Your Sudden Death Question

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, it's perhaps one of my favourite episodes of Lewis, several reasons, the originality of the script, I can't think of many shows set to a Quiz show, I love the depth of the mystery, it's definitely one that gets the grey matter working, I also loved the wonderful cast. It took a second watch for me to fully understand what was going on, the killer's motives etc, there were plenty of red herrings to mull over.

Great to see Alan Davies here as a suspect, and host, as opposed to a Gameshow Guest or Detective, cast against type. I loved the duo of Nicholas Farrell and Timothy West, there truly was a lot of talent here. The side story of Hathaway's guitar was also a nice touch.

Innocent kept up the theme of dressing as though she were off to an evening Soiree.

Ticks all the boxes, 9/10.

Not a full review, just a correction to an earlier review.

Ava Taylor and Ethan Croft's team is called Nuts, from the National Union of Teachers (NUT), and the town they work in is Reading, not Redding (but it is pronounced redding!)

Also, it's Old Contemptibles, not contemptables.

Hearing about 'Lewis' for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as 'Inspector Morse' was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good. The good news is, like the prequel series 'Endeavour', 'Lewis' is every bit as good as 'Inspector Morse' and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general.

As said a number of times already, 'Lewis' started off very promising with the pilot and Season 1. It was with Season 2 where 'Lewis' hit its stride with things generally feeling more settled. Season 3 was a more mixed bag, started disappointing "Allegory of Love" (though to me it was not a bad episode), before getting better with "The Quality of Mercy" and finishing well. "The Dead of Winter" was a well done start to Season 4, "Dark Matter" was to me the best episode since "Music to Die For" and this episode "Your Sudden Death Question" is solid.

It is an imperfect episode, while liking the show very much very few of the episodes are without flaws. Alan Davies has an annoying character who Davies plays just as annoyingly. The pacing occasionally lacks tightness and the mystery is not always focused.

On the other hand, the acting is fine, anchored by Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox. Whately is again very good and carries the episode with aplomb, advantaged by that Lewis is much more developed and as said he has more development. Clare Holman adds a lot and has an even bigger role than before (a sensitive performance that is some of her best on the show), which was great. Fox is a breath of fresh air in a great contrasting role that reminds one of a more intelligent Lewis in his younger days and his sparkling sparring chemistry with Whately is a big part of the episode's, and show's, appeal. The support acting, Davies aside, is very good.

Production values are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot as always, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of pre-existing music is very well-incorporated.

Writing is smart and thought-provoking with the identity of the killer a real surprise. The climax is not as confused, far-fetched or over-stuffed as some climaxes/endings of the show. The story is gripping with great twists and turns and there is also a real effort to properly develop all the ideas introduced rather than leaving questions in the balance, not always the case with 'Lewis'. The characters are well written and engaging.

In conclusion, nice solid episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

While Oxford University celebrates its summer holiday with dismissal, a Quizmaster Marcus Richards (Alan Davies) selects six teams of two contestants each, to compete for a 5,000 pound cash prize in a campus hall over the course of a Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. These teams consist of...

"Red Hot Mamas" pairs Robyn Strong (Ruth Gemmell) and Eve Rigby (Sally Bretton). While an unmarried Robyn has a two-year-old child, the married Eve spends time away from her husband to join her close friend in the competition, naming their team after classic singer Sophie Tucker's nickname.

"Nots" with Ava Taylor (Tabitha Wady) and Ethan Croft (Adam James), primary schoolteachers in Redding, derives its team name from the National Organization of teachers. Ethan, an Oxford alumni who had once faced a campus scandal, also works as a Russian and Eastern European language translator.

"Old Contemptables" with Diane Baxter (Anna Koval) and Brian Kaye (Jamie Michie), arrive, each bearing secrets of her or his own. When Diana visits Brian at his dormitory room, she observes his concealing a knife beneath his pillow.

"Toxic Debt" consists of Sophie Barton (Natalie Dew) and Alfie Wilkinson (Jack Fox), striving students with a sharp knack for quiz games, as well as for stumbling across bodies on campus.

