Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, Anton Lesser, James Bradshaw, Sean Rigby, Dakota Blue Richards, David Yelland, Glen Davies, Sarah Winter, Robert Wilfort, Morgan Jones, Celine Buckens, Ciara Charteris, Phoebe Nicholls, Edward MacLiam, Amy Marston, John Hopkins, Alex McSweeney, Caroline O’Neill, Shvorne Marks, Claire Lichie, Mark Phoenix, Sion Alun Davies, Sarah Vickers, Matthew Walker.

There is something deeply unsettling in the guts when it comes to witnessing the horror of people being murdered in a hospital, the caring profession, the deep calling that sits in the heart of many to do good, to save lives, to be the shining example in a society that at times only thinks of nurses or doctors when they actually physically need them, it is a place where only those whose time it truly is, should be the ones to pass on.

To be in quarantine in hospital, to be placed their suddenly is a hard emotion to deal with, to feel the fear of a superstitious cowering in their own beds as a certain hospital crib takes on an unfortunate illogical and false premise, that is a mystery worth solving in itself.

Endeavour may have had many issues to deal with as his time as a Detective Constable in Oxford but when the situation he finds himself in calls for three different lines of attack and strategy, all his reasoning and forth right mental acumen are all called for. The seemingly easy task of looking after a prisoner who is turning Queen’s evidence is one thing, but dealing with a serial killer and an ex fiancés mother is quite another, it is this almost leprous feeling of seclusion, of still not being recognised for the insight he brings to the police force, of not ever being able to break the imposed barrier that stands him and acceptance in the wider community that somehow brings this situation to its conclusion.

The loner in the pack, the stranger in the middle of everything is a running motif in Lazeretto, it is one that is defined by the unease that many of the characters undoubtedly feel as they are pushed into positions of responsibility or unhappiness beyond their control. In no small way is this echoed in the relationship between Joan and Win Thursday, the mother/daughter bond broken by the latter’s continued withdrawal from the family; this dynamic is something many families go through and yet this touching scene, one born of anger and worry is in itself a reminder that some problems can eventually be talked through, the trouble is the sores that are allowed to fester in the mean time.

With superb performances by Caroline O’Neil and Sara Vickers as Win and Joan Thursday, Lazeretto continues the very high mark this particular series has offered.

Ian D. Hall