The
lowdown: Michael Kitchen plays Detective Chief Superintendent
Christopher Foyle in ITV's series about
crime in war-time Britain.
The series begins in May 1940, and DCI Foyle would rather be serving the
war effort
than solving crime in Hastings,
Sussex. However, crime goes on, even in the midst of war, food rationing
and
blackouts on the South Coast
of England. Foyle and Sergeant Paul Milner investigate a range of crimes,
including
treason, theft, looting
sabotage and of course murder. All in a day's work for DCS Foyle.
'A Lesson in Murder' is the
third episode of the series, and features David Tennant as a pacifist,
Theo Howard.
His friend and conscientious
objector David Beale is found hanged in a cell at Hastings police station
shortly after
appearing before a tribunal
that was hearing his request for an exemption from military service. Howard
believes
that Beale was in fact murdered,
and holds the head of the tribunal, Lawrence Gascoigne, responsible for
Beale's
death. Howard tells Foyle
that he should be investigating Gascoigne, as he has treated one 'conshie'
more
favourably than others because
of his father's wealth. Howard goes to Gascoigne's house with a gun, with
his
intention clear. But while
he cannot bring himself to kill Gascoigne, he realises that despite being
a pacifist,
he is indeed capable of
killing, and decides to enlist and serve his country. The episode is as
much about
Howard's journey of self-discovery
as the actual death that is being investigated, and David Tennant delivers
a strong performance as
Theo.
The
verdict: 'Foyle's War' is a wonderful series, and the producers
have done a great job of recreating the look
and atmosphere of war-time
Britain, including the fashions and hairstyles of the time. The war setting
provides
more scope for different
types of crimes than similar British detective shows' set in more comtemporary
times,
such as 'Inspector Morse'
and 'A Touch of Frost'. If you like British detective shows, you should
love this one.
|
|
