Endeavour (TV Series) Game (2017) User Reviews

So Beautiful

[whatithinkis · 9/10 · 10 January 2017]

Another reviewer has addressed the excellent writing and the storytelling itself.

I'd like to comment on the absolutely exquisite photography.

The opening shot of shimmering light on the water of a Cristal Baschet, foreshadows the coming shifts to light on river water, pool water, steamy bath water.

The music is always good, since it's such a part of the Morse character, and that trend continues.

The sets gorgeous. Evocative of both mood and period.

The lighting is heartbreaking and various.

Just a truly beautiful work.

If the whole rest of the season, or as the Brits say 'series,' is this good: wow.

What treats await us.

How good was this!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 17 January 2017]

How I've missed Endeavour, I still find it remarkable the way this series has managed to capture the essence of the original Morse series, Endeavour goes from strength to strength. Firstly, a bit disappointed that Endeavour was up against Sherlock, two shows which are going to get massive audiences in their own rights.

This opener to the fourth series was a very impressive episode, first off, the music and camera-work were spot on, it looked fabulous, and that music was so in keeping. Great story, loaded with mystery, this one keeps you guessing right through to the end. Good to see a different dynamic between Morse and Thursday, the latter suffering due to daughter Joan going away. Morse frustrated and angry because of his exam papers.

All in all, this is British TV at its best, fantastic 9/10

Are a series of drownings connected?

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 8 January 2017]

As series four opens a body is pulled out of the Cherwell; that of an academic who had been missing for a month. It looks like an obvious suicide as his pockets were full of stones. The man had been part of a team working on a computer that is due to play chess against a Russian grand master. Shortly after he is found another body turns up; this time in the local slipper baths. This time it is that of a woman and there are some strange details; it is possible that she had slipped and bumped her head before drowning but it seems odd that she would go to the slipper baths when she had a bath at home and there was something unexpected in her nose and ears. When another body turns up at the baths Morse is convinced that all the drownings are connected but how they are connected isn't obvious; the only links are that all three drowned and all three played chess; although not together. Neither Morse nor Thursday are on top form; Thursday hasn't got over his daughter leaving home without saying where she was going and Morse is furious that he failed his Sergeants exam because his papers, and only his papers, had got 'lost', to make matters worse for him a journalist steals his notebook and prints important details of the case in the Oxford Mail.

This was a good series opener; there were more murders than a typical episode of 'Midsomer Murders' but the case is somewhat more disturbing that one would expect in that show. There were plenty of suspects, none of which are particularly obvious even after the motive is exposed. There is some sense of danger, and justifiably so. Given that we are now in the fourth series it is nice to see that the main characters are still developing; Morse is having to deal with the fact that somebody is trying to sabotage his career and Thursday is struggling to deal with not knowing where his daughter is… something that is making him snappy at work and most obviously affecting his relationship with Morse. The cast are on good form, the episode nicely captured the time period and as the episode ending there were hints at the possibility of an ongoing story that could take place throughout the season… only time will tell what it meant.

Soundtrack trivia

[loristanislaus-44190 · 10/10 · 7 July 2021]

The opening music is hauntingly beautiful. It's also predominantly featured on POIROT episode Five Little Pigs. Its a piece by Erik Satie called Gnossienne no. 1.

season 4 starts out with a bang

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 21 August 2017]

I have a certain level of frustration with Endeavour. First, like the other Mystery series, there aren't enough of them. Secondly, the show pulled the same thing it pulled the last time it was on. They did not repeat the last episode of the previous series - we have to wait so long for these shows, by the time the new season rolls around, I frankly can't remember every detail of how the last season ended.

That being said, this season 4 opener was excellent. While Morse awaits the outcome of his detective exam, we have a huge computer named Jason playing a chess match, a crime novelist doing a book signing, and a body found in the river. And there are more bodies, all drowned in various waters. Smelling a story, a news reporter approaches Morse with some information, hoping to obtain some in return. This leads to a problem for Morse.