"Class of '89" features Jessica Neill (Emma Cleasby) and Sebastian Anderson (Alastair Mackenzie), practicing attorneys who name their team after their Oxford University alumni troop.

"Grey Guardians" has Donald Terry (Timothy West) a veteran Oxford Professor, naming the team after "truth and beauty," and Charles Milner (Nicholas Farrell) a Professor of Engineering, who has previously overseen the construction of a campus building employing Russian architects for its construction.

Marcus Richards patterns his questions for the twelve with the couplet formula of "How does A connect with B?" seeking a one-word answer with explanation, sometimes presenting the quiz questions unto the twelve, and at other times placing one team against another, for immediate responses.

Meanwhile, the local law enforcement agency also makes individualized plans of its own to spend a two-day holiday off duty.... Detective Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) purchases two tickets for the Opera "Fairie Queene," while Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) packs his Gibson guitar to attend a Music festival in Somerset, while Chief Superintendent Innocent (Rebecca Front) reluctantly leaves for her cousin's wedding in Norfolk, while Doctor Laura Hobson (Clare Holman) makes reservations for out-of-town accommodations, while her escort purchases two tickets for the Opera "Fairie Queene."

And after quiz contestants are given the evening off from the rounds on Friday, with a 9:00 PM curfew to return to campus, Lester Garvey (Ian Mercer), Gatekeeper and Porter, welcomes Sophie and Alfie back late, as he prepares to lock the gate.

But when Alfie discovers a body in the quad fountain, he explains to Sophie that BFIW means "body found in water," and all bets are off as the Detective crew must now cancel its holiday plans. But James' guitar is stolen from his boot anyway, so he's probably the least reluctant to return to Oxford.

Well, the resulting investigation takes Lewis and Hathaway on campus and off, as they observe the continuing quiz program in process, while questioning participants individually, and heading into Oxford to question others, including Jean Croft (Susannah Doyle), wife of Ethan, who has been visiting her mother in Brighton; Susan Banks (Kazia Pelka), a Russian translator, whom Chief Superintendent Innocent agrees to hire at Saturday rates; Rosamund Franklin (Rose Heiney), a Librarian, who discusses which suspects may have happened by; Gwen Milner (Helen Grace), wife of Charles, an Oxford University alumnus, now a church organist with a past; and Mr. Davies (Paul Reynolds), a concert attendee who may have information regarding James' stolen guitar.

But on Saturday afternoon, Sophie stumbles across a second body, the victim of strangulation, after Laura identifies the cause of death of the first victim a drowning after a bruising altercation.

Robert Lewis presents his plan for suspects to essay their whereabouts on Saturday afternoon in order to compare notes to attempt to uncover conflicting reports, and from there to attempt to discover who's lying. After another series of questioning suspects, while suspects also answer another series of quiz questions, Lewis and Hathaway prepare to link the murders with a series of showdown scenes.

Comments: A promising premise may help to maintain viewer interest although this episode seems to veer from its course at times. Ruth Gemmell stands out in her role as one who fully realizes the tragedy of unrequited romance, when she finds a way to reunite with her first love as a teenager, and he not only doesn't recognize her, but immediately makes a play for her best friend, who's off the market, as is her former beau.

Clare Holman also delivers an exceptionally sensitive performance with her understanding and tender treatment of Whately's "Robbie," who doesn't seem to notice the lovely and attentive Laura through his long-term grief.

Nicholas Farrell adds dynamics to the value of this episode as an academic harboring a multitude of secrets, as does Alastair Mackenzie as a lawyer with questionable values. Jack Fox, the younger brother of series co-star Laurence Fox, and Laurence cleverly do not allow their familiarity to stand in the way of either's respective performance.

This is probably one of my favorite episodes. It's Full of very familiar actors, Inspector Sullivan, Alastair MacKenzie of Father Brown and Alan Davies of Jonathan Creek for example. Superintendent Innocent is a bit playful while serious funny. It's great to have an episode that's not centered on some crazy religious fanatical bunch of priests or professors. Sargent Hathaway is keen on so called helping with Inspector Lewis's advancing relationship with Dr Hobson. At least they killed off a man before killing off the pretty girls. It's usually pretty girls eighty percent of the time I believe. Enjoy rewatching it.