FOYLE'S WAR

WAR GAMES

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: violence, thematic elements

Rated:

In a meeting on the eighteenth floor of Empire & European Foods, Sir Reginald Walker informs a select group of employees of a new agreement that will allow them to dominate the non-mineral fats and oils trade, despite the outcome of the war. It is a step away from treason and the only proof lies in a document kept by his devious son Simon. The secretary chosen to attend and take notes is a patriot and phones someone from the office, believing she can steal the document. A few minutes later, she falls to her death from an open window. The case does not come to the attention of Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) in Hastings, who is busily concerned with a case in court. His sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) is defending his arrest of a man in conjecture with a murder case, but the current barrister, a German refugee by the name of Beck, tears his case to pieces on the witness stand. Beck is a long-time fishing friend of Foyle's, a fact Milner hardly appreciates.

Many years before, Beck defended Harry Markham, a local criminal part of a three-man crime ring. He was sentenced to three months in prison because of withdrawn evidence and has recently been released. Returning to his sister Lucy on their small farm after the death of their father, Harry has decided to make a clean start at life. That is, until Beck arrives on his doorstep with a proposition. He desires Harry to burgle the Walker county estate and make off with an important document from the safe. It's of such tender measure that the robbery would not be reported to the police. Out of duty for the reduced sentence Beck managed to get him, Harry agrees. He breaks into the safe but is chased away again before he can make off with the document -- instead he takes a priceless golden box with unknown contents. Because a passing constable heard shots and saw a figure fleeing into the underbrush, Foyle is drawn to the estate to investigate. The Walkers profess that nothing is missing but undertake their own secret investigation to learn who has wronged them so unjustly. In the meantime Harry's former business partners believe he's gone back into business without him, and he has other enemies in the neighborhood.

The plot is further complicated by four small children collecting recyclable materials for the war effort, and "war games" to take place on the Walker Estate. Fearing a Nazi invasion, the best way to prepare troops is to conduct covert missions in invasion and defense on homeland shores. Foyle has been called to serve as a warden, while familiar faces surface in the midst of the trials. Certain areas are segregated to use "live ammunition," and others may only serve blanks... but when a young man is murdered in cold blood, Foyle's disinterested investigation into theft turns much more serious, taking him into political and social intrigue, uncovering a den of conspiracy, profiteers, spies and family entanglements. Yet another excellent historical drama that delves into the lesser-known values and problems of war-torn England, War Games combines just the right amount of cheeky humor and food for thought. The conversations this episode will prompt at the conclusion are excellent, particularly given the nature of guilt and personal responsibility. The murder is uncommon and the final twist particularly effective.

While at many times the episode keeps us guessing, it clears up all the broken threads to paint a clear image by the final credits. Foyle continues to be a monument of virtue and goodness, although some may question his reasoning. In this and many other installments, he chooses to allow men to escape temporary justice for their contribution to the war effort. It's one of the more remarkable traits of his nature, and while I agree with his reasoning, other people might be conflicted as to the worth of such choices. This has one of the better villains in the series, since the individual involved comes from a radical standpoint. There are very few content issues but thematic elements to bear in mind. Anti-Semitism was traversed in The White Feather, but is more poignant here. Not all Germans are evil, we learn, but some have made terrible choices. Nazi propaganda is found in a room covered in swastikas, images of Hitler, and Jewish artifacts.

There are no questionable scenes (an officer asks a group of troops in the war games to strip to their long johns so he can use their uniforms) but British profanity ("bloody," and so forth) do intervene on occasion. This episode is slightly bloodier than those before it; we see a woman fall from a building. The sight of her body hitting the pavement is obstructed, but we watch a gathering pool of blood beneath her mangled form as the camera focuses in for the damage. Two thugs beat up on their former partner, knocking him into furniture, throwing him to the ground, kicking him in the stomach, and leaving him dazed. We see the perspective of the killer as a man is shot point-blank through the head (no impact, but blood coats the wall behind him). This is shown several times, along with his body. Simon comes to the cottage to intimidate Lucy into telling him if her brother is the thief, and forces her to kiss him. A gunshot implies that a character has committed suicide. One of the more remarkable episodes, War Games is ideal for slightly older viewers desiring more out of a murder mystery than mere violence.