Inspector Lewis (TV Series) The Soul of Genius (2012) User Reviews

A good start the series six

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 17 May 2012]

The sixth series of Lewis opens with the body of a professor being found buried in a woods outside Oxford. It turns out that he had recently purchased a rare annotated edition of Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark' for two hundred thousand pounds… far more money than he should be able to afford. He was obsessed by solving the riddle believed to be hidden within the poem but apparently he wasn't the only one; his estranged brother, also a lecturer at the university had been trying to solve the riddle. Once forensics have finished examining the body it is established that he wasn't killed in the woods but within the city's botanical gardens… which is where the woman who found the body works. As the plot unfolds there are plenty of suspects raised; the brother; two students who have changed their names to Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega after the characters in 'Pulp Fiction' and the woman who runs the gardens. The investigation is further confused by a woman running her own private investigation; she believes the case is somehow related to the death of her son, whose death she blames on his employer Dr Alex Falconer.

This was a good start to the sixth series; like many of the cases it mainly features people involved with the university; they are the usual bunch of eccentrics that make the series fun. With a large group of suspects the viewer is likely to be kept guessing till the end; there are also a number of red herrings to point one in the wrong direction. Guest star Celia Imrie did a fine job as the apparently barmy Michelle Marber… we later learn her character's story which explains her obsession and is quite poignant. It was nice to see some potential love interest for Hathaway in the form of the attractive botanist who found the body, it is just a pity it didn't seem to go anywhere… at least she didn't end up being a killer or being killed which tends to happen in these things!

Smarter than it is given credit for

[ronjamuk · 8/10 · 19 October 2014]

When I first watched this episode I thought it rather trivial in its way. Enjoyable nonetheless but trivial. On repeated viewings however I have come to warm to this episode very much and have enjoyed the intelligence of the screenplay. rather than make the Hunting of the Snark merely a maguffin to muse upon, the screenplay instead shows that all the main suspects are on their own impossible quests, hunting their own snarks in a way.

All the cast are excellent as are the supporting cast but special mention must go to Celia Imrie who at first we think is merely an annoying busybody but as her story is revealed we more and more sympathize with her and see that there is a reason to her scatterbrained personality.

Very good opener to the sixth series

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 30 April 2017]

I think Lewis had pretty much peaked prior to series 6, but that's not to say subsequent episodes weren't great. Indeed there were some particularly good episodes, The Soul of Genius I thought rated highly. It starts off in a blissful and serene way, and soon becomes complex and intricate. The whole basis for the episode seems to be the unravelling of the riddle of The Snark, but as Lewis and Hathaway dig deeper they unearth some troubling events.

The episode features a real mix of characters, some wildly different and unusual, like Mia and Vincent, as well as some very real characters like Michelle Marber. It's the latter character that causes most of the interest in the episode, Celia Imrie is a tremendously good serious actor, and she adds a quality to this episode, the scene where Lewis and Hathaway visit her house for the first time is fantastic, she injects true, raw emotion, brilliant.

Good ending, seems to come out of nowhere, the red herrings took interest from where the real action was.

Very good 8/10

Best depiction of loss

[hhoneycutt-16798 · 10/10 · 28 January 2024]

Easily the most accurate and touching depiction of what loss felt like for me when I lost my adult son, and later my adult daughter. Seeing one's own feelings in a story has a depth to it that I would not have predicted.

These episodes are deep and interesting, well written, and well thought out. The character development of the regulars is real, deep, and believable. The two partners have interesting backstory, but it's their boss who really shines as a well thought out character... generally police procedural shows have managers who are shallow and loud and unreasonable, this show has a much more genuine and believable boss.

It's kind of a treat to have these shows available, you can actually think about what goes on in an episode, and best of all, you don't know who's going to die. In the 'standard' murder mystery, the most obnoxious person in the opening scenes will soon be deader than a dead cat. In this show, you never know.

All in all, a treat.

'Lewis' and Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark'

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 19 June 2017]

Hearing about 'Lewis' for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as 'Inspector Morse' was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good. The good news is, like the prequel series 'Endeavour', 'Lewis' is every bit as good as 'Inspector Morse' and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general.

'Lewis' was a show that started off promisingly with the pilot and the first season, while getting even better with a more settled Season 2 where the show hit its stride. Season 3 was more of a mixed bag (not a bad season at all, but started a little disappointingly, though better than reputed, with one of the show's generally lesser episodes "Allegory of Love"). Season 4 generally was one of the better seasons of 'Lewis', with all the episodes very good to great, and Season 5 was solid with the only disappointment being "The Mind Has Mountains".

"The Soul of Genius" is a very good start to Season 6, generally one of the better episodes from Season 6. It is not perfect, Hathaway's chemistry with the botanist doesn't really go anywhere, and, although the actual ending was good and a real surprise, it came out a little out of the blue.

