Review of Inspector Morse: The Secret Of Bay 5B/Infernal Serpent

Introduction

Another two-disc Morse set and we have reached the end of Series 2 and the start of Series 3. The two episodes are "The Secret of Bay 5B" and "The Infernal Serpent". Almost from the start, the Morse TV movies had a distinctive melancholic tone - a combination of script, performance, cinematography and score - but with these two episodes, the creative team really hit their stride. Both episodes revolve around the perennial topics of sex and death and make for high quality crime TV.

In "The Secret of Bay 5B", a playboy architect is found murdered in a parking garage and Morse and his trusty sidekick, Lewis, have to untangle a trail of affairs to get to the killer. Morse`s investigation is complicated by his growing attraction to the unconventional pathologist Grayling Russell.

In "The Infernal Serpent", the mugging of a noted environmentalist leads Morse to the Master of an Oxford college whose idyllic family life is not quite what it seems. A suggestion of Satanic connection gives this mystery extra bite, but the truth behind the MaGuffin is more chilling by far and takes into the realms of English tragedy.

Video

Video is Full Frame 1.33:1 on both episodes and, while the image quality is better than previous Morse episodes I have seen, it is still not as good as we could hope for. While, the images are superficially sharp, there is a significant amount of grain visible, especially in brighter scenes, and fast moving scenes result is some softening and smearing of the images. Also, video on "The Infernal Serpent" seems to have a faint green cast. This is fairly subtle and will go unnoticed by most viewers. I am happy to note that the problem with jarring cuts that were present on "Last Bus to Woodstock" has been cured.

Artistically, the episodes look very good, especially "The Infernal Serpent". The photogenic Oxford is being milked for all it is worth and lends an almost otherworldly backdrop to the nefarious plotlines.

Audio

The audio is DD 2.0 for both discs but there is little use made of stereo separation that I could hear. That said, the audio is perfectly acceptable and dialogue is very clear. Barrington Pheloung`s evocative scores are reproduced well and overall the sound is enjoyable.

Features

None other than a dull photo gallery.

Conclusion

Aside from a slightly underwhelming presentation on DVD, there is little to complain about. This is classic Morse. Every facet of the episodes is perfectly pitched from the labyrinthine scripts, through performance by both regulars and guests, to tightly controlled, yet sympathetic direction. Thaw and Whatley give performances that are perfect for the roles and also complement each other perfectly. Thaw is especially good in these two episodes, whether fumbling through a would-be courtship of Dr. Russell or subtly Morse`s intellectual jealousy and the fact that he is an academic wannabe. Guests like Geoffrey Palmer steal their scenes but never overpower the whole.

The one potential problem with "The Secret of Bay 5B" is the relationship between Morse and Russell. Initially, this was quite charming but by the end of the series, it has become slightly overpowering and threatened to unbalance the dynamics of the show. Thus, Dr. Russell was sympathetically written out at the end of the second series. While I felt that Amanda Hillwood gave tremendous performances as Grayling Russell, I feel that the decision was ultimately the correct one. A generically lovelorn Morse was more effective than one constantly mooning over the same woman.

Fabulous entertainment that is slightly let down by the quality of the presentation on disc.