Dead on Time

I loved this episode. We definitely get more of an insight into the characters of Morse and Lewis. Lewis has a true love for Morse and Morse is so despairingly in need of someone's love. John Thaw is wonderful in this show..his character has so many facets to his personality. He's not just a grumpy guy..he's so much more. Lewis is truly a kind and very efficient partner..I just love his character more and more. I bought the box set from Amazon..money very well spent.

An ailing man is found dead from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and all the evidence points to it being suicide. However, his doctor disputes this, saying that he was not physically able to pull the trigger. Morse and Lewis investigate.

An interesting and emotional Morse episode. We have the intrigue of the death and the possibility that it is murder. We have Morse's personal involvement: the wife of the dead man was once his fiancee. This all leads to some interesting developments and an emotional ending.

The Morse entanglement with a female person of interest in a case is beginning to wear thin though. Due to the conflict of interest you'd think either he'd have to remove himself from the case or his superiors would make that decision for him. At least in this case it's an old flame, rather than him taking a fancy to a woman that's potentially involved in the crime, but it is starting to be predictable.

I watched this episode yesterday and was so deeply impressed I decided to register just for delivering a review.

I've watched a good half of all episodes and will recommend this one URGENTLY to you… … but ONLY if you have watched at least 5 others previously !

The episodes' s plot is Shakespearean fiendish (though not entirely selfish). It reeks of revenge, love, hatred, lost possibilities and much more. Including even a "Deus ex machina" ...

It is most revealing of Morse's character - who is drawn very personally into this murder case. So far indeed as to loose his grip on evidence, motives etc. Which gives Lewis a chance to rise above his usual role - indicating the attitude he will come to be loved for in his much later role as detective in his own right …

At first it seems soooo simple - but then "fate" starts to entangle all players into her fangs. Yet things eventually turn out quite differently! You'll only get an insight into what's occurred when Morse's finally "left" …

OH - and a goodie at the end: The title has a threefold meaning, an a) literal b) metaphorical and c) technical one … ;-)

There is the apparent suicide of Henry Fallon who, suffering from a fatal disease, appears to have shot himself. The problem is that he is deemed to be incapable of performing the act. The victims wife was, at one time, engaged to be married to Morse - Susan Fallon.

Suspicion falls on Peter Rhodes,who is thought to be responsible for the deaths of Henry and Susan Fallon's daughter and grandchild. Fallon had asked him at 3.pm to come to the house at 6.0pm but the evidence appears to be that his phone was out of order at the time.

This episode fully explores the relationship between Morse and Lewis which has not, in my opinion, been given full credit. There are few partnerships that have the chemistry of these two characters.

Morse eventually comes to the conclusion that it was an assisted suicide but never actually solves the mystery. Lewis does but keeps it to himself.

My problem with this is that Morse just lets it go and does not appear to want to continue his enquiries. Totally out of character.

In contrast to seemingly everyone else, I hated this episode. Really, really hated it. Mostly because Morse acts like a complete idiot the entire time.

He fawns over Susan, the woman from his past who left him for another man, like a love-sick puppy dog. It looks like he wants to lick her boots half the time, he's so infatuated. And all the time he acts like an idiot, disregarding the case and police procedure completely.

And for what? A woman that manipulates and twists and turns people around her little finger out of some need to have people worship at her feet.

The evil ladies don't stop there, with Miss Moneyponey herself giving particularly evil and spiteful life to an amazingly distasteful character.

The only ones I feel sorry for are Lewis (who needs to solve the case himself cause Morse doesn't have enough blood to operate his brain), and poor old David Haig, playing a very pathetic and easily manipulated man burdened by guilt he doesn't really deserve.

Morse has always had spectacularly bad taste in women. And this cements that as his biggest failing.

He can't see two feet in front of his nose when an old flame is involved, and he turns from dedicated, clever detective to a numpty of epic proportions. Susan is a selfish, horrible woman who almost destroys Morse here, and he lets her like the good little loyal puppy he is.

There's a fine line between being a gentleman and just being an idiot when it comes to love, and Morse crosses that line by about 100 thousand miles.

Awful episode.