morsesnotes

[morsesnotes]

Awesome analysis as always!

I totally agree that there was a lot going through Thursday's mind. I think what makes these characters and the performances so special is that you can see a constant inner battle going on between their own intuition and what they've been taught is correct. It's such an interesting concept to think about with history and makes them feel very realistic.

Something in Thursday knows Morse needs help, and there's so much he wants to say, but he has no tools to tackle it and is already overwhelmed with his own problems. There's also the generational difference which makes it that much more difficult for someone like Thursday to provide support.

Morse and drinking in the 70s...

Long....because I can't write short. And obviously, a lot of you will already know this stuff...

Just want to take a moment to talk about alcohol and alcoholism in the context of the early 1970s and remind folks of how totally and completely different it is from how we see it today.

Drunk driving had not been outlawed in most countries. Not only that, it was widely regarding as funny—funny enough to be used as a regular “gag” in movies. Problem drinking was also seen as funny. There were regular cartoon strips about it. The “drunk” was a funny stock character in all sorts of plays and movies.

Alcohol was ubiquitous. We’re not just talking liquid lunches. We’re talking drinking at work, while you work—just as you see in Endeavour. Think about that for a second.

And politely saying no wasn’t something you did without social consequences. It wasn’t just seen as a personal preference. Unless you had a specific, acceptable reason, turning down a drink was often seen as stand-offish and judgmental or as a social snub. Teetotalism was regarded as rather naive and ridiculous—not something any man or woman of the world would embrace.

In the early 1970s, there was no widespread understanding of alcoholism as a disease. It was still seen very much as the consequence of personal weakness—still a matter of “If you cared enough or tried hard enough, you wouldn’t do this so it must be a character flaw.”

Plus, most people, “normal” people don’t have problems with alcohol, so if you do then there’s something abnormal and defective about you—most likely something you brought upon yourself.

And as a “personal weakness” and a “defect,” the shame around it was profound and the secrecy matched. If someone went away for treatment, it was very much akin to an unwed mother going off to have her baby and then returning without the child. You never spoke of it. You pretended that it had never happened.

If you were a kind person, you also didn’t go out of your way to parade babies in front of her or talk constantly about children when she was with you. But refer to it directly? Never. Ask for help? Never. It was always something to be hidden. Everyone did their best to forget that it had ever happened and saw this as the "kindest" thing to do.

When Morse returns from his “cure,” it would simply be assumed that everyone would pretend that nothing unusual has happened. Why he’s  just been off on a tour of the West Country and nothing else! Hope you had a lovely time! That sort of polite fiction was exactly what he would have expected upon his return. Anything more direct—at least in a public setting—would have been shocking to him and everyone else.

Where things break down, however, is in the more personal interactions. His relationship with Thursday is such that they can at least broach the topic of drinking. When they do, my impression is that Thursday is well-aware that Morse not “cured.” However, in the context of the time, saying this would be akin to saying, "You failed," because there was no disease model of alcholism in widespread use. You went to be cured and it worked or it didn't.

However, I'd also add that Thursday is almost to the breaking point with the cumulative strain he is under. He can’t cope with the “burden” of Morse being in a precarious state and he knows it. He feels desperately guilty about that—as well as about other things like Strange and Joan or about life having moved on so much while Morse was gone—and so he just shuts down. 

Shutting down is Thursday’s go-to strategy when he’s overwhelmed. We’ve seen him do it many times before. And part of that for him, is that he pretends that the people around him are ok—even if they are anything but ok. Not surprisingly, he does it the most with the people he has the closest emotional ties with—Win, Joan, Sam, and Morse.

So the only way that Thursday can cope is by having Morse be perfectly fine. Conveniently, his preferred coping strategy fits exactly with his society's expectations about how alcoholism works. If Morse is "cured," you don’t need to worry about sparing him the constant offers of alcohol in the same way that the young unwed mother might hope to be spared babies. You certainly wouldn’t embarrass him (especially after he’s been through the humiliation of rehab) by drawing attention in any way to a possible to the idea that he still has a problem. 

And finally, a last note on time context. The scene in the pub where Morse has that first drink after finding out that Joan is marrying Jim is utterly heartbreaking for so many reasons. One of those reasons, however, is that we know it’s the first drink—and that the first drink leads to the second, and so on and so forth. Then Morse says to Thursday, “They said the, the odd beer, the odd shot, does no harm…"Everything in moderation," they said,”  and we automatically assume he’s lying.

