(Review is of both parts).
A college dean is murdered in what appears to be ritualistic fashion. The victim's closest friends all appear to be fans of poet Charles Williams, one of the famed Oxford Inklings. Lewis and Hathaway's investigations also lead them to suspect a link to the practice of alchemy. Could the Williams and alchemy ties lead them to the perpetrator?
I was initially disappointed with the way the show was resuscitated in Season 8: it felt haphazard and contrived and seemed done just so the producers could squeeze the last dollar out of the show. However, while none of the following episodes were brilliant they still very good and included some decent mysteries.
The main things missing were the banter between Lewis, Hathaway and Dr Hobson and the personal side of their lives. This has limited the engagement in these later episodes and it is felt particularly here, in this 2-part episode.
The plot is interesting enough but there's a flatness to proceedings. The writers have tried to jam in some decent sub-plots with the new Chief Superintendent and his intrusiveness and the saga of Hathaway's father but neither are interesting.
Maybe I'm just jaded and want to move onto something new but I'm quite keen for this show to end.