Now, are all these things connected? Surprisingly, maybe with the exception of the detective exam, they are. And it's Morse who picks up important clues and comes up with the notion that these murders are connected -- and how to find the killer.

Poor Inspector Thursday and his wife continue to suffer over the departure of their daughter Joan, as does Morse. And Thursday becomes all the more frustrated when he realizes he should have listened to Morse regarding their current case. "You knew," he says almost accusingly. "You always know."

A terrific script and the usual excellent performances make this a winner. Though I admit I have never found Shaun Evans to be like Morse, he is wonderful. This series stands on its own with no problem. I just wish all of these shows - Endeavour, Grantchester, etc., had longer seasons.

Terrific start to Season 4

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 6 July 2017]

Having recently been, and just finished being, on a roll reviewing all the episodes of 'Lewis', which generally was very enjoyable before having some disappointments later on, it occurred to me to do the same for 'Inspector Morse's' (one of my favourites for over a decade, and all the episodes were also reviewed in my first year on IMDb eight years ago) prequel series 'Endeavour'.

As said in my review for the entire show two years ago, 'Endeavour' is not just a more than worthy prequel series to one of my favourite detective dramas of all time and goes very well with it, but it is a great series on its own as well. It maintains everything that makes 'Inspector Morse' so good, while also containing enough to make it its own, and in my mind 'Inspector Morse', 'Lewis' and 'Endeavour' go perfectly well together.

Was very impressed by the pilot episode, even with a very understandable slight finding-its-feet feel (that is true of a lot of shows, exceptions like 'Morse' itself, 'A Touch of Frost' and 'Midsomer Murders', which started off great and were remarkably well established, are fairly few. The first season was even better, with all the episodes being outstanding. Season 2 took a darker turn, but once again all the episodes were great (even with "Trove" having one of 'Endeavour's' most far-fetched and over-complicated endings, great episode otherwise), with the weakest one "Sway" still being very good, "Neverland" especially was exceptional and a show high-point.

Season 3 is considered by fans as nowhere near as good as previously. Will admit that it is not as good as Seasons 1 and 2, which had more believable stories and didn't try to do too much but count me in as someone who has still enjoyed the episodes and has found a lot to like, while finding "Coda" outstanding.

"Game" was such a terrific start for Season 4. It was nearly perfect, apart from a couple of things that came across as odd. Didn't buy that Morse didn't make an official complaint over the missing paper (something he absolutely should have done and it may have marginally cooled his understandable anger and confusion, such a decision was rather out of character for him being someone who wouldn't stand for corruption) or Bright doing the equivalent of nothing (for his position that was pretty incompetent).

Conversely, there is nothing that can be faulted with the production values. It is exquisitely filmed, especially that truly glistening opening shot, and how everything is lit which enhances the atmosphere hugely, and there is something very nostalgic and charming about the atmospherically evoked 1960s period detail. Anybody else find those swimming baths eerie as well? Barrington Pheloung as composer for 'Endeavour' was always a genius move, the music is still hauntingly beautiful, and the 'Inspector Morse' theme is still immortal. The use of Satie was quite moving.

Writing, as has been said many times in my reviews for the previous 'Endeavour' episodes, is every bit as intelligent, entertaining and tense as the previous episodes and as the best of 'Morse', with some funny lines from Max. Enjoyed the references to the first Morse episode "The Dead of Jericho", 'The Day Today', Douglas Adams and the 1970 'Colossus' film.

The story is both creepy and poignant, with the changing dynamic between Morse and Thursday powerfully done, really felt for Thursday in his depressive grief and one can understand Morse's simmering anger and confusion. It doesn't suffer from too many characters or red herrings that some of Season 3 did. The pacing is restrained, but that allows the atmosphere to come through, and pretty much all the same it excels in that aspect. The characters are interesting, lead and supporting, "), with Morse displaying more recognisable character quirks with each episode and as aforementioned it is impossible not to love his relationship with Thursday.

