Ep 1. Counter Culture Blues

Counter Culture Blues is the first episode of the third season of the popular British detective drama, Inspector Lewis, which aired as part of the Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS in the United States. The show follows the investigations headed by the Oxford-based Detective Inspector Robert Lewis (played by Kevin Whately) and his partner, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway (played by Laurence Fox).

In this episode, Lewis and Hathaway face one of their toughest cases yet as a professor at Oxford University, Andrew Crompton, is found dead in his own home. The circumstances surrounding the death are mysterious; the professor's body is found in a closet, dressed in a woman's wig and clothing, and a marijuana cigarette is found nearby.

As they begin their investigation, Lewis and Hathaway are introduced to the Counter Culture community, a group of students and professors who embrace radical political views and experiment with drugs. The detectives soon discover that Crompton was not a member of this community, but had been living with the group for several days before his death.

Suspects abound in this case, as Lewis and Hathaway come across a number of characters with potential motives for murdering the professor. The officers suspect that the murder may have been committed as part of a vendetta against Crompton's conservative views, or may be linked to the professor's research on the world of terrorism.

As they delve deeper into the case, Lewis and Hathaway uncover more clues pointing towards a conspiracy involving the Counter Culture group, and must dig deep to find out whether any of the members are responsible for Crompton's untimely death.

Alongside the main murder investigation, the episode also focuses on the complicated relationship between Lewis and Hathaway, which becomes further complicated when Hathaway reveals his own connection to the Counter Culture group.

Overall, Counter Culture Blues is a gripping and complex episode of Inspector Lewis that keeps the audience guessing right until the very end. The nuanced acting from the show's lead actors and the intricate plot make it one of the standout episodes in the series, offering up an intriguing mystery and plenty of twists and turns.