I agree that there are a couple things played for laughs here, but the Sherlockian efforts of the bad guys makes this very entertaining. Morse finds himself singled out for a frame-up. When an attractive woman, whom he is interested in, goes to answer a phone call, she is brutally murdered. He holds her in his arms and has picked up a knife, so he immediately comes under suspicion. Of course, it seems that Morse's superiors are always looking for a way to emasculate him. A tiresome, overzealous detective is put on the case. He is a reactionary and doesn't like Morse (or he is the son of Barney Fife) and goes about boobing up the investigation. What is really fun is the variety of ways that Morse is being set up. There's just so much to point to his involvement, and that's the rub. Anyone with a shred of skepticism would find the mass of stuff way too much. The Masons are brought in as a mystical element which adds to the entertainment.
Review of Masonic Mysteries
