Endeavour's Inner Demons
Season 8
short | 03:22 | CC
Shaun Evans, Anton Lesser, and more describe Endeavour's increasingly spiraling behavior, and how it has affected his relationships and work.
- What I think is interesting in the books, this character who ends up in his mid fifties alone is drinking a lot.
It's part of what makes him tick part of what makes him brilliant when he's having a pint doing the crossword.
And so, for me, it's interesting to really give that a shake and see what that's about.
- He's been left a bit adrift since the death of Violetta at the end of last season.
- And he comes back to Oxford and is in a just in a terrible state about it really.
And he's phoning in sick from work, not going in.
The audience get to see Endeavour at home or in his private moments and feel a part of that anguish and depression and whatnot.
They know a little more than the other characters in the story do about what's going on with him.
- You all right?
Look a bit peaky.
- No, I'm fine.
- Sure?
- He doesn't know how to speak to anyone right now.
He's finding it difficult to know what his place in the world is.
What's the point of things.
And that obviously has an effect on how he does his work.
It has an effect on how people are dealing with him as well.
- I feel like I missed something.
(dramatic music) - No.
- Are you sure?
- Well, if you did, then it was nothing much.
- Endeavour kind of recedes into his shell and into his pain and into his torment.
- Morse.
- What is this place?
- This idea of talk therapy, which is very modern, in the Seventies, you know, a lot of men didn't do that.
- Morse is Morse, sir.
You know more than anyone what last year took out of us all.
He walks a step slower, maybe.
- Lost some of his bounce.
- A bit less full of himself, a bit less cocksure.
- At the end of last season, Thursday was there with him and witnessed that and helped to save him.
So can see he has a sense of what he's sort of gone through.
- [Man] Not with you this morning?
- No, he is running sick.
- Ah.
- They're aware.
They're concerned, but they can't really involve themselves too much in that.
- [Shaun] If you look at the books and when I first started this job what people would say to me about Morse is that he was so moody.
If you've been on the air you've got no patience the next day after, you know.
- Piece of old tissue?
- All right, matey, don't rub it in.
Haven't all got your eye.
- He's more irascible.
- Are we sure about that?
Time of death?
- Touchier.
- I'd have thought checking that would've been a priority, to be honest.
- Would you?
Well, funnily enough we were a man down yesterday, which left us shorthanded.
- Letting his own high standards slip.
- That shirt looks like you slept in it.
- What Thursday needs is a right hand, man, who's on it.
And he needs Endeavour at the top of his game.
- Slovenly dress leads to a slovenly mind.
- It's becoming so apparent in work, coming in stinking of booze, looking a mess.
- He was out sick several days last month, wasn't he?
Does he see anyone?
- Not that I know, sir.
He's just a bit run down, I expect.
- I'm no fool, Thursday and nor are you.
- He needs to get help.
Otherwise he's going to be a liability.
- In four weeks leave out.
Mr.
Bright thinks you should take it now.
And so do I.
- Sort this out or don't come back at all.
- [Thursday] The force has people who can help.
If you need it, places you can go.
- Obviously this is the family that he is built around him for better or for worse.
So to have that pulled from under you I think is a right wake up call.
- There is hope at the end of the series in that Endeavour starts to realize that he does need to confront the demons within him.
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