Crime-solving ‘Lewis’ hangs it up in summer trilogy
Viewers on both sides of the Atlantic were initially besotted with the often crusty British detective at the heart of “Inspector Morse.”
Created by Colin Dexter and portrayed by the late John Thaw, the patrician crime solver based in Oxford, England, became a beloved figure as lead in the definitive British police procedural.
When the character died, and the “Masterpiece” series ended, in 2000, fans were naturally upset. But there was more to come, a way to uphold the detective’s legacy, when plebeian deputy Robbie Lewis (Kevin Whately) stepped up with the spin-off “Inspector Lewis” in 2006.
It was a rather courageous move on the part of the actor and the show’s producers:
On Sunday, the first of a trio of episodes will end the series on PBS, and there is no question that it will be missed.
Could the spirit of the original series carry over to a spin-off centered on an entirely different kind of crime-solver?
The answer was yes, as we found out when “Lewis” premiered. But now, too, this inspector’s time must come to an end.
On Sunday, the first of a trio of episodes will end the series on PBS, and there is no question that it will be missed.
Like virtually every episode of both “Morse” and “Lewis,” the final stories make fertile use of the Oxford University community. Morse himself was perhaps a better fit in this regard. He was a man who loved the finer things in life — superior wine, opera, poetry, art, crossword puzzles and his classic Jaguar.
Lewis was always more of a fish-and-chips-with-a-pint kind of guy. The difference actually helped Whately when “Lewis” launched in England (and four years after Thaw’s death). The only shoes Whately had to fill were his own, and metaphorically, they were thick-soled cop shoes with worn heels.
Lewis did have to prove himself as a skilled detective in his own right, not merely the sidekick to Morse. He has done that, to perfection, for nearly a decade.
Certainly, the show’s writers have done a superb job developing Lewis as a far more complicated character than he was when he was Morse’s sergeant. After losing his wife in a hit-and-run accident, Lewis wandered through life for a while. He has two grown children, but it was his work that dulled the constant pain of loss he carried.
Lewis became a good detective but was rarely accorded the respect he deserved. Even in this month’s final episodes, Lewis is all but ignored by his new chief superintendent, Joe Moody (Steve Toussaint), who, instead, looks to Lewis’ chainsmoking, moody and emotionally buttoned up deputy, DI James Hathaway (Laurence Fox), as the de facto leader of an investigation into the case of a young student who is found dead of a heroine overdose.
Suspects include the victim’s sister, who is an attentionseeking blogger, an elderly taxidermist and the family of an academic colleague.
Lewis and Hathaway are assisted in their investigation by Detective Sergeant Lizzie Maddox (Angela Griffin) and, of course, medical examiner Laura Hobson (Clare Holman), who has become Lewis’ ever-patient life partner.
“Magnum Opus,” airing on PBS on Aug. 14, finds Lewis and Hathaway investigating a possible serial killer at work after a body is found in the woods near the university. They trace the murder to a secret religious cult of academics linked by a belief in theories developed by theologian Charles Williams.
“What Lies Tangled,” the series finale set for an Aug. 21 broadcast, is about the case of a brilliant young math professor who is killed by a parcel bomb, devastating his frail father (David Warner) and the victim’s brother (Oliver Lansley).
But, of course, the real mystery for viewers will be how “Inspector Lewis” will end, whether the character will die, as Morse’s character did, and if there is a chance the show might continue.
The final three episodes have a running secondary storyline about Lewis and Hobson taking an extended trip to New Zealand to visit her family. It’s clear Lewis doesn’t want to go because he’s only really at home doing his job, or so he thinks, and because he’s worried that Moody’s general iciness toward him may mean he won’t have a job to return to after the trip.
Lewis’ personal issues pale in comparison to Hathaway’s, however. It has been said, and bears repeating, that Hathaway’s character is actually closer to that of Endeavour Morse than Robbie Lewis. He is an academic, has a mysterious personal life and seems ever at war with inner demons.
In the final trio, Hathaway’s emotional barricades are tested as never before by his father’s deteriorating mental state. Hathaway is at a loss, all but taking refuge in his work as his sister attends to their father’s needs.
It is no exaggeration to say that Hathaway has become even more beloved in “Lewis” than Robbie was in “Morse.” Fans would not be heartbroken if a series called “Hathaway” followed the end of “Lewis,” but at this point, they will have to be content with the very worthy prequel, “Endeavour,” on PBS.
Robbie Lewis has more than earned our respect and admiration, thanks to Whately’s performance and equally superior work from the series writers.
Morse would have been proud. Grudgingly, of course, but very, very proud.