The Young Inspector Morse - Season 3 - DVD

Film: From 1987 to 2000, John Thaw solved thrilling cases as Inspector Endeavour Morse in seven seasons and several specials before the series Inspector Morse was cancelled. Six years later, his trusty assistant DCI Robert Lewis got his own series Lewis - The Oxford Detective, which ran for nine years with equal success. Alongside that spin-off, another Morse spin-off hit TV in 2012: the prequel series The Young Inspector Morse, which follows the young policeman on his early investigations in the 1960s.

It tends to be the exception that a spin-off is at least as good as the original. But the series, written by scriptwriter Russell Lewis, is British crime entertainment of the highest order, easily stepping out of the large shadow of its two predecessors. It is not only in the UK that young Endeavour Morse is a ratings guarantee. Even in Germany, where the original series is known only to a small fan base, the prequel enjoys great popularity. Great actors, atmospherically staged cases and charming reminiscences of great film classics make the third season again extremely worth watching.

Thereby, the cards seem to be reshuffled after the end of the second season. Endeavour Morse may no longer be in prison, but a cop he is not. Although it's not long before his investigative skills are once again in demand, there's a shadow over the relationship between him and Thursday after the events that nearly cost his superior and mentor his life. But at the end of the day, Morse is a true professional even at a young age, with a great sleuthing and deduction skills to solve even the trickiest cases. Suspenseful, entertaining, superbly acted and really magnificently directed - that's The Young Inspector Morse.

And that's what the new episodes of the third season are all about:

DVD 1 - Episode 1: Illusions

Morse is at large again. The charges against him of killing Police Chief Standish have been dropped however he is still suspended from duty. The body of young conductor Jeannie Hearne is found in a forest. Thursday - newly recovered from his gunshot wound - investigates the case. He tracks down Morse, who has gone into hiding, and tries to persuade him to come back to the police force. Meanwhile, Morse receives an invitation to a debauched party thrown by millionaire Joss Bixby. At the party, he then reunites with tennis player Elva Piper, whom he met shortly before through his old friend Tony Donn. Tony has been harboring Morse in his cabin in the woods since he was released from prison. It was in the same woods that Jeannie Hearne was murdered. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 1 - Episode 2: Free Love

The young artist Simon Hallward is killed by a fire in his apartment. Morse finds out that it is not an accident, but murder. He is assisted in his investigation by the beautiful and clever policewoman Shirley Trewlove. At the same time, there is a demonstration outside a supermarket against the sale of a food manufacturer that produces sugar under questionable conditions. Then poisoned food also turns up in the supermarket, with which the owner Leo Richardson is to be blackmailed. When a customer is killed by this poisoned food, Thursday and Morse search for the murderous blackmailer. The Hallward case also seems to have a connection to the supermarket's poisoned food. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 2 - Episode 3: Deadly Scent

After night school, a girl disappears. Thursday sees a connection to an old case where a young woman was assaulted and sexually assaulted and has been in a coma ever since. The route home for both women was nearly identical. The missing girl is Ingrid Hjort, a Dane who worked as an au pair in the family of Dr. Hector Lorenz. His wife died two years ago. Ingrid and Dr. Lorenz had been having a secret affair for some time. A short time later, young Ricky Parker is also reported missing. It is assumed that he drowned in a lake. But all that is found in the lake is his arm. Meanwhile, Morse worries about Thursday, whose health is increasingly deteriorating. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 2 - Episode 4: Goodbye

The owner of a clothing factory is shot dead outside a bank. A lead leads Fred Thursday to the Matthew brothers, and with it, Oxford's gangster milieu. The Matthew brothers are the successors of the recently deceased gangster boss Harry Rose. Fred Thursday is determined to put a stop to Oxford's underworld once and for all - whatever the cost. Endeavour Morse, however, has his problems with this attitude and clashes with Thursday. The latter's worrying cough is getting worse. At the same time, Morse meets Felix Lorimer, his former tutor at university, who asks him for a private favour. Morse is to gather information about his soon-to-be ex-wife's new lover. (Text: ZDF)

Picture + Sound: Sharpness, coloration and contrast matching are on a good TV level in the brighter scenes, only in darker moments there is now and then minor blurring and slight picture noise. The stereo sound is absolutely convincing with the well understandable mixed dialogues and the appropriately tuned music. Good!

Extras: As an extra, the second DVD features five interviews with the cast (approx. 16:07 min.) about their roles and about the events in the new episodes following the dramatic finale of the second season.

Conclusion: Inspector Morse, the prequel to Lewis - The Oxford Detective, has been given a really great prequel in The Young Inspector Morse. Timeless good crime stories in an atmospheric Sixties are the secret recipe of this British ratings success, which may now also go into the third round in Germany. After the dramatic events of the second season finale, a lot has changed, of course - but the high quality of the individual episodes has remained. The four feature-length episodes are available on two DVDs in good picture and sound quality. As a bonus there are a few interviews. For fans of British crime fare par excellence absolutely recommendable!

Source: Sebastian Betzold, Synopsis: ZDF