I’m fairly sure that those scenes were meant to be interpreted through our modern viewpoint. However, it’s worth noting that again, the model of alcoholism in the 1970s was nothing like what we have today. The idea that someone with a drinking problems/addictions needs to abstain entirely was not even close to universal at that point. It’s perfectly possible that the advice Morse is quoting is the advice he received!

#itv endeavour #endeavour #morse x thursday #prelude #tw alcoholism #thinking thoughts

[morsesnotes]

If you want to track down the orchestra members and have a word, it's probably more up your street than Jim's or mine. Most likely just putting a name to him. Be alright with that? I should think I'll manage.

#what really kills me is that this is the first time since like s5 that morse earnestly tries to bring back the old rapport with thursday #he wants so badly to pretend the last few years never happened and for them to carry on with a fresh start #but you can see him slowly coming to the realization that's not possible and the rejection is crushing #what's worse is i think thursday cares deeply but cannot deal with all the conflicting emotions #relief to see morse again - happy he appears back to normal #uncomfortable addressing why he was gone - feeling guilty about having lunch with strange #and maybe even guilt about not telling him about joan and strange getting married #ofc morse is unaware of all of this and just takes it to mean thursday is forever disappointed and ashamed of him 🥴 #endeavour #itv endeavour #shaun evans #rogar allam #morse x thursday #prelude

[morsesnotes]

From “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman

Um.

#omg how did this never occur to me #need shaun as richard to happen now #shaun evans #neverwhere

[morsesnotes]

Endeavour (2012-2023)

#op i will never complain about giant gifs of that man's face #please continue #endeavour #itv endeavour #shaun evans #morse

[morsesnotes]

that man has the demeanor of a sopping wet paper bag and the sluttiest little waist i’ve ever laid eyes upon and you want me to what? be normal about it?

#prev exaaactllyy > #not tagging this as morse. i'm tagging this as shaun evans.

[morsesnotes]

The moon shone full/And when the maidens stood around the altar...

Sappho and Endeavour

#oh hell yeah #i'm into it #endeavour #itv endeavour

[morsesnotes]

This is the final scene of Sparkle in case you don't want to be spoiled:

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Sparkle isn't a great movie but it does make for a nice brain cleanse.

#shaun evans #amanda ryan #sparkle #they had very good chemistry #shaun is the definition of cute boy in the 00s in this movie #brain cleanse saturday

[morsesnotes]

Depending on what he wants to do, this role might end up raising his profile (which I know seems weird to say after he's been in Endeavour so long but I mean to people unaware of it).

Even though he doesn't have a ton of screentime, his scenes are very impactful. Kind of similar to James Norton in Happy Valley.

Ok well, I've seen the first two episodes of Until I Kill You.

I'm really impressed so far. Like I knew the acting would be strong, and knowing how directly involved Delia was seemed promising, but I always feel wary of any true crime sort of thing.

Everything about this feels well done to me, and I feel like it might be a big deal when it finally comes out.

Anna and Shaun are both incredible. Shaun's genuinely terrifying, and it's in a different way to the other psychopaths he's played. Not that his acting ability is surprising, but every time I see a performance from him he brings out something new I wasn't expecting, and I'm so impressed by that.

It is very disturbing though.

#shaun evans #anna maxwell martin #until i kill you

[morsesnotes]

Ok well, I've seen the first two episodes of Until I Kill You.

I'm really impressed so far. Like I knew the acting would be strong, and knowing how directly involved Delia was seemed promising, but I always feel wary of any true crime sort of thing.

Everything about this feels well done to me, and I feel like it might be a big deal when it finally comes out.

Anna and Shaun are both incredible. Shaun's genuinely terrifying, and it's in a different way to the other psychopaths he's played. Not that his acting ability is surprising, but every time I see a performance from him he brings out something new I wasn't expecting, and I'm so impressed by that.

It is very disturbing though.

#shaun evans #anna maxwell martin #until i kill you #also i know there was some concern about shaun barely being in it. i would say he's in it just the right amount #it's refreshing to see the focus primarily on delia

[morsesnotes]

Morse's blue coat appreciation post.

