Posted by: haro1d

The good news is, Foyle’s War is back. Anyone who has followed this popular UK series on PBS knows that it’s among the best-written and executed scripted programs done for television in recent years. When it ended its initial run and Detective Chief Superintendent Foyle (Michael Kitchen) resigned his post, there was something dissatisfying about the ending. World War II still had years to go before its end, and it seemed like a coda was all but inevitable. The politics of British television were to blame, it seems, but changing circumstances meant that Foyle’s War could return to production at last.

Now it’s here, and not a moment too soon, in my opinion. Only the opener on these three new episodes did leave me just a bit wanting. Much of the appeal of the series rests on its successful development of numerous plotlines, some of which intersect and others that don’t. We had a good handle on the murder and the mystery itself this time out, but where was the exploration of the personal lives of the characters we’ve come to know? What’s going on with Foyle’s son, Andrew? How’s Milner’s home life coming along? And most of all, where has Sam’s endless snack obsession gone? (Not even ONE joke about her wanting more food? Really? Even if the war was going their way by ‘44, I can’t think that she had had her fill of abundance or anything near it, then.)

One of the frustrations consistent with the previous broadcasts of Foyle’s War by PBS is the unfortunate cutting of the individual episodes. Uncut, they typically run roughly 110 minutes. Here, we lose roughly 15-20 of those minutes, in favor of … I don’t know what.

But even if the missing minutes were reinserted, it couldn’t significantly change the overall development of the world of Hastings, 1944, that had audiences clamoring to return. With only two more opportunities to return, I do hope we get a much fuller return to true Foyle’s War form.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t seen any of Foyle’s War, do yourself a favor and seek it out, whether it’s on PBS On Demand or in your Netflix queue. TV really doesn’t get better than this.

Tags: Drama //