Posted: 06/22/2008

Foyle’s War – Series V

(2008)

by Del Harvey

This long-running PBS series captures the quiet desperation of lives thrown into turmoil and confusion by war and deprivation as it offers reasons for those who cause mayhem during wartime. Many of the crimes Foyle and his team attempt to solve include weapons smuggling, sabotage and murder.

Foyle’s War has been described by The Wall Street Journal as “a triumph from start to finish.” Set along the South Coast of England in the 1940s, Foyle’s War stars Michael Kitchen as the no-nonsense Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, the straightforward sleuth who fights his own battles on the home front while war rages across Europe.

Foyle’s War: Series V features the final three episodes of the series: “Plan of Attack,” “Broken Souls” and “All Clear.” It’s April 1944, and victory is at hand for the Allies. But underneath the swell of anticipation and relief lurk resentment, recrimination and regret. A year has passed since DCS Foyle abruptly resigned from the Hastings Police, and his former colleagues are still struggling to adjust to life without him. While Foyle plods away on a writing project, Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) is contemplating leaving the force and Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks) is at loose ends after having been fired by Foyle’s replacement, the irascible DCS Meredith. A shocking act of violence forces Foyle out of retirement and Sam back into the driver’s seat.

The following outline the individual final episodes and their airdates.

Plan of Attack
Airing Sunday, July 13, 2008 on PBS

When a troubled young airman is found hanged, suicide seems the obvious explanation, but Milner has his doubts. Before he can test his theories, though, a shocking act of violence turns the station upside down, forcing Foyle out of retirement and Sam back into the driver’s seat. It’s soon clear that the alleged suicide is no open-and-shut case. Was the young man the victim of a love-triangle killing? What secret did he take with him to his grave? And does a German priest hold the key?

Broken Souls
Airing Sunday, July 20, 2008 on PBS

The murder of an unpopular young doctor yields no shortage of potential suspects, including someone for whom the no-nonsense Foyle has a deep empathy. In the meantime, Sam comes to the aid of a friend whose husband, an injured POW, returns from the war angry to find that things at home have changed while he was away. When the perceived rival for his wife’s affections goes missing, is the former soldier to blame?

All Clear
Airing Sunday, July 27, 2008 on PBS

With the German surrender just days away, Hastings prepares for celebration. Changes—not to mention a few surprises—are in store for everyone. But first, there’s one final case to solve. The murder of a local committee member puts Foyle at odds with his old friend, the American Captain John Kieffer, on whom the war has taken a terrible toll. As the investigation deepens, Foyle finds himself peering into one of the darkest corners of the war effort to uncover a devastating secret the Allies would rather keep hidden.

Del Harvey is a filmmaker, film teacher, writer and the founder of Film Monthly, living in Chicago.

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