Morse/Foyle/Frost/Lewis
Imagine growing up without television, and from occasional glimpses in other’s houses, feeling one had not missed anything. One day you inherit a set, but, fiddling the buttons, find nothing at all you want to see. Imagine further that in your youth you had read one whodunit and never read another, and that crosswords had never attracted you. Then, after a big operation, unable to read much at all, you try the telly again and by chance come upon a programme about a detective called Morse, a crossword addict at that- and yet remain watching.
His grumpy exterior hides a lot. He has never married, but there was once a great love and because of it he did not fulfill his brilliance as a student at Oxford, and became a policeman. We don’t know his first name, but we hear some of the music he loves, and he turns out to be well-read, and knows some Latin and can even speak (badly) Italian and German. Although he claims not to believe in God, he is politically incorrect, knows when people are lying, and who cannot possibly be a murderer. Sometimes his intuition is right, sometimes not. Sometimes his fellow-feeling leads him astray – but not for long.
Meanwhile his sidekick, Lewis, who hails from the north-east and speaks of “the wife”, gets barks from Morse but no bites and one senses mutual respect and affection, though throughout the series, they address each other as “Sir” and “Lewis”. The “Super”(intendent) puffs and blows, lets himself be blown by the winds of political correctness for the sake of his reputation, but respects Morse’s integrity and courage in not disguising his convictions. Sometimes romance seems to be almost in the offing… Is Morse fated not to find that kind of fulfillment?
Most interesting are the episodes in which Morse feels that he failed, that he was not perceptive enough when it mattered, and suffering resulted from missing the mark. Morse is human in that he feels, and we feel with him, especially when he feels his own lack.
With Foyle’s War we are in another era, that of the early years of the last war. Foyle is also a detective, and also lives alone- a widower, with a son in the war. Like Morse he is intelligent, well-read, and has traveled in Europe- he knows the layout of some of its famous cities. He is a stickler for truth and will not be brushed aside, no matter how high the authority, no matter if the suspect is valuable to the war effort or from an allied country. There are moments of surprising truthfulness: we are shown a mob setting fire to an Italian restaurant in the East End, whose innocent owner dies. Afterwards, the son says: “What kind of world is this, Mr Foyle?” No answer.
There is a horrifying episode in which he comes across a highly secretive dirty tricks department whose members lie through their teeth- horrifying to one viewer because of the kind of weapons and tricks they are developing. We feel the way Foyle is shaken. In the end he decides they have to be left alone, for the sake of the war. The Nazis would have no scruples about using such methods – so we must do the same, mustn’t we? I was left wondering, once again: do the ends justify the means?
With Frost we are down market- he would not know a Valkyrie from a Mastersinger, or Chateau Petrus from Australian plonk, and is an inveterate fast food addict. He too lives alone, and is a widower. He always seems to be wearing one of those ridiculous short overcoats which ensure that your trousers are soaked when it rains, and walks with tiny rapid steps. As also in almost all Morse episodes, money and sex dominate, but on a definitely more sordid level. Frost also has a heart- with a soft spot for women “on the game” and youngsters led astray because from rotten homes. His sidekick does not emerge as a character in his own right, but Frost does have a wonderfully pompous boss.
Lewis. Morse is dead. Lewis’s wife died in a hit-and-run accident, so we have another widower. His sidekick is a bright young chap with a good degree – difficult to imagine as a policeman. They combine well to solve the crimes – but now the whodunit element is almost the only point of interest – and my interest is not sustained by that. Character, personal difficulties in the face of our human condition- they touch one. Most in Morse, less and less in the others.