Endeavour (TV Series) Canticle (2017) User Reviews

A very different outing for Morse and co.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 17 January 2017]

This was a hugely enjoyable, very different episode for Morse. The opening shots set the tone, no classical music for this one, instead we were treated to some quite brilliant 60's styled pop, made for an interesting change in tone.

The story dealt with a Society going through a period of transition, relics from the past like Mrs Pettybon desperately to reclaim the society from the 1950's, and the group pushing the boundaries of Social change and free love. The mystery itself almost played second fiddle to the wealth of goodies that were going on around it. Fantastic characters, Morse himself seemingly on a journey of self discovery, and that moment when Morse received that phone call.

Fair play to Sylvestra le Touzel, brilliant portrayal of the Mary Whitehouse inspired character Mrs Pettybon, such a brilliant actress, she added something special to this story.

Very enjoyble, character driven episode, 8/10

Some cultural icons and major subjects tackled

[KimboMeva · 8/10 · 15 May 2017]

Canticle tackles some really big topics, looking at the sexual standards and double-standards of the sixties against a backdrop of pop, rock and psychedelia. From its colourful start referencing Lulu via "Mimi", the Mary-Whitehouse-esque major character, and the Simon Dee style TV show, it makes some fun and interesting nods towards cultural icons of the era. The regular cast put in their usual high standard of performance, and the whole thing is an enjoyable mystery with a side-serving of thought- provocation. Top notch.

Morse deals with two opposing aspects of '60s Britain

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 15 January 2017]

This episode sees Morse instructed to protect moral guardian Joy Pettybon who has received death threats as her 'Clean up Britain' campaign arrives in Oxford. Inevitably Morse soon has an actual killing to deal with; this one involving a builder who was strangled; coincidentally he was last seen hanging out with the rock group 'Wildwood' which Mrs Pettybon had vocally objected to. Working on both cases he accompanies Mrs Pettybon to a TV debate in Birmingham where she is confronted by a member of the audience as well as taking part in a debate with members of Wildwood. After the debate Rev Golightly, who helped Mrs Pettybon, dies after eating a chocolate meant for her while Morse has a drink with Mrs. Pettybon's daughter Bettina in her room… something that incurs the wrath of her mother and has him thrown off the case. Of course he still has the other case to deal with and it won't surprise many viewers that ultimately it looks as though the deaths are linked.

I rather liked how this episode involved two very different elements of late sixties Britain; on the one hand the drug taking culture among certain rock groups and those around them and on the other hand those who protesting against the permissive society… anybody who remembers Mary Whitehouse and her campaign will instantly recognise Mrs Pettybon as a virtual clone; Sylvestra Le Touzel does a fine job in the role. There are plenty of potential suspects with a variety of motives, some of them not immediately obvious so the viewer is likely to be kept guessing till the end. The potential romance between Morse and Bettina was well handled as was the finale where Morse consumes a spiked drink. Overall this was a solid episode; not as dark as the previous episode; more like classic 'Inspector Morse'.

Not quite as good as "Game", still very good

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 7 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. "Canticle" is very good, if not quite as good. It is a different kind of 'Endeavour' episode with vivid brighter colours, more emphasis on the atmosphere/value/culture of the 60s and where the mystery isn't focused on quite as much. Some 'Endeavour' fans may find this different kind of 'Endeavour' too far removed from what they associate the show with, and others will appreciate a change of pace once in a while. Count me as one of the latter.

My only real complaint with "Canticle" actually is the ending, which to my liking was on the rushed and melodramatic side.

Conversely, there is nothing that can be faulted with the production values. It is exquisitely filmed, and it was hard not to love the vivid bright colours, a nice change from the more haunting ones and fitted the tone of the episode and the period itself perfectly. There is something very nostalgic and charming about the atmospherically evoked 1960s period detail. The music is also different in style and tone, less classical-oriented and more 60s-pop-esque, which worked within the episode and didn't fare too badly on its own either.

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 and the quiet affectingly profound moment between Thursday and Bright.

"Canticle's" story was intriguing, especially in the big themes/topics it tackled and how tactfully it was done. The mystery isn't quite as memorable, and parts are a little more predictable than usual (like Sylvestra Le Trouzel's character, that just about avoided being a caricature), but it was also mostly fun and maintained attention throughout.

Morse and Thursday's father/son relationship, has grown more entertaining and heartfelt with each episode, it has a lot of warmth, is so well written within the story and is a large part of the series' appeal. 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.

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. Sylvestra Le Trouzel is excellent as a character one loves to hate.

In conclusion, a very good different episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Count me among those who enjoyed this change of pace

[trixie30 · 8/10 · 3 September 2017]

Okay, first I strongly disagree with the review stating this was a "turkey." (We all have personal preferences, so I can't and won't say another reviewer was wrong, simply that I disagree.) In particular, I found the fictionalized 1960s social changes far more than some stupid "fantasy." Of course aspects were shown as more "black and white" than the reality, but then again, this is a fictional mystery series. There were (and are) both the "decency" and "freedom of expression" movements/groups/people. This look-back at 1960s society was not at all out of line.

My goodness that opening number was, while highly colorful and out of the usual "Endeavour" opening, pretty darn spot on as an homage to girl groups who wrote, performed, and filmed songs EXACTLY like it. It was not comical as a parody, but it was funny because it so perfectly hit the mark of the music we might call bubble gum today. Having the music the male group produced vastly different (strident, more graphic, etc.) was simplistic considering the number of male "pop" groups/performers and "hard rock" (if you will) female musicians of the time. But it was clearly meant to illustrate a (not the) spectrum of music in the late 1960s. I especially loved Endeavour's "I have better things to do" reaction to the whole scenario. He looked so much a fish out of water when he walked into the scene that my hubby and I both laughed. What, I ask, is wrong with showing that Morse was in some ways out of place with a good deal of his generation? It was another way of portraying Morse's personality and how it led to who he was when we first met him as a mature detective.

