Inspector Lynley - Set 1

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Starring: Samantha Baker; Cherie Lunghi; Nathaniel Parker; Sharon Small; Tim Pigott-Smith; James Hillier (II); June Watson; Shaun Prendergast; Elizabeth Kelly; Joanna Brookes; Richard Syms; Will Knightley; Selina Cadell; Sophie Ward; Katie Blake; Richard Lintern; Lucy Scott; David Ellington; Sarah Easton; Fred Ridgeway
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Richard Laxton; Kim Flitcroft
Studio: WGBH BOSTON
Release Date: 2003-11-25
Running Time: 360 minutes
Number of Items: 4
Love, life and murder. Just a few of Inspector Lynley’s mysteries.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries feature the most celebrated British detective duo in years: Inspector Thomas Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) and Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). Over the course of more than 10 intriguing Elizabeth George novels, beginning with A Great Deliverance, Lynley and Havers have won millions of loyal fans. It’s no mystery why.

Decidedly uppercrust detective Lynley and his partner Havers endure a marriage made at police headquarters. Lynley is suave, sophisticated, and the eighth Earl of Asherton. Havers is rumpled, resentful, and working class—with an inborn dislike of the highborn. Despite their differences, the sleuths evolve into a potent team, employing their cunning, intuition, and street smarts to unravel some of the most heinous—and suspenseful—crimes.

Well-Schooled In Murder When a student from prestigious Bredgar Hall is found dead under bizarre circumstances, Lynley receives a call from an old school chum asking for help. The Inspector and Havers soon discover hints of impropriety among both masters and students and race to crack the case before more students come into harm’s way.

Payment in Blood A playwright is murdered in her sleep on the eve of her new play’s debut, forcing Lynley and Havers to select from an entire cast of suspects. The mysterious drama is further complicated by Lynley’s deepening feelings for a woman involved with the play’s director, who is himself a prime suspect.

For The Sake Of Elena The fog lifts over the green hills of Cambridge, revealing the lifeless body of a prominent professor’s daughter, a young woman admired for being fun-loving, popular, daring—and deaf. The mystery is far from academic as Lynley and Havers discover fatal twists that sealed the fate of one dysfunctional family.

Missing Joseph A rural vicar is the victim of hemlock poisoning. Lynley and Havers discover that everyone from the local herbalist and her troubled teenage daughter to the local constable has a motive. The duo combs the countryside sifting for clues, and finally uncovers the secrets behind the murder.

Special DVD features include: virtual tour of the Mystery! studio; Q&A with Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small; selected cast filmographies; selected cast list; biography for Diana Rigg, host of Mystery!; bibliography for Elizabeth George; selected cast list; link to the Mystery! Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On fourDVD9 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Code of Silence
"We live by codes, Lynley thought. We call them our morals, our standards, our values, our ethics, as if they were part of our genetic make up. But they are only behaviours that we have learned from our society, and there are times to act in defiance of them, to fly in the face of their conventions because it is right to do so."

- Inspector Lynley (Well Schooled in Murder)

The setting of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries is England and this story is set at a private boys school called Bredgar Chambers School. The code of silence may be reminiscent of the military; but it is alive and well at this boys school where a murder of a 13 year old boy takes place. Why was a boy from a working class family murdered and who was culpable is the case that Inspector Thomas (Tommy) Lynley of Scotland Yard is called by his former boyhood friend to solve. Lynley is played by Nathanial Parker; and is a rather posh inspector who is also an earl. His sidekick is played by Sharon Small (Sergeant Havers) and she is from a diametrically opposed background from a working class family. She is not terribly good with authority and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder.

Some of the same actors from The History Boys are cast in some of the roles and the acting is very well done.

Though only boys, there is the grim undercurrent of rules being broken and bad behavior being covered up leading to the ultimate cover up - a murder of a 13 year old boy.

The cover ups unravel and more than one death occurs in the sinister image conscious environment of this upper class English boarding school; possibly more concerned with its image, reputation and funding versus uncovering the cause of death of one of its students; who as it turned out marched to a different drummer and followed his principles and conscience; because these were his standards and his personal codes.

