When this sorry period of our history is analyzed by future generations, the latest episodes of Endeavour can be added to the list of television shows hijacked by shallow, preening activists to present trite political messages. Is every show set in a particular period now going to have to be filled with speeches and moralistic lessons about the social inequities of their time? We are going to end up with some pretty awful shows, whether they are set in ancient times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance or the 1970s. Season 7 depicts quite a few white men who are just awful-violent, lecherous, sexist, sadistic. One professor is so openly and crudely anti-women, he would be rejected by Incel for extremism. Then there's the pseudo-Trump character and his followers in episode two, all hypocritical, crass xenophobes. No spoilers here, but prepare yourself for an incredibly unnuanced treatment, culminating in a scene so simplistic and didactic, it should be part of an after-school TV special for children. A plot-line involving ESP doesn't help. Yes, intelligence agencies did investigate "remote viewing," but the way it's handled here turns this show into an paranormal mystery. The true Endeavour character pokes his head out once or two instances-some opera, a crossword puzzle clue here and there-but this season has been all about the screenwriter's desperate need to be politically relevant, circa 2020. He's made a once smart show quite dumb.