Showing hypocrisy of both the so called moral decency and the free living sides was, I thought, also spot on. Okay, the "Women say they want the same sexual freedoms as men, except they don't" plot was predictably cliché, but I didn't mind because I liked the episode regardless of the various levels of cliché it included.

Still, poor Endeavour. He just can't seem to catch a break in his career or with women. I'd love to see certain people have their comeuppance at some point, but I don't know if it will happen. I'm also left wondering if we will indeed see Joan at some point, but haven't looked ahead for spoilers.

Frame of reference: I enjoyed "Morse" when it was first on, though I found some episodes annoying on a re-watch a few years ago. I grew to absolutely love "Lewis," as even the episodes that aren't favorites are still enjoyable to me. So it's not surprising that I'd like "Endeavour" too and more so as the characters and show gelled during the first season into a thoroughly well done series.

The Music Scene

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 30 January 2018]

There are two strands here. One is a hypocritical right wing Christian (if you can call her that) who uses deceit and fear to help her cause of sticking her nose in everyone's business. There is one man whom she has destroyed. The second is a rock group that has had to deal with the murder of a man. Morse gets in the middle of both cases, putting him in incredible peril. We get to see a kind of early view of the use of recreational drugs and the attitudes toward musicians who profess a lifestyle that counters what people are used to. Interesting view of our own past.

FLIP-SIDE

[cervantes-4 · 7/10 · 29 January 2019]

The title of this episode, 'Canticle', if googled, defines it as 'a hymn or chant, typically with a biblical text, forming a regular part of a church service'. So it is about music & religion. We folks of a certain age remember a certain mindless joy when first encountering the tunes & irresistible charm of the Beatles. A father didn't mind his daughter posting 'the boys' on her bedroom wall. That is, until John naively declared the Beatles to be more popular than Jesus. There was an initial backlash in America, especially the South. But genius overrides all else. The Wildwood, however, represent the more dangerous, more dark, perhaps like the Stones. Still, the Wildwood have been incorporated with definite Beatlemania echos. No members of the Wildwood are acknowledged as being married, just as Cynthia Lennon had been forced into the shadows. Most strikingly, the Wildwood manager is the spitting image of Brian Epstein, obviously made so with hair style & Savile Row suit (the fellow is shoo-in casting for any major Hollywood production of the fab four). Despite the insipidness of the moral crusader & her daughter, fans can still enjoy this episode watching the regulars do their thing - the reason for the popularity of the series in the first place!

different type of Endeavour episode

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 28 August 2017]

Well I would hardly call this "a real turkey" as one reviewer did.

In this episode of Endeavour, Morse is assigned to protect Joy Pettybon, based on Mary Whitehouse, a woman campaigning to clean up Britain from anything in any medium that isn't squeaky clean.

A builder who was hanging with a popular rock group is found dead, and this sort of coincides with Morse's assignment, since Ms. Pettybon was violently opposed to this group, called Wildwood.

Then one of Ms. Pettybon's acolytes, Reverend Golightly, eats some of her candy and dies. And Morse gets in trouble for having a drink with Pettybon's daughter in her room. Pettybon wants him off the case. That actually would suit Morse fine except now there's murder involved.

I'm happy the series is on again, even though I'm sure there aren't many episodes. I like the acting - and at the end, something interesting happens, which shows that one aspect of Morse's life will be a through-thread this season.

Enough of the Late 1960s Pop Culture Tie-Ins!

[bill-2315 · 5/10 · 21 March 2018]

First, the good stuff: actor James Bradshaw's Dr. DeBrin character is so good he deserves a series of his own, and this episode,"Canticle," also features one of the rarer versions of Jimi Hendix's fantastic interpretation of "Red House."

Now the bad: I love both the Inspector Morse and Endeavour series dearly, and I would have given this otherwise excellent episode 8 stars, but the first four minutes of the show are truly annoying. I didn't mind the over-dialogue and cut-aways used to introduce the Christian media critic, but the awful pop music is simply beyond tolerating. It's the kind of mediocre rock "music" one hears in every Elvis or Beach Blanket Bingo film, which are not just forgettable but even nauseating.

My advice in watching this episode is to just mute the first 4 minutes and read the subtitles, otherwise you'll be reaching for the off switch. As for the music played by the episode's British rock group The Wildwood, I guess you can just mute that as well.

A real turkey!

[glasslens · 3/10 · 23 January 2017]

The Endeavor/Morse/Lewis franchise is known for it's high production values and these have only gotten better over time. A couple of early Morse's were a bit thin, but with Lewis and now Endeavour, standards are very high. Until Canticle.

How on earth could the producers have let this slip through? A ridiculous almost comic plot that took a fantasy view of the 60's and Mrs Whitehouse in particular, turned this episode into a sad little farce. It was clear to see that the cast didn't have their hearts in it - they had been asked to play comedy roles for goodness sake. Watch Shaun Evan's expressions carefully and you'll see what I mean. The direction was really dire and the cinematography amateur at best. Now, contrast this with the following episode, Lataretto, which was a masterclass in direction with exquisite cinematography and the cast in their best form. It's not unusual for episodes to be aired so that a weak episode is followed by a strong one to try to keep the viewing figures up and I think that this is what happened here. Producers need to keep their eye on the ball- this should never have been made.