With a distinctly chilly feeling in the air, distinctly different from the previous series, nothing will ever be the same again. Considering what transpired during the seventh series premiere, especially between Detective Sergeant Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) and Detective Chief Inspector Fred Thursday (Roger Allam), a parting of the ways was inevitable.

People that have been with Morse’s story since the beginning, the original Inspector Morse series, will know of the character’s commitment to pursuing the truth. With no regard for anyone’s feelings, regardless of how his words might be perceived, Morse has never shied away from speaking his mind. This is no less true in previous Endeavour episodes as it is with this latest instalment.

St Matilda’s College, an all-female educational establishment, is under threat. It has been proposed, whilst Magdalena Byrne (Marianne Oldham) adamantly opposes the move, male students being admitted. With there being only five Oxford colleges that permit female students, something that has thankfully changed since the period in which this episode is set, one can see why Byrne would want to maintain an all-female student body. The death of a student at the college, another freak accident, draws Morse’s attention.

When the Towpath Murderer strikes again, a case which local police thought was closed, tensions between Morse and Thursday escalate significantly.

This least three episodes, far more serialised than that seen in previous years, allows several plot threads to unfold at a gentler pace. Consequently, because of this, the seventh series feels a tad more nuanced. Whilst Endeavour has never failed to entertain, with writers, actors, and directors raising the bar to the highest it’s ever been, there is an ineffable quality to the seventh series which transcends mere words.

A series of seemingly unconnected accidents, even though Thursday is adamant there is nothing proving Dorothea Frazil (Abigail Thaw) right, gives us an integrating case for the detective sergeant. Frazil’s investigations, in her capacity as The Oxford Mail editor, are getting nowhere with Thursday because he doesn’t believe any of the so-called accidents are linked.

Further to the cases in Oxford, the newspaper editor references more than a dozen fatal accidents in Dover and Uttoxeter.

When it is revealed there were also cases in Leicester, long time Morse fans will have immediately seen what connects the accidents. Answers hidden in plain sight are typical of the series. One only needs to know where to look. When placed in a specific order: Leicester, Uttoxeter, Dover, and Oxford, there are no doubts. We first met Ludo Talenti (Ryan Gage) in the seventh series premiere. The locations where the accidents occurred spell out his first name.

Image Credit: IMDb.com

The Oxford Mail editor is steadfast in her belief there is more to these accidents than that first meets the eye. Morse, despite his initial scepticism, finds substantive evidence supporting Frazil’s theories. Thursday’s pride doesn’t allow him the possibility he’s wrong. Recriminations between Morse and Thursday, something medical examiner Dr Max DeBryn (James Bradshaw) found beyond the pale, was a bridge too far.

With Carrie Bright’s (Carol Royle) having undergone an experimental treatment for her condition, on her return from these United States, Chief Superintendent Reginald Bright (Anton Lesser) sees a happier future. Showrunners have a sting in the tale for the Brights when Mrs Bright’s death brings the case uncomfortably close to home.

Bright isn’t the man he once was. He’s grown significantly over the years. This is in on small part to the way Lesser personifies his character. Lesser brings to his Endeavour character the same level of commitment we saw with such productions as Dickensian, The Crown, and Game of Thrones.

There has always been an operatic element to Endeavour, first seen with Inspector Morse, which permeates the period drama. Even though there are varying degrees of tragedy seen in each episode, coupled with hints of comedy, Endeavour is a uniquely entertaining period drama. It perfectly embodies the notion, when the closing credits begin to roll, the television audience should be left wanting more.

Morse’s letter to Joan Thursday (Sara Vickers), one opened by her mother Win (Caroline O’Neill), tells us all we need to know about the detective sergeant’s relationship with Thursday. Even though Morse takes full responsibility for what occurred between them, not that there wasn’t enough blame on both sides, part of me thinks Morse knew Win would open his letter. The tone of the letter suggests Morse’s feelings for Joan haven’t completely vanished.

As for his friendship with her father, the detective chief inspector, the last scene speaks volumes to the direction series eight might take. Whilst there are references to Desmond McNutt, if Endeavour continues for another few series, we might see him replace Thursday as Morse’s mentor.

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