Endeavour finale goes out on a high
And so it begins. Or should I say ‘ends’. It opens in heavy snow with the choral sounds of Faure’s In Paradisum. The lyrics ‘may angels lead you into paradise’ is a chilling omen of things to come. I expect the Endeavour body count to be high and to have my emotions strained to breaking point. I didn’t have long to wait. A hit-and-run accident claims the life of an eminent classics professor. Cue the grieving widow, sinister professors, multiple suspects and Endeavour digging in until there are handcuffs. It’s a curious contrast to have what looks like the cast of early Eastenders doing double duty in tonight’s episode however. On the other hand, I’m especially loving the Get Carter references with the name of the gangsters Sid and Gerald Fletcher.
In this last of the four pre-Morse episodes I was pleasantly surprised by the blend of musical genre. Less of the classics and more of that rock n roll jazz vibe. Think dark, edgy clubs with a live band, Rachel D’Arcy on vocals playing a jaunty ukulele, intimate red lights and cigarette girls. All this during a period when police sourced their information from newspaper men, brushed too much under the carpet when it suited and settled old scores with the gang leaders from their yesterdays with hand guns which they kept hidden in their shed just for the occasion. Righto then.
It’s bitter sweet that in this last instalment we discover more about Thursday and Endeavour’s backstories. The two open up to each other and we meet Endeavour’s family for the first time. There’s a touching ‘aww’ moment where Thursday thinks Endeavour is dating his daughter and tells him to be good to her. Contrast that with the empty conversations Endeavour has with his ailing dad. When Endeavour confirms he’s still with the police he replies, “I never liked the police”.
Somewhere in the last fifteen minutes, we find out how PC Strange qualified as a sergeant before Endeavour and what Thursday would do to protect his family and indeed to protect Endeavour.
Irritating to have about seven Viking Cruise ad breaks in the two-hour long finale. The suspense itself is murder. I’ve never wanted to get to the end of something so much even as I knew it really would be the end of this compelling, award-deserving drama. Just as I begin to hear my heart beating louder than the sound of Thursday’s gun, my mobile phone rings, yanking me out of the TV. A long distance phone call. Aargh. Rewind and rewatch. From the beginning.
Now that we’ve completed the journey of Endeavour’s transition from ‘innocence to experience’, there seems to be so much left untold in the tale of the young Morse. It appears to have ended as suddenly as it began. Guess it’s back to watching Morse clips online, wishing for a second series and of course, getting my hands on the Series 1 DVD.
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8 thoughts on “‘Endeavour’ Series 1, Episode 4: ‘Home’ Review”
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Why is Rachel D’arcy’s song “I need some rock and roll” NOT on the soundtrack???
How does one acquire a copy of this song in its entirety?????????
Been searching the internet for months now and cannot find a trace of it.
The most amazing song, sung by the most amazing artist!
Mein Gott, Somebody PLEASE help me with this!!!!!
Does anyone know who the singer was in the “home” episode?
The singer was Rachel D’Arcy as mentioned in the article 🙂
I thought it was a great episode, for all the reasons mentioned already. But, it seems the writers got it wrong with the age difference between Joycie and Endeavor. He was 12 years old when his dad divorced his mum and went to Gwen, no? And, wasn’t it Gwen who was uncomfortable with E, being jealous of the previous years he had with his dad. Previously, in Seraphim and Cherubim, where I’m getting all this, it seemed Dad and E got on ok. Where was Gwen when Dad died? That seemed glaring. I didn’t expect to like Endeavor, I loved Morse much too much. I have been wonderfully surprised by it, look forward to next season.
No doubt this final episode of series 1 had me on the edge of my seat but for the first time, the two main characters’ lives grabbed center stage rather than maintaining the balance of the previous episodes between the personal and the solving of the crime. I was terrified we’d lose Thursday as reckless and willing to fight that he seemed to be. Morse’s life and troubles seemed almost muted. The denouement was an afterthought. Structurally, it wasn’t as sound as say “Fugue” but it kept me glued to the tv, willing Thursday to be careful, not be stupid…
It was fascinating the way they found a guy to play Endeavor’s father who looked a lot like John Thaw….I thought it would be a bigger problem for me than it turned out to be…the way the young actor in this prequel looks nothing like the old Morse.
What a quality series this has been ….from start to finish. Shaun Evans has been so good, he was morphing into Morse with every mannerism. I was in total awe of Roger Allam’s performance in ‘Home’..you would n’t want to cross him, (slightly ironic comment?), right up to the moment where he hurled the wreath onto the club table…. (Cheering for Insp. Fred Thursday!) —protecting Endeavour, even though he could have done with him on hand. We, the viewer’s knew that Endeavour would have a Eureka moment and hot foot it back to save the day, backed up by the police cavalry. So, so good. Well done Colin Dexter…quality script and evocative sets indicative of the era…low-lit dens of iniquity with edgy music and ‘hostesses’ plying their trade. Spotted you around the table… Endeavour’s father was a ‘cold fish’, totally lacking in support of his brilliant and dedicated son…the actor was well cast baring a physical resemblance to the late John Thaw. His sister was much more empathetic and ‘sisterly’. Contrast the Thursday household where there is seemingly a place for Endeavour at the dinner table. Touching how Thursday thought it was Endeavour taking his daughter out and telling him to look after her and yet, we see the perceptive Endeavour telling the police colleague ‘what’s what!’ and refusing any ‘favours’…something that was particularly ‘endearing’ about Morse..his strong belief in doing ‘the right thing’. Surely, there will be a second series commissioned as Series 1 is of such a high standard? Great stuff ITV….keep it coming! I ♥ Endeavour.