Inspector Lewis (TV Series) Magnum Opus: Part 1 (2015) User Reviews

Another case of murder at The university, The Thin Blue Line on the case.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 16 March 2021]

The body of a University Dean is discovered in the woods, Lewis and Hathaway are on hand to hub the killer down.

I liked the tone of this episode, it had a dark, almost black magic vibe running through, I like this shadowy figure that's lurking in the background. It's a high brow episode, very deep and cerebral. S and M in Oxford..... The very idea. 🙈

There's a definite awkwardness in that Office, I am really missing Jean Innocent, such a shame she didn't do the final series.

Bobby Lockwood is good as Sam, but I find him so young looking. Stephen Boxer shows his worth, a very charismatic actor. It's hard to watch this and not see Sergeant Dorkins from The Thin Blue Line, she hasn't really altered.

An intriguing start, 8/10.

Interesting but quite flat

[grantss · 7/10 · 11 November 2022]

(Review is of both parts).

A college dean is murdered in what appears to be ritualistic fashion. The victim's closest friends all appear to be fans of poet Charles Williams, one of the famed Oxford Inklings. Lewis and Hathaway's investigations also lead them to suspect a link to the practice of alchemy. Could the Williams and alchemy ties lead them to the perpetrator?

I was initially disappointed with the way the show was resuscitated in Season 8: it felt haphazard and contrived and seemed done just so the producers could squeeze the last dollar out of the show. However, while none of the following episodes were brilliant they still very good and included some decent mysteries.

The main things missing were the banter between Lewis, Hathaway and Dr Hobson and the personal side of their lives. This has limited the engagement in these later episodes and it is felt particularly here, in this 2-part episode.

The plot is interesting enough but there's a flatness to proceedings. The writers have tried to jam in some decent sub-plots with the new Chief Superintendent and his intrusiveness and the saga of Hathaway's father but neither are interesting.

Maybe I'm just jaded and want to move onto something new but I'm quite keen for this show to end.

Why All the Dark Mystery, Especially With Hathaway?

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 27 March 2018]

This episode introduces us to a sort of Christian cult, where the leader claims to be able to take over the role of God. His followers seem to have some sort of tainted pasts and embrace the whole thing. Others associated with them seem quite negative toward this theology. Shortly after the meeting which begins the show, this leader is lured to a place in the woods and smashed in the head. Lewis and Hathaway begin a journey through alchemy and mystical symbols that seem at the center. A particular symbol seems to be pervasive. Before the dust settles, there are two murders which seem to follow a kind of prophecy. A subplot that is getting just a bit tiresome is Hathaway's relationship with his sister and his avoidance of his father who suffers from dementia.

Honeysuckle Weeks guest stars

[safenoe · 9/10 · 6 June 2021]

I'm a big fan of Lewis, and having spent some time in Oxford, I know that Lewis presents Oxford through the lens of the cloistered world of Oxford University with some filming in fancy suburbs like Jericho and Summertown in the North of Oxford, and the countryside. But rarely do you see scenes in Cowley, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys (Cowley's just a stone's throw from Magdalene College) where Lewis would be working 24/7 to crack down on thuggery big time. I chuckled when one of the characters in a previous episode fleetingly referred to "Cowley", wich sums up the Oxford University world of Lewis. Still, Lewis is entertaining.

In this episode there's a subplot of a LGBTI secret relationship which gets exposed at the end just as we get close to finding the murderer.

Rebecca Front was unable to return for season 9.

Maybe one day Lewis can be rebooted please for these more contemporary times. If so, Danny Dyer should be cast as Lewis, with Ant or Dec playing Hathaway. They can investigate crimes around Oxford Brookes University (no relation to Oxford University) and crime ridden areas in Blackbird Leys, Rose Hill, Wood Farm (especially the area behind Awgar Stone Road).

Feels more like an episode of Midsommer Murders

[nick-832-143730 · 7/10 · 28 February 2022]

The multiple murders and unusual methods are very reminiscent of the plots used in Midsommer Murders.

