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Foyle’s War, Set 6

Apr 122013

The final (kind of) season of “Foyle’s War” wraps up the series and ends World War II, but don’t take that to mean that any of us get any closure.

If you haven’t watched the series, don’t start here. None of it will be as meaningful to you, and I’m just going to assume you know who all of the characters are.

Set 6 contains three episodes that take place during the summer of 1945, but its theme is that war doesn’t end when the war ends. A character in “The Russian House,” the first episode, states it bluntly: “when the war is over, another war begins.” He’s speaking of poverty, unemployment and other postwar adjustments, but he might as well be talking about the Cold War, too. The episode focuses on Russian prisoners of war, white Russians who fought with Nazi Germany and against Stalin and the communists. Of course. only a few years later most of England would be anticommunist, too, but in 1945 that made future allies into enemies. Many of the POWs, including one that Sam knows, don’t want to go back, so when their employer is murdered, suspicion naturally turns to the Russian. The episode also highlights the awkward relationships among Foyle, Sam and Milner, who are no longer a team but who are still the good guys.

The second episode, “Killing Time,” shows that the war is only beginning for African-American soldiers. The Americans are hanging out in Hastings, waiting for enough troop ships to arrive so they can go home. American officers want to institute a color bar to keep black and white soldiers apart, in order to keep the peace, a move that Foyle opposes but other Brits support. Meanwhile, a woman who lives in Sam’s boarding house, having been kicked out by her parents because she’s raising her mixed-race baby while the black American soldier father tries to get permission for them to marry. This is a story line that can’t end well. And, there is a series of highway murders that may also be connected to the Americans. The portrayal of American race relations is a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s a stern reminder of the problems black soldiers faced.

Finally, “The Hide” tells the story of a British soldier under trial for having served in a special troop of Brits supporting Hitler. The traitor, James Devereaux, comes from an honorable family, but he won’t explain himself or his decision to join the Nazis, won’t see his family, won’t mount a defense. He seems to be connected to a young woman founded murdered in her bedroom for no apparent reason. Foyle investigates and slowly unwinds the story of what really happened, not just in Nazi Germany, but to the young woman and inside the Devereaux family. Meanwhile, Sam and her friend fight to stop development on the village green, as postwar progress seems to threaten history and tradition.

The stories are not just interesting or mysterious, but thought-provoking and sometimes even intense. The acting and production values are top-notch, and if the tone at the end is somewhat melancholy, that’s only appropriate to a series about the war.

I keep hearing that there’s to be a Season 7 of “Foyle’s War,” and Christopher Foyle does mention that he’s off to America to handle some unfinished business, which I took to refer to an earlier episode involving an ugly American. These three episodes set the stage for a continuation of the series by demonstrating that in many ways, the war didn’t end just because peace was declared.

Foyle’s War: Set 5 (DVD)

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Nov 162012

The war is over, and everyone’s happy except me, and Samantha Stewart.

“Foyle’s War” Set 5 has only three episodes: Plan of Attack, Broken Souls, and All Clear. I read (source includes spoilers) that British ITV decided to end the series and that it therefore had to be wrapped up quickly, so not only are there only three episodes (instead of four like the others) but these three aren’t quite up to the standards of the first four seasons. It’s hard for me to know if I agreed or if I was just disappointed to reach the end of the series.

So, the set. “Plan of Attack” resolves the dramatic ending to Set 4, which I won’t give away here. The episode involves Milner’s investigation into transportation fraud under the direction of a superior officer who can no longer do the job; meanwhile, poor Samantha Stewart, Foyle’s longtime driver, has been fired and is now working in a job she hates. Of course all of that will be rectified by the end of the episode. When Foyle steps in, it’s to look into the suspicious death of a military cartographer.

