I must say I think this is one of the best shows ever. To me this ranks right up there with The West Wing. Of course there are a lot of other 'one of the best shows ever's, as well. Game of Thrones, Homeland, Star Trek and then there are all our "personal favorites", how much weight that carries might be questionable. And those series I mentioned above are DEFINITELY NOT included among my "personal favorites" and so on. That last part was "fill", what's the problem with less than 10 lines?Michael Kitchen is mesmerizing. You just get his character. Foyle is respect. He garners it, creates it, and deeply values it. The writing is good, the other actors are basically always great, direction excellent, sets and so on.What is it about the British?

I could only watch half of the first episode. I guess I expected something different, but this is a melodrama in the backdrop of WWII. I'm not interested in melodramas and constant crying. The continuity errors (like the wire that killed Mrs. Beaumont is clearly put at the level of horse's feet but cuts her head off) and the level of implausibility and dumb behavior just for the sake of subsequent plot development like how can a middle-aged detective go behind some sheds to arrest a guy he doesn't know anything about and hope he doesn't outrun him or simply beat him up; or, after his daughter is killed during bombing, a father says "If I could just lay my hands on any ONE German", just to add a possible suspect for the sake of it. And the aunt conveniently gets a heart attack as she is taken to a spy prison. If you expect some clever detective work or many intense war scenes, this is not it. This is a melodrama. With all the corresponding clichés.

From the get-go, the message is clear: There is never an excuse strong enough for a failure to keep one's own moral keel level and steady; even active defense against an amoral foe. And this happens to be one of the strong messages from the Gospel. Time and time again Christ reminds us not to judge; and Foyle's War is a kind of sustained and subtly-hued metaphor that showcases this wisdom. The local, British malefactors act under a presumed cover of intense outwardly focused judgment of the Jerries; but Foyle steadfastly maintains the essential virtue of (as the Firesign Theatre put it!) "bringing the war back home."And that's the point of the show; that Foyle understands the vital role of this particular vigil, even as he runs a never-ending gamut of personality types who, for intentions good or ill, would if they could blunt Foyle's keen and morally attuned inner focus. Foyle *is* a foil, and that Christopher faithfully bears that particular aspect of the Christ, as England tries to survive the depredations of a determined war machine; depredations which aren't *just* material in nature.Above and beyond all this, it's a warm and welcome showcase for all kinds of moral success. In one episode, it even aspires to a storyline of psychic damage, tender ministrations, confrontation of demons, deep realization and catharsis, and emotional healing; worthy of the best of Freudian practicum.Whew! I haven't even gotten 'round to talking about production! And the production values square with what one has come to expect from the Brits: Sets, costuming, lighting, properties, casting, direction, editing, sound.... Really, there's nothing to fault, as far as I can tell. It's as though the producers agreed that the best hearts and minds had to brought to bear on such a bittersweet, timeless moral study.Check it out.

I started watching Foyle's War on the advice of a cinimaphile friend - went though all the wartime episodes and am so enamored with it stayed up until 3 in the morning watching a rerun of episode 1 Season 8 on PBS.The series is great on 2 levels - first - the crime dramas in each episode are so well written that the screen writing on that alone would make it (or any series) great.But above that the historical research - from how people acted during the Battle Of Britain - the attitudes of the "Sitzkrieg" - that lull between the time war was declared over the Nazis invading Poland and the Air War - When I found out they were filming more episodes - well, that accounts for my staying up from 01:30 - 03:00. Season 8 deals with the beginning of the Cold War.Great stuff.