Endeavour: The Complete Third Season

This prequel series to Inspector Morse, focusing on the early years of DC Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) in Oxford, is a darker show than either Morse or its contemporary sequel Inspector Lewis. The third season begins with Morse out of prison (after being arrested for a crime he didn't commit), secluding himself in a remote cabin. Meanwhile, his senior officer, DI Thursday (Roger Allam), exits the hospital after a near-fatal shooting, and he is investigating a murder which, coincidentally, occurs near Morse's cabin. Morse can't help but get involved and he inevitably rejoins the department. In the final mystery of the season, Morse takes the sergeant's exam and becomes a hostage in a bank robbery that goes sideways. The corruption of past seasons is played down while Morse becomes more of a tragic figure, struggling with his fear of emotional connection. Some of the mysteries are a bit farfetched in their solutions but the portrait of Oxford and police culture in the 1960s is fascinating. This is an era when even good cops beat suspects to obtain information, something that puts the non-violent Morse at odds with Thursday, a mentor and in some ways father figure to the intellectually gifted but emotionally remote Morse. Compiling all four feature-length mysteries (in their uncut British versions) from the 2016 third season, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette and cast interviews. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)