Lewis "The Ramblin' Boy" (spoilers)

[Adam H. Kerman]

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Note: UK's ITV aired this series in January and February, each in two
parts, as Lewis Series 7. On Masterpiece season 43 from WGBH, they were
edited into one part and are being shown as Inspector Lewis, Series VI.

This episode was pure fluff, but loads of fun. Peter Davison has a grand
old time playing a rich, arrogant prick, a character type he rarely gets
to play. More often than not, he's playing a variation of Tristan Farnon.
I liked the performance (and appropriately hated the character).

Lewis is involved before there's a case. A police officer's wife approaches
Lewis to complain that her husband has abandoned her and the the children.
He's an old friend of Lewis's and asks for his help.

Meanwhile, Hathaway is about to leave on holiday in eastern Europe, although
it's mostly carpentry and painting, helping his old order. Lewis is assigned
a very green detective constable.

Meeting Peter Davison, Lewis takes an instant dislike to the man and
assumes he's behind the various crimes, absolutely Columbo like.

There isn't a lot of mystery to solve. Lewis moves along as the story
unfolds, more there to fill in plot details which are largely left out of
dialogue. There's the old reliable cliche of a character with important
knowledge unwilling to wait for Lewis to reveal it, so he's almost killed.

Unusual for Lewis, he gets to save not one but two innocents.

Hathaway has nearly nothing to do in the episode, although in the second
part, he gets tricked into doing one of the interviews, objecting that
he has to get to another country to do it.

Innocent herself gets a few more lines than usual, and fancies herself as
part of Lewis's investigation (although she left the office in just one
scene). Lewis announces to Laura that the death of his wife no longer
haunts him and they kiss in the bar in front of Hathaway and Innocent.

It does appear as if Laurence Fox is being written out. Too bad.