Down Among the Fearful: Part 1

I'm not sure where Part 1 and 2 separate. My version has no indication. In the first half of this episode we are introduced to a cruel psychologist who makes it his life;s work to tear the faith away from people who are in great pain. He is doing this to write a book or to get a huge government grant. One of his students decides to take his knowledge and use it to be a psychic. He is a shyster from day one but soon is found murdered in his office. He has kept his activities away from his young wife. They have a child. Why is he doing this?

(Review is of both parts).

A psychic, Randolph James, is found dead in his consulting rooms, murdered. Upon investigation it is discovered that he was living a double life: he is actually Rueben Beatty, a psychological researcher. Even his wife didn't know about this. This double life, his work as a psychic and the way he was murdered make for an intriguing mystery.

A reasonably good episode of Lewis. It's intriguing enough and the clue-gathering process is interesting.

Not brilliant though. There's a formulaic element to Lewis mysteries in that there is a second murder, of either someone who's a suspect or potentially knows too much, and this is no exception. This time round it is fairly well telegraphed too.

The revelation of the murderer is also a bit out of the blue and left-field and their motives a bit implausible making the episode not entirely satisfactory.

First of all, I must criticise ITV for splitting this drama into two, it made no sense then, and years later it still seems a baffling decision, like splitting a movie into two, totally pointless.

As for the episode itself, it's decent I guess, but by now I felt some of the magic had started to drain a little out of the show, it had become just a little formulaic, we get Hathaway mocked because of his religious beliefs, we get Jean Innocent never ever leaving her office, and of course the beautiful location work. The latter being the best element of this one.

The car accident scene was a nice touch, and of course lends itself to the conclusion of Part two. I quite like the storyline, psychics always add something a little different in a drama, and the fact that one psychic is trying to expose a fake one is a clever theme.

It's watchable, but compared to earlier episodes it lacks any zip. 6/10

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.

'Lewis' was a show that started off promisingly with the pilot and the first season, while getting even better with a more settled Season 2 where the show hit its stride. Season 3 was more of a mixed bag (not a bad season at all, but started a little disappointingly, though better than reputed, with one of the show's generally lesser episodes "Allegory of Love"). Season 4 generally was one of the better seasons of 'Lewis', with all the episodes very good to great, and Season 5 was solid with the only disappointment being "The Mind Has Mountains".

Season 6 started off very well with "The Soul of Genius", while "Generation of Vipers" was even better. Unfortunately, "Fearful Symmetry" was very disappointing and has always been one of my least favourite 'Lewis' episodes. Luckily, "The Indelible Stain" saw the sixth season back on track.

The first half "Down Among the Fearful", the first episode of the show to be divided (more like chopped, the decision does feel like an awkward one) into two halves, is decent but not great, which is a not bad but slightly disappointing standard for 'Lewis'. The pace sometimes could have been tightened, and it is agreed that Hathaway as a character has had more spark and that his and Lewis' chemistry and banter has been better written in previous episodes, feeling a little bland though with moments here.

As always, however, 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. Fox makes for a strong contrast, even if Hathaway has been better written elsewhere. The supporting cast are solid.

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.

Evidence also of decent writing, again though it has been stronger elsewhere, and the story mostly is compelling and easier to follow than the second half.

Overall, decent first half but could have been better. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Locations, as ever, helped... but the rest was, for me, rather a damp squid. The plot was shallow and unbelievable. Hathaway seems to have turned into a dullard. The banter between him and Lewis was gone. The maverick - get the job done - approach was limited to JH turning up for work with a whiplash injury. The 2x 1 hour episodes, a week apart, is just silly. I recorded them and watched them back-to-back, so skipped the adverts, so that one may need a re-think. I will of course continue with the series - again recording and watching them together. But if this is typical of the whole series it is probably the right time to bow out. That said I am hoping this is just a blip and the next episode(s) will be back on track.