As said in my review for the entire show three years ago, 'Endeavour' is not just a more than worthy prequel series to one of my favourite detective dramas of all time and goes very well with it, but it is a great series on its own as well. It maintains everything that makes 'Inspector Morse' so good, while also containing enough to make it its own, and in my mind 'Inspector Morse', 'Lewis' and 'Endeavour' go perfectly well together.
The pilot was a very promising start if with an understandable finding its feet feel. Things got even better with the consistently outstanding first season, and the darker Season 2 was hardly inferior, with "Neverland" being an 'Endeavour' high point. Season 3 is considered by fans as nowhere near as good as previously. Will admit that it is not as good as Seasons 1 and 2, which had more believable stories and didn't try to do too much but count me in as someone who has still enjoyed the episodes and has found a lot to like, while finding "Coda" outstanding. Likewise with Season 4, with its weak point being the soap operatic Joan subplot in "Harvest".
Season 5 has been very impressive so far and generally has been getting better with each episode, though to me the still very good second episode "Cartouche" is the weakest. "Colours" is my favourite of the season so far.
It balances mystery and personal life beautifully. "Colours" contains a mystery that is very eventful yet not too hard to follow (while suitably twisty and complicated) and paced with the right amount of alertness but also enough breathing time. Morse continues to be a fascinating, complex and well rounded character that reminds one of the older Morse. The personal life elements do not get soapy, nor do they take over. The chemistry between Trewlove and George is very amusing and sweet, while never being corny or detracting from the dark subject and the generally darker and more serious tone of the season. Just for the record, am liking that 'Endeavour' increased in maturity over the years, not that it wasn't already but meaning that it got darker and tackled heavier themes yet still to me didn't feel like a different show.
"Colours" tackles some heavy themes, primarily racial tensions (which happened a lot in the 1960s and a lot of it horrific), and gives them the full impact. All the while handling them with tact and restraint and not the potential heavy-handedness seen in some of "Cartouche". Showing that a glamorous decade had a dark side.
Nothing can be faulted with the production values. It is exquisitely filmed and the idyllic and atmospheric setting was a very nice change from Oxford. There is something very nostalgic and charming about the atmospherically evoked 1960s period detail. Similarly, as always, the music is hauntingly beautiful with the way it's utilised never in question, the iconic 'Inspector Morse' theme will forever be immortal and it has always been a genius move to use it for 'Endeavour'.
Writing, as has been said many times in my reviews for the previous 'Endeavour' episodes, is every bit as intelligent, entertaining and tense as the previous episodes and as the best of 'Morse'.
As ever, Morse and Thursday's relationship was always one of the show's major high points, it always entertained and warmed the heart and with each episode it gets more so on both counts, with some moving and tense moments too.
Shaun Evans as ever does some powerful, charismatic work as younger Morse, showing enough loyalty to John Thaw's iconic Morse while making the character his own too. Roger Allam is also superb, his rapport with Evans always compels and entertains but Thursday is quite a sympathetic character, as well as loyal and firm, and Allam does a lot special with a role that could have been less interesting possibly in lesser hands.
The rest of the regular cast are excellent, as is Caroline Goodall who brilliantly manages to bring nuances to a hateable character rather than going over-the-top.
Ending is clever, tense and unexpected without being convoluted, though 'Endeavour' has shown in the past that it can still make impact at the end without needing to finish bold and big.
Overall, another fine episode of a hugely impressive season. 9/10 Bethany Cox
