Inspector Morse: Dead on Time (1992)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Daniel Boyle, based upon characters created by Colin Dexter
Directed by John Madden
Starring John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Joanna David, Richard Pasco, Adrian Dunbar

Features:

• Cast biograpies
  
• Trivia
  
• Selected filmographies
  

Released by: BFS
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: At least rent it, and buy it if you love the BBC or mysteries

Lacking the slick sophistication of Poirot or the charm of the irritating Miss Marple, Inspector Morse has always been a bit more like modern Sherlock Holmes--with a drinking problem to replace the cocaine habit and an Oxford education instead of a violin, but the easygoing Lewis is much like the smart, but gentle Watson. People who love to see realistically bitter and disaffected police turn to Morse for their fix of cerebral guilty pleasure.

In this foray by our favorite irascible detective, Morse is sent to investigate the suicide of an Oxford Don. The wife of the dead man is none other than Susan Fallon, the woman to whom Morse was once engaged to be married. But when a friend of the deceased returns from abroad with new evidence, it looks as if what seemed a simple suicide is in fact, as we all suspected, murder most foul. Lewis indeed becomes concerned that Morse’s history with Susan will cloud the explosive detective’s judgment; will Morse solve the crime without getting himself dead or ending up with a broken heart for the second time? Or will His Crankiness finally get a real chance at love?

This episode shows a lot of Lewis, and fans of his character will be pleased. Lewis’ professionalism and compassion for the troubled Morse might just save Morse’s life again. For all of Morse’s intelligence and culture, Lewis is a prime example of how underrated the sidekicks are in detective dramas; they aren’t just there to be clueless and show how smart the main character is.

Originally filmed in 1992, the show has all the hallmarks of quality-made television. The sound is clear and crisp, and the colors have not deteriorated in the intervening decade. It does not look quite as good as a digital cable show today would look, but it takes a pretty picky and obsessive viewer to notice any problems or to care.

The features are the usual features included on the discs in this series: a selection of trivia/random notes and information, biographies of the main actors, and selected filmographies. It is good that the production company put these features on each disc, knowing that they would not always be sold as a set.

Overall, if you enjoy the BBC’s other mystery titles, such as Poirot or the new Wire in the Blood, then you will likely enjoy Inspector Morse. This particular episode has some interesting characterization in it as well, revealing more than we had known about Morse’s past and his willingness to involve himself personally with an investigation.