#yesss obsessed with the blue coat #so majestic #the middle gif on the right is slightly mesmerizing lol #endeavour #itv endeavour #shaun evans #morse

[morsesnotes]

You know when people gush about Cillian Murphy being ethereally pretty? That's how I feel about Shaun here. (Sparkle, 2007)

#shaun evans #amanda ryan #sparkle #hnw

[morsesnotes]

i finally got round to watching the last episode of Inspector Morse, i have watched quite a few episodes in the last year but i've never really managed to get into it, i think i'm just too attached to Endeavour.

anyway, my point is that i'm just very emotional about Morse and Jim Strange. they had a friendship (albeit a complicated one) that lasted for 30+ years! jim was there when morse died and had his back right until the end! morse was always a terrible friend, he lets jim down at important moments and he never fully trusted him (with good reasons at times - the masons being one of them) and yet jim is always there even when morse is pushing him away. Jim has no idea about Morse's feelings for Joan, he just wants his best mate by his side when he gets married.

jim gives morse a place to live, is the only one listening to morse in Zenana with his unexplained deaths theory (and gets himself stabbed in the process), gets him back in CID in s6, needs his help investigating george's death and doesn't give up even though morse doesn't want to know, and in IM he's still there picking up the pieces wherever morse goes.

What i think is interesting is that Jim was brought up by his grandma, i don't think it's ever said what happened to his parents or if he had any siblings. His grandma doesn't seem like a warm and friendly person, did Strange have a lonely childhood too? Does he recognise that loneliness in Morse? i think the pair of them are more alike than morse would care to admit.

#ohh all of this is so wonderful and heartbreaking #morse and strange's weird little friendship was definitely something special #and i absolutely believe strange could see the loneliness in morse and could relate to it #the layers of love i have for this series go so deep #and i love russ lewis for how much he cared about doing the source material justice #endeavour #itv endeavour #morse x strange #morse #strange #lewis #inspector morse #the remorseful day

[morsesnotes]

I'm still thinking about that deleted scene of Joan touching the side of Morse's face and him putting his hand over hers.

It reminds me of the end of Coda when she gently brushes her thumb across his wound, and he instinctively holds on to her. I love that moment because it showed a loving side of Joan which was reminiscent of Monica and demonstrated she was Win's daughter as much as Thursday's. You could totally see why Morse fell for her.

I realized Joan kind of lost that side of her in the rest of the series. The closest which comes to mind is her silent kiss with her hand in Harvest.

I feel like it would've been really lovely to see that parallel of her being able to look past all the bullshit for a minute and let Morse know how much she cares for him. I think it would've gone a long way in explaining why he could never get over her.

(gif by @sircolinmorgan)

#endeavour #itv endeavour #endeavour morse #joan thursday #morse x joan #thinking thoughts #i'm very compelled by their separate inner battles and how sometimes they just let go and act on their feelings in the moment #because they're so overwhelmed by the desire to comfort the other #release the deleted scenes you cowards #deguello #coda

[morsesnotes]

They actually use this as the promotional image for Deguello on Amazon, which is just cruel. lol

Great detective work, OP. I wish they had kept the scene in. It would've fit into the arc Morse and Joan had in S6 nicely, and it's refreshing to see her show care for him. Instead their storyline this season has no proper conclusion, and then Joan is gone in S7. Feel like it would've made Morse's letter to her more powerful too.

Endeavour & Joan - Missing Scene

It all started with this print (© The Red Dress London on Etsy):

I noticed that the moment depicted between Endeavour and Joan was not included in Season 6, which this artwork was commissioned to advertise. I didn't think much about it until the wonderful @sircolinmorgan posted this image from shutterstock:

Finally! Evidence that the deleted scene existed! But where from? Some investigation was required...

Okay, so when lightened up a bit, what you can tell just from that pic alone is that there’s a blackboard in the background, someone sitting at a desk, and you can see the edge of a camp bed (you can also see that she’s holding his other hand!) All of that of course suggests ‘Deguello’ and the aftermath of the tower collapse in the gymnasium. As far as I can tell there’s only one scene in the episode at this location and it’s when Endeavour escorts a child to a waiting parent and then Strange and Thursday are there and reach for him (quite a lovely caring moment):

Compare the first of these three pics and you’ll see the blackboard, the person at the desk, and that the blue area in the shutterstock pic is the privacy screen next to the blackboard.

