Oracle

This seasons episodes have been sat on our recorder for months so I just saw the first one last night.

This story was set around the turn of the year. So the last thing you would expect to see when they visit a relative of the deceased, is a toddler sat on a blanket in the garden. This is quickly followed up by a scene with an open air concert with ladies in off the shoulder frocks. From this obvious mistake the whole episode felt very disjointed. I hope episodes 2 and 3 are better.

As this episode opens the '70s have just begun and a woman is killed as she walks along a canal towpath. DI Thursday suspects her boyfriend but doesn't have the evidence to charge him. Morse is away having a romantic holiday in Venice. When he gets back he looks at the case and believes Thursday was mistaken. He finds a potential link to a university department investigating the possibility of ESP. One of the people there says one of their test subjects 'witnessed' the crime... is this possible and if so will the police believe her? Away from the case Morse attends a music event where a man befriends him.

This was a solid opening to the latest series. The central story was classic Morse with its connections to academics. This provides some interesting backbiting as male academics are sniffy about the one woman in their group being given an opportunity to present a science programme on television... some of their attitudes make Gene Hunt, of 'Life on Mars' fame, look like a women's-libber. The investigation provides a good number of suspects and further deaths to keep the viewer interested. In the background to the main story the man who befriends Morse is intriguing and hints at what might be a series long plot line. As expected the cast is on fine form; most obviously Shaun Evans, as Morse and as Roger Allam as Thursday but also from Anton Lesser as CS Bright and Sean Rigby as DS Strange. Overall a fine episode.

When a young woman dies, pushed off a footbridge on New Year's Eve, Thursday is called to investigate. Morse has been on holiday in Venice where he has had a tryst with a sultry Italian woman. Our attention moves back and forth from the investigation to a research lab, dealing with ESP and other paranormal sciences. The men who run the lab are sexist and an attractive young graduate student receives the brunt of their chauvinism. Thursday continues expressing his pain from the work he does--dead and mutilated bodies and the worst of humanity. For some time, he has seen Morse as a threat to his position in the police, even though they are partners. Other than being a bit slow moving at times, this is an excellent offering of this series.

As a long time fan of the series I'm glad to see the high standard continuing and Shaun Evans' direction is working well.

The stories are, of course, formulaic but that's one of the attractions of this time warp series. Cast are like old friends now with Allam and Lesser bringing interesting back stories to the main plot.

Love it

I missed " Morse" , and enjoyed the first episode from the new season. I'm glad that he shaved his moustache, last season we could see only a brush hanging below a pair of sad eyes:) Now we see an interesting dynamic, apparently Morse is stepping on Tuesday's toes...we shall see what will come out of it.