Customer Reviews

Inspector Morse - The Daughters of Cain

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"The Daughters of Cain" is one of the most clever of all Inspector Morse's adventures. Not only is he up against three women with a deadly purpose, he is somewhat sidetracked by the seductive one of the trio, Ms. Kay Brooks. The mature Morse pitted against a gorgeous girl "on the game" who is half his age? We have lots of sidelines (all of which fit nicely with the plot) like the political correctness of university fundraising, a teenage hoodlum in love, drug dealing, a terminal illness, spousal abuse, and the Ashmolean in danger of being burglarized! This one is sexy and cool, expertly delivered. And no one can express disillusionment (and touch our hearts) like the forthright Sergeant Lewis.

A thoroughly well-crafted and intriguing mystery. Though the focus is on "payback" by women, the wonders of figuring out how and when the deadly deed was committed, make for a great film-watching journey for any Morse or mystery lover. Performances are especially well-given and the cast is a little larger than usual. I especially liked the Shakespearean themes interwoven. The Lady MacBeth touches are irresistible. If you like good plotting this is for you. There's always a side story going on about the lives of Morse and Lewis. In this one, Lewis faces some career challenges.

This entry in the series focuses on the conspiratorial efforts of three women to exact vengeance upon Ted Brooks, a thoroughly repulsive character who is a murderer, drug dealer, and abusive husband. The mystery opens with the murder of a popular academic who was particularly adroit at fundraising for the colleges. In fact, university fundraising is repeatedly satirized in this episode, as one aspect of this drama involves the tendency of college officials to conveniently abandon higher principles (such as an obligation to report suspected criminal activity) if it might discourage potential financial donors. In any event, the professor's murder acted to cement an alliance among the three women, an alliance undertaken for the purpose of ensuring that Ted Brooks paid for his transgressions. The organizer of the conspiracy is a terminally ill teacher, who realizing she has very little to lose, resorts to various measures (including seduction of a teenage student) to accomplish the trio's objectives. Predictably, Ted Brooks is murdered during the course of the episode; however, the viewer is presented with several possible combinations of suspects before the crime is solved. This episode includes numerous details (student suicide, an allegedly stolen bicycle, and an apparent museum theft) which add interest to this mystery and facilitate plot development. The teacher who organized the conspiracy was described as "clever." Just how clever she was is illustrated by the manner in which this drama ends-- with two of the three conspirators escaping justice. Despite (or perhaps because of) the unusual ending, this entry in the Morse series is very entertaining and satisfying.

The beauty of this story is that Morse acknowledges he is being outwitted by three interesting women. The plot starts in such a simple way with an unlikely friendship between a cleaning lady and a teacher. When it progresses to include a high priced girl "on the game", Morse becomes entranced as well as baffled. Everything works here - the writing, the directing, the acting. Morse is intrigued and so are we. Our wonderfully honorable Sergeant Lewis struggles with the politics of police work, disillusioned and hurting. Thaw and Watley have excellence to work with in this episode and they pull it off with exceptional skill.

Our loveable curmudgeon, Inspector Morse, finds himself outsmarted in this intricate, twisting story of love, intrigue, and revenge. An abused housewife, a stunningly beautiful step-daughter, and a smart friend with a terminal brain tumor combine wits to give Morse and Lewis a run for their money.

The backdrop of the story is Oxford, England and Oxford University, in particular. But the ivy covered halls of academia are home to murder. Ted Brooks, the bad-tempered, abusive lout was sacked by the University amid hushed-up scandal involving drugs and a student suicide. Now he is bitter and vile tempered, beating his mousy wife.

In one of the more alluring side stories, Kay Brooks, the winsome step-daughter charms Inspector Morse and he finds himself captivated by her dalliances. She is the most beguiling young lady and expert in her line of work.

Poor Sergeant Lewis is aching for a promotion but the budget-conscious bureaucracy has tightened up and there is little encouragement for him. In fact, in this episode, he faces a dilemma of honor versus pragmatism.

A wonderful mystery and delightful show.

The highlight of this episode is Phyllis Logan. She does a good job of being an ordinary person. You never "see" Lady Felsham in her character. One amusing part of the story is the ceaseless lampooning of academia using the theme of fund raising at Oxford. The basic detective story involves multiple murders and the ways the murderers use to escape justice or receive it themselves by what could be judged as divine guidance of the affairs of mortals.

I've only watched a few of the Inspector Morse episodes so far, but this is my favorite of the ones I've watched. What a clever plot! Chief Inspector Morse (John Thaw) and DS Lewis (Kevin Whately) find themselves a bit out of their depth when confronted by the murder of an academic. Their investigations gradually reveal several interesting details - the politics of university fundraising, the underground drug scene at the college, and the possible involvement of three women working together in the death of another person.

Morse meanwhile, finds himself charmed by one of the female suspects, an attractive and confident younger woman who is clearly involved in some way, but Morse and Lewis find it difficult to prove her involvement. I liked the intricacies of the plot and the surprise element in this case. Unlike most of the cases Morse and Lewis work on, this is one case where some of the perpetrators walk free! Looking forward to more Morse (luckily, I have many more to catch up on!).

All of these movies are well written and good movie watching
lovely scenery in England. John thaw and Kevin Wheatly were excellent actors
would recommend all of Morse's movies to be bought and watched
chfancier

GOT HOOKED ON INSP. MORSE WHEN THEY WERE ON OUT LOCAL PBS. HAVE ENJOYED ALL OF THEM. THIS ONE IS A GOOD MYSTERY.

The meaning of the titles of the 33 episodes is usually not obvious as to their relationship to the story - with this episode the title is an excellent choice. Cain was a murderer, and it follows, if he had off spring, they could very well be murderers too; an author's literary privilege. The three "daughters" are Brenda Brooks, her daughter, Kay, and Julia Stevens; all three are heavily involved in the plot. Morse must sort through many tangents: suicide, drugs, spousal abuse, on call ladies, a terminally ill character and the tangled world of university fund raising versus morals and academics. Back at headquarters Superintendent Strange has his hands full with a massive budget cut which affects Lewis' pending promotion. Strange assures Lewis how valuable he is - which is small solace for Lewis. The tale involves many participants and is quite involved but results in a first class mystery. This is a five star addition to the series. At # 30, chronologically, its rating is on a level with most of the later episodes. Listen for strains of the prelude from the first act of La Traviata which seem to run as thematic material when Julia Stevens is present.