Interesting character study of Lynley created by American mystery writer Elizabeth George.

Recommended B+

Bentley 2008

a delicate character study
This series has great writing. However, a lot of the plot is what Hitchcock would call the "maguffin" -- the 'whatever' on which to hang the script.

The real center of this series is the contrast of class. The two central characters have an unexpressed love for each other which subtly supercedes and cancels out any other relationships that they try to form. It is not a love of bump and grind, but rather a deep respect, a reaching out past class distinctions, and a primary need to see each other every day. Occasionally one will reach out to the other, only to be gently rebuffed. The excellent writing allows them barriers which they tentatively reach across.

Inspector Lynley set 1
I thought that Inspector Lynley was truly a masterpiece when the series was shown on Masterpiece Theater of PBS. And I am again happily validated of that opinion in watching this series again. Truly great acting, great plots and intelligent viewing! This series is better than any of the detective shows currently on TV!

Inspector Lynley Series - First Set
I knew ahead of ordering this DVD that I would enjoy it immensely because I had already viewed the four mysteries (Well-Schooled in Murder, Payment in Blood, For the Sake of Elena, Missing Joseph) on our local PBS station. Also I have read many of the Elizabeth George novels on which this series is based. Of course, there are some changes from the story line and characters contained in the novels. However, I believe Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small do an excellent portrayal of their characters. (Obviously, it doesn't hurt either that Nathaniel Parker is rather a "hunk".) I now have the complete set of DVDs and am sincerely hoping that the BBC decides to continue the series in the near future. Their decision to cancel so abruptly didn't give the writers time to "tie up loose ends" which was very disappointing to the fans. In the meantime I will be reading all the new Elizabeth George novels as they are published.

Partnership in Crime...
"The Inspector Lynley Mysteries-Set 1" picks up where the pilot movie "A Great Deliverance" left off, as aristocratic New Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and working class Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers combine their unique skills and intriguing relationship to solve crimes in four excellent 90 minute episodes.

"Well-Schooled in Murder" takes Lynley and Havers to an elite boarding school to investigate the seemingly ritualistic murder of a student. They uncover a web of deceit and an array of suspects. Their investigation is complicated by Lynley's old friendship with one of the teachers, and turns into a race against time to save another student's life.

"Payment in Blood" is a closed house murder mystery, except that the suspects are the cast of a play, and one of them is Lynley's long-lost love Helen. Havers must keep Lynley on task as they sort through the complicated past of the suspects to identify the killer and save the surviving cast members.

"For the Sake of Elena" brings the two detectives to Cambridge to solve the murder of a young deaf girl, whose parents and associates all seem to have motive. Havers is distracted by the care of her ailing mother, while Lynley again encounters his old friend Helen.

"Missing Joseph" takes the two dectectives to a visually stunning Peak District parish to solve the mysterious poisoning of a vicar by one of several likely suspects. This episode highlights Lynley's affection for Helen while expanding his relationship with Havers. Lynley's attempt to help Havers with the refurbishing of her apartment leads to an argument pregnant with nuances about their relationship.

The mysteries are presented in a realistic fashion; the viewer only rarely knows more than our two detectives. Clues must be sorted through and solutions are often complicated and messy. Splendid location shooting adds to the fun. However, the heart of the series is the slowly evolving relationship between Lynley and Havers. Their differing backgrounds are a frequent source of friction; yet the two bicker with a sense of restraint based on mutual respect. The intuitive Lynley offers Havers professional respect and basic decency she doesn't get from other officers; Havers is a good and loyal subordinate but has no qualms about bringing Lynley up short in private when he gets overbearing. The episodes reinforce the subtle sense that this partnership has lots of growth in front of it.

"The Inspector Lynley Mysteries-Set 1" is very highly recommended as good entertainment to fans of Masterpiece Mysteries, who will enjoy a second look at these episodes and perhaps a first look at the one they missed.