“Broken Souls” brings the team to an investigation inside a facility for troubled soldiers, their minds broken by the stresses of war. The problem is that almost any one of them, and some of the staff, could’ve been involved, and the investigation is further complicated by the fact that Foyle knows the doctor in charge of the psychiatric center, a Polish refugee. As always, “Foyle’s War” brings home the consequences of war in a very real way.

And finally, “All Clear” brings us to the end of the war. Foyle has pretty much had it with policing, but crime continues even as people wait for the formal announcement of armistice. I thought the episode portrayed the exhaustion people felt and the desire to just walk away from it all, even knowing that it’s not really possible to do that. It’s an odd thing that I didn’t want the war to end (of course, I’m glad World War II ended, I just didn’t want the series to end), but neither did Sam Stewart, whose job and purpose for working ended as well. How bittersweet it must’ve been for so many women!

I continue to recommend “Foyle’s War” to anyone who likes history or mystery (and especially to people like me who love both). The costumes, cars and bikes, hairstyles, and so forth bring the era to life, and the portrayals of home front problems illuminate what it means to live in a country that’s fully engaged in war. The acting is uniformly strong, especially the understated approach of Michael Kitchen in the lead role, whose simple clench of the jaw tells a whole story in itself. The mysteries are often secondary because the reality of war made them so, but they’re usually well done, too.

Set 5 may be a bit less strong than the others, in that it didn’t investigate a major theme of war like the others did, but it did wrap up the series along with the war. As it turned out, “Foyle’s” has continued past Set 5, but I didn’t know that when I watched it, and I thought it was a much better ending than many television series come up with today (U.S. version of “The Killing”???).

Foyle’s War, Set 4 (DVD)

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Aug 032012

The always wonderful series “Foyle’s War” continues to hold a high standard in Set 4, with a focus on the theme of trust.

In the first episode, “Invasion,” the Americans arrive, and the British aren’t all thrilled. Building an airstrip near Hastings, the Yanks discover that many Brits believe they might’ve shown up a little sooner. When a woman is murdered, locals seem to view the Americans as an enemy right along with the Germans.

Next, in “Bad Blood,” a mysterious British experiment has horrible consequences first on animals and then for some villagers, including DCS Foyle’s driver, Samantha Stewart — made even worse because military officials decide not to reveal what they’ve done, and neither veterinarians nor doctors can figure out what’s happening. A parallel plot concerns the stabbing of a war hero, apparently by a pacifist, again calling into question who can really be trusted.

In the third episode, “Bleak Midwinter,” Foyle must decide if he trusts his usually trusty sidekick, Paul Milner, when Milner’s long-departed wife suddenly reappears and is murdered — only hours after Paul is heard ending an argument with the phrase, “…or else!” Foyle and Milner were investigating the mysterious death of a female munitions factory worker, and Milner’s wife Jane apparently had information about the case.

And last, the “Casualties of War” episode raises a number of troubling issues: shell shock in a child, illegal gambling by two young adults, sabotage, and murder connected to a military research facility. Foyle’s trust is tried most greatly when his goddaughter abandons her son with him and when a superior officer interferes with the investigation near the military research facility, and at the end of the episode he makes it clear that he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. (Yeah, “Network” is from the 1970s, but that “first casualty of war is the truth” quote isn’t from World War II, either!)

This fourth set of “Foyle’s War” is fairly dark, and it ends on an unhappy note; but as always the acting is marvelous and the period details make you feel as though you’re really there. And rest assured, dear readers (viewers), there is a set 5 to follow.

Foyle’s War, Set 3 (DVD)

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Apr 272012

Foyle’s War is such a delight. I’m up to Set 3 now, and caught up to the random episode I watched the first time–now it makes a lot more sense! Set 3 takes place during the first half of 1941, and unlike the first two sets I didn’t really identify an overarching theme while watching them, and in retrospect I can only come up with “people are often not what they seem.” But you can say that about pretty much any mystery, so let’s forget about major themes and talk about the stories.