However, as always, the acting is fine, anchored by Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox. Whately is again very good and carries the episode with aplomb, advantaged by that Lewis is much more developed and as said he has more development. Fox is a breath of fresh air in a great contrasting role that reminds one of a more intelligent Lewis in his younger days and his sparkling sparring chemistry with Whately is a big part of the episode's, and show's, appeal. Clare Holman adds a lot, and Innocent has been better written over time. The supporting cast are all strong, Celia Imrie's remarkably layered performance being one of the best supporting performances in the whole show.

Production values are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot as always, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of pre-existing music is very well-incorporated.

Writing is smart and thought-provoking mostly, with fun interplay between Lewis and Hathaway and references to Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark' (not as big a fanatic on that as with 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass'). The story, starting off very intricate and them becoming increasingly complex, grips one right in and rarely lets go with some nice twists and surprises. The characters are engaging and pleasingly eccentric.

Overall, very good start to Season 6. 8/10 Bethany Cox

More Pharmaceuticals

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 21 March 2018]

I think one of the saddest things that can happen to a human is to experience a tragedy, not of their own making, and carry blame to their grave. We only have one life and to give such a precious thing away is very sad. This is the general theme of this episode. One interesting character is a woman who lost her son and can't admit the possibility that he may have had self-destructive behaviors. The main plot, however, involves other deaths around a sophisticated scientific garden where dangerous items are kept. The first murder victim is an eccentric who somehow came up with over a million pounds. The denouement is rather hard to take, but most of the show had me engaged.

Really enjoyed this one

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 9 March 2024]

Incorporating "The Hunting of the Snark" by Lewis Carroll was absolutely invigorating to an already brilliantly written episode by Rachel Bennette. Unfortunately this apparently was her only "Lewis" episode.

Should of known from past series illness (implied here by Falconer slipping concoction into tea) usually further into the episode is a key component to putting the puzzle's pieces together. Lewis' leniency and camaraderie to Celia Imrie as Michelle Marber though unprofessional broke down the walls of his sometimes lack of depth.

I especially enjoyed beauty Nadine Lewington as Liv Nash who lit up the screen. Hathaway showed much discipline not pursuing her romantically.

Not much to dislike. The ending played out smoothly with all the tied loose ends making sense. Bit of a surprise all was true about Stevie.

Okay

[grantss · 6/10 · 29 October 2022]

The body of a murdered man is found buried in the Botanical Garden. He had and obsession with Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark", a lead which takes Lewis and Hathaway to his brother, a priest at the University, and the Wednesday Club, a mysterious club for geniuses.

Interesting enough but, like many Lewis (and Morse) episodes, too complex for its own good and the revelation comes out of the blue. Pacing is well off as a result.

The Lewis Carroll did make for an interesting intellectual ramble though, like many Lewis episodes, just gives Hathaway a chance to show what a know-it-all he is.

Very Watchable Whodunit!

[davyd-02237 · 7/10 · 28 December 2020]

The only sad parts of this particular Lewis is that once again screen writers do not know how to portray a "Vicar" character within the script. This one is quite poorly done. The language "blasphemy" in particular is commonplace these days and it would be remarkable to find a Detective who actually doesnt!...That said it is NOT obvious who the murderer actually is, although there really arent too many suspects nor why the murders were committed - which is revealed at the end. A very watchable episode from the Lewis series.

The Absence of Soul

[heslopian · 3/10 · 30 August 2012]

A very perfunctory episode of Lewis. The show seems to be going the same way as Midsomer Murders: paper thin characters, elaborate plots that lead nowhere, and classical scores to make it look sophisticated. The difference is that Lewis lacks Murders' self-awareness, and thus its humour. Murders hasn't been good for a long time, but it knows that, and almost makes up for by surrendering to its trashiness. Lewis still has airs and graces, which just underlines its inauthentic core. The dark intelligence of Morse has been replaced by cursory nods to academia. In this episode a Lewis Carroll fanboy is dug up by some botanists. A crude Christian cross marks the grave. Lewis (Kevin Whately) and Hathaway (Laurence Fox) discover that the victim was obsessed with Carroll's epic nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark, which he believed was written in a mathematical code. All of these potentially interesting details fizzle out as a more routine detective drama takes over. The writers are playing a game with us: you think you're about to see a smart, compelling mystery, but really it's just Midsomer posing as Oxford. Every now and then they throw in a "deep" moment to maintain the illusion, like a pub scene where Lewis inexplicably tells Hathaway: "you need a partner." This moment comes so out of left field it's almost funny. There's also the standard scene of Lewis waxing lyrical about grief and recovery to some bereaved character, which here feel utterly hollow. The character this time is a mother (Celia Imrie) who thinks her son was murdered, and has plastered her walls with "clues" to his death. Her story comes closest to poignancy. Otherwise this episode is a lot of nothing. The show could have worked if it was more honest and added some humour and excitement, but it adds layers of pseudo-seriousness which just leave you unsatisfied.