Shaun Evans as ever does some powerful, charismatic work as younger Morse, showing enough loyalty to John Thaw's iconic Morse while making the character his own too. Roger Allam is also superb, his rapport with Evans always compels and entertains but Thursday is quite a sympathetic character, as well as loyal and firm, and Allam does a lot special with a role that could have been less interesting possibly in lesser hands. Oh, and to me, courtesy of Ashley Pearce "Game" is one of the best-directed 'Endeavour' episodes.

In conclusion, terrific. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Season Four Back with a Bang

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 29 January 2018]

As Morse comes to realize that something is blocking his promotions (his test was misplaced meaning a fail) he must decide whether to continue to do his job with little respect or opportunity for recognition. Thursday is in a funk following his daughter's taking off on her own with no forwarding address. He takes it out on his fellow workers and specifically on Morse. The case involves a series of drowning around a campus, at a public bath. The major event on campus is a chess match between a primitive (by our standards) computer and a Russian champion. This is Britain's introduction to Nerdity (if you will). Those most in danger seem to be those who are closest to the case. Morse is such a complex young man, dealing with so much angst.

Love Endeavour

[lyninbyron · 9/10 · 9 June 2018]

Brilliant series, keep 'me coming! The casting and story lines are compelling and the locations and look of the series is, yes, brilliant. If you like midsummer murders then you'll love Endeavour!

"You don't have to stay in Oxford"

[ygwerin1 · 8/10 · 4 June 2022]

A body washes up in Chirwell river and it appears, to match the description of a Dr Richard Nielsan who has been missing for a short while.

DC Morse is expecting the results of his Sergeants exam, but CS Bright has to inform him that according to County Records, "a number of exam papers failed to turn up for marking, as his wasn't received it was adhjucated that meant he'd failed, better luck next time".

Another body that of a young woman turns up drowned in the slipper baths, it's assumed by police to be an accident, but the body of a young lad is later found in the same pool, differences being that he couldn't swim, and that he'd been drown elsewhere. A young women reporter on the local rag who had reported on the case was found drowned, in circumstances that link her death with the case.

A prestigious international chess tournament has come to Oxford between GB and Russia, involving a supercomputer and Morse, is seconded to provide police assistance at the event, because of his at least meagre Russian.

An exceptional episode, a great start to the season with the only drawback in the face of the killer

[znatokdetectiva · 8/10 · 24 October 2020]

I really love the detective series "Endeavour", in my opinion, this is a great prequel to"Inspector Morse" (one of the best detective shows in fact) and a good show in itself. "Endeavour "started with a solid pilot episode and got even better with "Girl" and "Fugue", two very solid episodes of the show, after which the first season ended with two decent episodes of "Rocket" and "Home". The second season got even better and darker, with the only bad episode "Neverland". Season 3 started very poorly, with "Ride", leveled off a bit on" Arcadia "and" Prey "(the latter's lack of a completely uninteresting ending), but ended with a rather weak"Coda". "Game" is a very strong improvement over the entire previous season and just an exceptional episode, with the kind of bleakness that I missed so much in half the episodes of season 3. In terms of tension, "Game" corresponds to the episodes "Sway", "Neverland"and " Prey". It is also quite elegantly photographed, lots of beautiful shots, the atmosphere is great (although not as great as in the first 2 seasons). A lot of intrigue, good plot moves and tense moments. The disadvantage of such an exceptional episode is the same as in Foyle's great War episode "Enemy Fire", which was brilliant until it was slightly let down by the ending, or rather, by a completely unsolved killer. Unfortunately, this is a big drawback. Total, an exceptional episode, although not without drawbacks. 10/10

Guess I need some more adaptation

[sherlockshen · 8/10 · 3 July 2022]

This opener of season 4 seems quite acclaimed among other reviews. However, I can hardly tell any highlights about the crime. I even got a feeling that the new pretty journalist might become one of the main characters, moreover, might have an affair with Morse.

All in all, I didn't catch up the story development until the last several minutes. I guess I still need some experiences to be familiar with the culture and to adapt the genre.

By the way, the missing paper scene was quite fit my appetite. Need some more frustration to accelerate the growth of Morse.