Occasionally a script will throw a female in his path, but if a hardened career crow and a transsexual psychopath are the kind of relationships he has encountered, no wonder he is celibate. We know very little about him other than he attended Cambridge, once trained as a priest and does not date. His character is by far the most interesting of the regulars in the series. In The Dead of Winter he takes the forefront in the investigation and I am pleased to see he is finally being given more than walking one step behind Lewis or looking over his shoulder while he interviews suspects.

Over the past three seasons we have seen his instincts sharpen, his skills honed and his confidence build from his professional relationship with his governor. This episode was centered around enigmatic Sergeant James Hathaway, Lewis’ smart, stoic and sarcastic young partner. Nathaniel Parker (The Inspector Lynley Mysteries) guest stars. But is he also consorting with a main suspect? It’s a case that threatens to expose the shortcomings and secrets of a wealthy family, cloud Hathaway’s judgment and ultimately put his relationship with Detective Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) in jeopardy. Hathaway reconnects with his past - and Scarlett Mortmaigne, the daughter of the estate’s owner. The curious case leads back to Crevecoeur Hall, a vast, history-rich Oxford estate, and as it happens, the setting for much of Detective Sergeant Hathaway’s (Laurence Fox) youth. Here is the PBS synopsis:Īn Oxford academic is dead on a tour bus and none of the other passengers even took notice. It is a complete turn-around in comedic tone to last week’s Counter Culture Blues’ take on Lewis in a psychedelic rock and roll haze.

This new (to the US) episode guest stars an array of former Austen movie adaptation actors that many Janeites will recognize and reveals some personal insight into the past of Inspector Lewis’ (Kevin Whatley) dishy young Sergeant James Hathaway (Laurence Fox).

The Dead of Winter involves sad connections to the past, lost treasure and sordid family secrets - all prime motives for murder. Inspector Lewis continues tonight on Masterpiece Mystery with another new episode of the popular detective series based in Oxford where the death toll since its predecessor Inspector Morse hit the airwaves in 1987 must place this small college town as the epicenter of “malice aforethought” in England.

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