Turns out this is not a coincidence. Chris Murray the write of this Lewis (his only Lewis) also wrote 6 episodes of Midsommer. Perhaps it was written for Midsommer but converted to get a script on the cheap. Definitely feels that way.

Magnum Opus: The first half

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 2 July 2017]

Hearing about 'Lewis' for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as 'Inspector Morse' was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good. The good news is, like the prequel series 'Endeavour', 'Lewis' is every bit as good as 'Inspector Morse' and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general.

'Lewis' was a show that started off promisingly with the pilot and the first season, while getting even better with a more settled Season 2 where the show hit its stride. Season 3 was more of a mixed bag (not a bad season at all, but started a little disappointingly, though better than reputed, with one of the show's generally lesser episodes "Allegory of Love"). Season 4 generally was one of the better seasons of 'Lewis', with all the episodes very good to great, and Season 5 was solid with the only disappointment being "The Mind Has Mountains".

Season 6 started off very well with "The Soul of Genius", while "Generation of Vipers" was even better. Unfortunately, "Fearful Symmetry" was very disappointing and has always been one of my least favourite 'Lewis' episodes. On the other side of the coin, fortunately the season gets back on track with a great finale and its best episode "The Indelible Stain".

The show's seventh season suffered from the rather bizarre decision to split its three episodes into two halves, meaning having to wait until the next week until the conclusion. In all three of the Season 7 episodes, this has proved to be rather awkward and in "Down Among the Fearful" and "The Ramblin' Boy" ran the risk of forgetting what happened previously and being even more confused by events and who the characters were. "Intelligent Design" however was much better and easily the best of that season.

"Entry Wounds" was decent if unexceptional, with things getting better with "The Lions of Nemea" (although that didn't wow me either). "Beyond Good and Evil" is generally the best episode of Season 8.

"One For Sorrow" was a promising start to the ninth and final season, and the succeeding episode "Magnum Opus" while a long way from great was also decent. The premise is not exactly a new one and does see some over-familiar scenes and moments that could have done with more freshness.

Really don't care for the character of Maddox still, she is bland and doesn't gel and Angela Griffin's acting doesn't make me feel any different. A big turn off here was Hathaway's unusual grumpiness and rudeness, often for no real reason or if there was a reason it could have had a clearer explanation.

As always however the acting is solid, on the other hand, with Kevin Whately very good and Laurence Fox a breath of fresh air. Their chemistry is wholly convincing, always a huge part of the show's charm, with a strong contrast between Lewis being the world weary one with the hunches and Hathaway being the more logical and witty. Really like the chemistry between Lewis and Hobson (Clare Holman doesn't disappoint) too, and that Hobson's character has expanded for the better overtime in the show.

Moody seems to be settling in well and one doesn't miss Innocent too much. The support acting is good, especially from Honeysuckle Weeks and Stephen Boxer seeming to be really enjoying himself. The only exceptions are Griffin and a slightly anaemic Bobby Lockwood.

Production values are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot as always, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of pre-existing music is very well-incorporated.

Some of the writing is thoughtful and fun and the story is mostly compelling and suitably twisty. Despite the predictability, the Charles Williams references were fun and the modus operandi provides some chills and more grisly than usual.

Overall, decent first half to a decent enough if unexceptional episode. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Has someone been reading "Agatha Christie?"

[davyd-02237 · 6/10 · 8 May 2021]

I only ask as having now watched this episode twice there are no real clues to the identity of the murderer until the final few minutes. This is typical of "Agatha" who left out essential information only to have either Poirot or Miss Marple throw in the crucial bit you need right at the end. This IS one of them! Ignoring the "christian cult" thing, which is totally "unchristian", there is little or no information in which to form any theory for those who choose to watch. When the murderer is revealed (last few minutes folks) only then does it make a bit of sense. This episode also paints Hathaway as a chap trying to get away from family problems, which have zero to do with the investigation. Do try and enjoy it!