the bent Soho police Fred encountered in last series’ ‘Scherzo’ (spot The Ostrich Fanciers’ Club card among Mickey Flood’s possessions?) and the stink of corruption that follows ex-copper Ronnie Box and any mention of Charlie Thursday around, and there’s a promising sense of building dread – helped in no small part by the tense string soundtrack provided by the Oxford Concert Orchestra. That was cleverly done.
Before the dread arrives, ‘Prelude’ let us spend a bit of time in Endeavour fans’ happy place. The brief scene of Morse and Thursday chewing over the case on that bench by the sun-sparkling river, a picturesque university college and a lazily steered punt as their backdrop, distilled the essence of their fruitful partnership and the shorthand they’ve developed over the years.
The concert orchestra setting too, could hardly have been more typically Oxford or Morse, with its evening-wear-on-the-lawn style, rakish viola player’s Latin gags, caricatured snob of a composer and beautiful guest soloist catching Morse’s eye. Throw in Dr DeBryn at his punning best, Ms Frazil’s wry erudition, Strange making a harmless tit of himself (wrong Hardy, matey), and a scene involving Fred’s sandwiches, and it was a welcome replay of some much-loved hits.
(Not least of which: a familiar-looking sale poster model for ‘Dexter Satchels’ on the wall at Burridges while Morse was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. And what do we make of murder victim Andy Lewis, down from the North-East. Any relation to another Geordie we know of that name?)
The familiarity was needed to offset the sadness that in its final series (“the curse of the ninth”, as pompous Sir Alex described it in that meta-discussion of the inability to go beyond) Endeavour is starting to say goodbye. Bright is retiring and he wants to see his men to safe harbour before he goes.
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