In “The French Drop,” Foyle finally appears to be lined up for the war job he’s been seeking, a position at Naval Command. But in the meantime, he doggedly pursues a murder investigation in Hastings, the apparent suicide of a young man who turns out to be the son of an MI5 officer. He continues to investigate even when the trail leads to an undercover war office for training people in espionage, an organization which does not welcome his efforts. He solves the case, but made the wrong person mad, and so his opportunity to work in the Navy disappears (thank heavens, for those of us who want him to stay in the police).

“Enemy Fire” takes place at Digby Manor, which has been requisitioned by the RAF to serve as a hospital, particularly for the treatment of burns. This, of course, hits close to home for Foyle because his son, Andrew, is an RAF pilot; however, Andrew goes AWOL following the horrible death of another pilot who was flying in Andrew’s plane. Problems come up at the hospital — missing drugs, sabotage, escalating to violence — and Andrew’s incompetent mechanic is found murdered. Foyle investigates.

“They Fought in the Fields” features Sam Stewart working as a land girl, feeling guilty for doing nothing more for the war effort than driving a police officer around. Two Germans are captured after an air raid near the farm where Sam’s working, but something’s not quite right about their story. When a third German is found dangling in a parachute, and when Foyle sees how the Germans interact in the prison camp, he gets very suspicious about what they’re up to.

In “War of Nerves” Foyle keeps track of a Communist agitator while Milner gets his turn on center stage, working undercover in the building trade to figure out how certain items are ending up on the black market. Then an unexploded bomb puts everyone in danger, and the members of the bomb disposal unit who come to disable it are tempted by a stash of money that they agree to hide and divide up later. Unfortunately, this leads to the death of one of their group, and Foyle and Milner have to save everyone from their own greed.

Apparently many of these stories were based on actual wartime events, just moved to Hastings so Inspector Foyle and his team can investigate. Knowing that makes me like the series even more, because it allows us to imagine how life might have been under the pressure of all-out war. It also keeps the stories fresh, and fascinating.

Foyle’s War, set 2

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Feb 172012

Set 1 of the BBC series Foyle’s War struck me with its unblinking exposure of the dark side of British involvement in World War II. In four episodes set in the autumn of 1940, Set 2 (2002) explores the theme of justice in a time of war: is it possible to achieve, especially when the outcome of the war is in so much jeopardy?

In “50 Ships” Foyle investigates the body of a man found on the beach — a drunk whose meaningless life seems to have led him to end it all. When they realize it was actually murder, Foyle, Milner and Sam Stewart dig deeper, in part with the help of a Nazi spy who turned up the same night on the beach nearby the dead man. It turns out that the investigation could jeopardize the American entry into war (through Lend-Lease), and that the spy — who’s no doubt going to be hung — is more honorable than the American and even some of the Brits involved.

“Among the Few” brings the viewer into Foyle’s son Andrew’s war. A pilot in the RAF, Andrew is involved in the murder of a young woman — aside from the killer, he was the last person to see her alive. After Foyle solves the murder, he’s faced with the choice of letting (or not) the killer continue wartime duties which really are making a difference in the British war effort.

“War Games” involves a British businessman who puts profit before war when he makes a secret pact with the Nazis. Foyle is refereeing a Home Guard war game on the businessman’s property when a young man is shot at close range and apparently not because of an accident during the war game, and it all unravels from there.

“The Funk Hole” begins with some food thieves being shot at by a warden. The food is for a “funk hole,” an expensive place for the wealthy to escape the privations (and danger) of war. Meanwhile, Foyle is accused of sedition and is barred from working on the case. Sam and Milner take on more important roles in this episode as a consequence. The resolution to it all turns out to be related to revenge for a wartime injustice in which many innocent people died — not intentionally, but because defenses didn’t operate as planned.

Michael Kitchen stars as Christopher Foyle, and he plays the quiet yet forceful character to perfection. Though he butts heads with military intelligence, the RAF, and higher level police officers, he never stops in his quest for justice for murder victims — but, be warned, even Foyle can’t always achieve it.

