Enduring and Endearing

INSPECTOR MORSE: THE DEAD OF JERICHO/THE MYSTERY OF MORSE–DVD

I appreciated seeing the first episode of this long-running series adapting Colin Dexter’s fine novels. Seeing how the characters and their relationships were introduced and begun to be developed is helpful to as I now catch-up with the rest of my Morse education.

The accompanying documentary, “The Mystery of Morse,” is very well done–informative, funny, and poignant in places.

 John Thaw speaks eloquently on how he got into acting in the first place, the character of Morse that comes through him, and the price of fame (always feeling he is being watched). He makes it clear that there was always an emphasis on keeping the character of Morse (slightly morose and wonderfully eccentric) at the center of each episode.

It’s that emphsis on character that deepens this effort at sleuthing the secrets of death–and life.