The Teabodys Spend the Summer in Oxford

John Thaw was Inspector Morse

For all those unhappy with these brilliant end-of-August cool mornings, Mrs. Teabody is giving  you a  peanut to the side of your head.  How can you begrudge anyone such windows-open, humidity-free starts to days? Do make yourself a cuppa and go sit in a corner on the porch and stop being so churlish. In no time at all, you will be trading out all those pasty-skin revealing clothing for nice, cuddly knits in lovely heathers and grey and blacks. Wonderful boots. Tights. Hair that stays curled. Surely there is a spot in the universe where one can live in such pleasant temperatures year-round?

The Teabodys are back in Oxford again, albeit through the television and those gifted writers, cinematographers and actors at the BBC. The show of choice is ENDEAVOUR featuring Shaun Evans as the probable youthful incarnation of beloved Inspector Morse shown above. Inspector Morse first swam into Mrs. Teabody's view whilst she truly was IN Oxford  in the early 1990's with her good friend Linda Yeargin who said, pointing to a posh building opposite, "There's the Randolph. Wonder if Morse is in there drinking." Always an affable companion, Mrs. Teabody encouraged her--us -- to go have a look and she stared back with incredulity. "Morse. Inspector Morse," she said with the kind of emphasis one uses with dolts. Mrs. Teabody stared back with the hopeful eyes of a clueless but affable cocker spaniel. A great sigh wafted into the Oxford air as she went on, "Surely you've read the Colin Dexter novels?" Mrs. Teabody had not. That sort of exchange can mean the end of a friendship, of course. It's like finding out your husband voted for Sarah Palin.

Mrs. Teabody rose to this occasion by admitting ignorance and rectifying the situation by promptly acquiring and reading as many of Colin Dexter's novels as she could find at the public library. (A library is where one used to borrow books for free before Amazon persuaded everyone to spend money on books that one never actually owns.) But that's another digression. Mrs. Teabody was captivated by the curmudgeonly, Oxford-based Morse, his penchant for challenging crossword puzzles,  his love of beer and Wagner. And then there is Lewis as well, Morse's ever-so-much-nicer assistant. Naturally, Morse possesses the wits of Hercule Poirot, combing through clues with alacrity and unearthing the culprits in a most satisfactory if not pat manner. Morse is a very human hero after all.

Colin Dexter decided to kill Morse off in the novel, "The Remorseful Day", about fifteen years ago and Morse's death prompted as much blubbering and weeping in Chez Teabody as if a respected and noteworthy acquaintance had died.  Sadly, John Thaw, who portrayed Morse with such acumen, died as well. Fortunately, Inspector Lewis was young enough NOT to die and the carry-over of actor Kevin Whately/Inspector Lewis into a brand new BBC show called "Lewis" was enough to keep the candle burning for crusty old Morse. Every episode  of "Lewis" begins in Oxford amid those "dreaming spires" and it is through Lewis's partnership with the young and brilliant Hathaway that one can find the same delightful repartee, the rarely sentimental yet very connected friendship. When the Teabodys had exhausted the very last episode of "Lewis", it was a mournful day indeed. And then came "Endeavour". Mrs. Teabody had forgotten that Morse's first name is Endeavour, born out of his father's fascination  with Captain James Cook and his ship, the HMS Endeavour.

From the very first moments of "Endeavour", the Teabodys were hooked. Here are the dreaming spires of Oxford again, here is Shaun Evans as the embodiment of the just-starting-out Morse teamed with an ever-so-much-more fatherly Roger Allam as DI Fred Thursday. Here's the incisive, opera-loving, troubled, and very youthful Morse paying his dues under the often harsh practices of his superintendent. It is such intelligent television that one sometimes forgets to blink. It delivers exactly what mystery lovers long for and look for: a murder is committed; a murder is investigated and the culprit is found; justice prevails.

Rarely is watching television such a rewarding and edifying experience. Perhaps like Mrs. Teabody standing on that street corner in Oxford so many years ago, you have never heard of Colin Dexter or Inspector Morse. Now you have. You're welcome.