Foyle’s War — Set 1 (DVD)

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Dec 022011

I have an admittedly romanticized view of Britain’s role in World War II. If we played word association, I’d say things like the people were brave, selfless and stoic and that the country was the last bulwark against Hitler; I’d picture things like Londoners picking through the rubble of the blitz and Winston Churchill’s bulldog face.

The BBC series “Foyle’s War” doesn’t take away from any of that, but it shows deeper dimensions and reminds us that even the Brits were human, and therefore flawed. Series 1 makes it immediately clear that there’s far more to the story of England at war.

Set 1 includes four mysteries. The first, “The German Woman” shows that anti-German sentiment could be taken too far. Innocent people were sent to internment camps and, in a side story, we learn about people who helped others evade service or internment with money. “The White Feather” shows both Nazi sympathizers and the very real fear that Germany could win the war. “A Lesson in Murder” focuses on the suicide of a pacifist and death threats against the judge who refused to give him conscientious objector status. Finally, “Eagle Day” is the story of a man found dead in a bombed out house — with a knife in his stomach. Ordinary crime continues even during war.

Which leads to another theme of the series: the conflict between policing and war. On many occasions Foyle is asked to overlook crime or let suspects go in order to help Britain’s war effort — asked by criminals, government officials, ordinary citizens. Usually Foyle doggedly continues his investigations, but at one point he lets a potential suspect go in order to help with the evacuation from Dunkirk, with the man’s father promising to bring him back.

The actors in this series include Michael Kitchen, who’s superb as Foyle; Honeysuckle Weeks as Samantha Stewart, Foyle’s driver; and Anthony Howell as Paul Milner, a war veteran who’s lost part of his leg and returns home to serve in the police. They’re all engaging characters, whose personal stories grow with each episode (something I learned earlier this year). It’s a series that entertains, yet leaves you thinking about bigger questions: mystery television at its best.

I bought Foyle’s War — Set 1 to put under the Christmas tree for someone I know. I recommend it for anyone who likes TV mysteries.

Foyle’s War: The French Drop

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Mar 072011

I’d always heard good things about “Foyle’s War,” and had even watched an episode, but I wasn’t paying much attention and therefore never even tried to review it. When I checked out another episode, “The French Drop,” from our local library, my husband looked at the box and –completely unaware that I’d tried once before — said, “I’ve heard this is good but you have to pay attention.” Heh.

When I asked on Twitter if any of my followers were fans of the show, I got several enthusiastic endorsements. @christymystery tweeted, “Someone recc’d it to us – great series!” @Col_Reads said, “My parents are fanatics — I plan to borrow the series when I go out there for Easter.” And @JStevenYork reported that he’s “Enjoying ‘Foyle’s War’ very much. History & mystery mixed well. Working through series 2 now…” So I headed into watching this episode in a better frame of mind than the first time out. In fact, this time I paid attention.

The series takes place during World War II in England, and it focuses on the criminal investigations of Christopher Foyle (played by Michael Kitchen). This particular episode concerns what appears to be an open-and-shut case: a body found in an old bookshop, identifiable by an engraved pocket watch, and a suicide note found in the man’s flat. But things don’t add up to Foyle’s satisfaction. For instance, the man’s parents have never heard of the girl who supposedly caused him to commit suicide. The watch, an expert says, isn’t old but is made to look old. And then there’s an odd broken vase in a cemetery. Foyle’s investigations lead him to a British spy organization, newly created to help defeat Hitler by any means necessary.

@JStevenYork suggested that if I enjoyed the episode, I should go back and watch them in order. “Mysteries work as stand-alones, but there are advancing character arcs…,” he tweeted–and I could tell that I was missing something about Foyle trying to get into war service– “plus, series steps through war years and historic changes.” Good advice, and I’m going to follow it.