Endeavour is wearing his blue shirt that’s consistent with both images, but he never takes his jacket off in the actual scene and it’s very odd that Strange touches Endeavour’s shoulder and he turns around, only for the scene to immediately cut to the makeshift morgue scene with DeBryn. You never see another scene at that location as far as I can tell. Does that imply something was cut there? The shutterstock pic shows Joan at that location, but she was never there in the episode.

The next scene with Endeavour is when he visits the little girl in hospital and meets Joan there:

Their conversation is extremely brief with Joan telling Endeavour he should be at home:

Morse: I wanted to see if she was all right. How is she? How's her mum?

Joan: Hanging in there. You should be home.

Morse: Home. So should she. So should her mother. So should everyone.

Joan: Accidents happen.

Morse: Yeah, not like this. You know, somebody's got to be responsible. Is there anything I can do?

Joan: You've done your bit and more.

Morse: Good night.

Joan: Good night.

Joan is of course wearing the same as in the shutterstock pic. The next time we see Joan she runs into Endeavour when he’s investigating the surveyor and she’s changed clothes:

They talk about the survivors and then have this little exchange:

Joan: How are things with you?

Morse: Oh, one day's much the same as the next.

Joan: I didn't mean work, I meant you.

Morse: Oh, it's the same thing, isn't it? Have you seen your father lately?

Joan: Not much. Why?

Morse: Well, I just wondered if he was all right. He hasn't seemed himself lately.

Joan: Oh.

Morse: Anyway, there it is.

It’s extremely halting and Endeavour leaves looking all awkward and uncomfortable. Make of that what you will because neither of the filmed scenes between Endeavour and Joan play like they could have had such a close moment as in the shutterstock pic with Joan touching his face and holding his hand. Obviously one was switched out, but it seems to me the entire tenor of their interaction in 'Deguello' was changed. These are the only scenes they had together and Joan isn’t in the rest of the episode or the next season for that matter! I wonder if it played a part that Sara Vickers wasn’t available - I have no idea how far in advance they could have known. It's also possible they felt that a romantic moment would have been out of place in the midst of a tragedy, or perhaps they simply decided against allowing Endeavour and Joan to be close. No matter the reason, it's a real shame - it looked like a beautiful scene!

Anyway, that was my little Sherlockian endeavour (snort!) into the missing Endeavour/Joan moment everyone was robbed of. I think it’s probably much like the sigil scene in BBCs ‘Merlin’ where a totally different version was filmed with a very different feel, and we don’t know why that was swapped out either! Damn my favourite shows.

#itv endeavour #endeavour #ahhh so frustrating! the deleted scenes are like an alternate universe #morse x joan #shaun evans #sara vickers #deguello

[morsesnotes]

The way these two stills have more chemistry than most tv couples do in a whole series. 🥴

Never over the fact we didn't get to actually see this in the episode.

#two things that kill me: his eyes being open and hers being closed in the first one and the way he's grabbing her hand in the second. #her gaze is so intense as well i want to throw myself off a cliff #endeavour #itv endeavour #morse x joan #shaun evans #sara vickers

[morsesnotes]

Joan Thursday in every episode of Endeavour (403, "Lazaretto")

#obsessed with joan's whole vibe here #this scene lives in my head rent free. it's such a weird combination of sad and sexy. #i think this is the first time i properly found morse hot #because he so easily could've made a move and he doesn't. his eyes and voice were so full of desire but also fear and concern. ugh #bisexual panic #endeavour #itv endeavour #morse x joan #sara vickers #shaun evans #lazaretto

[morsesnotes]

You know, there isn't another character I could think of who so perfectly captures the feeling of longing to be known by the people who love you but being too afraid to ever let them.

I was thinking about this post again, and it hit me that this is why I've never related to a character more than young Morse, and I never noticed how bleak and lonely a feeling it is until watching how things turned out for him.

Endeavour's ending really brought this home, and let me tell you, it haunts me! (Inspector Morse's too, though I've still yet to watch it)

every time i feel overwrought or in the depths of despair i just think about this man and yeah. he would unfortunately understand.

#is this too personal? idk it's late in the night and i'm in my feelings #i love him very much and also want to not end up like him #endeavour #itv endeavour #morse