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Arts & Culture

Masterpiece Mystery! Inspector Lewis, Series II: Quality Of Mercy

When a young actor is murdered during a student Shakespeare production, Lewis (Kevin Whately, shown) and Hathaway sift through the motives of several suspects - from a jealous thespian to an Oxford dropout to a playgoer only too anxious to use his ticket stub as an alibi. As the duo tracks down the truth, they unearth a dark secret that hits Lewis eerily close to home.
Courtesy of ©Robert Day/ITV plc for MASTERPIECE
When a young actor is murdered during a student Shakespeare production, Lewis (Kevin Whately, shown) and Hathaway sift through the motives of several suspects - from a jealous thespian to an Oxford dropout to a playgoer only too anxious to use his ticket stub as an alibi. As the duo tracks down the truth, they unearth a dark secret that hits Lewis eerily close to home.

Airs Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV

Whately And Fox Interview

The "Inspector Lewis" stars talk about their on-screen alter egos and their off-screen relationship.

Kevin Whately returns as Inspector Lewis teamed with his cool, cerebral partner Detective Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox, "A Room with a View"). Lewis, the former working-class foil to the erudite Detective Inspector Morse, tackles murder and mayhem with the help of Hathaway in the seemingly perfect academic haven of Oxford.

In this episode, a student production of "The Merchant of Venice" takes real-life deadly turn when a cast member is killed using a prop knife. Apart from the jealous ensemble cast who can't even muster fake tears over the loss of their colleague, there is an audience of suspects to consider — a career con man, an egotistical television personality and a young man who just might have killed to get a part in the play.

Lewis and Hathaway methodically try to make sense of the murderous plot, but before they do, another death occurs with a Shakespearean sensibility. As the final act is about to unfold, the case takes an intensely personal turn for Lewis, bringing back traumatic memories and invoking a lesson in mercy. (Original Broadcast: October 2009)

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"Inspector Lewis Series II: Allegory Of Love" is available for online viewing through August 22, 2010.

Video Excerpt: Inspector Lewis, Series II: Quality Of Mercy