April 1941: Foyle questions three Land Army girls about a murder that occurs on a Hastings farm.April 1941: Foyle questions three Land Army girls about a murder that occurs on a Hastings farm.April 1941: Foyle questions three Land Army girls about a murder that occurs on a Hastings farm.
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- TriviaWhile the friendly approach is used with prisoners of war in this episode, the most effective means used by the British was to combine the civilized approach with quite a few hidden microphones. By keeping the stress down. the prisoners were more likely to discuss things between themselves, which resulted in the gathering of a great deal of useful intelligence.
- GoofsWhen Foyle and Milner sit down to dinner with the women there is a dish of Brussels sprouts on the table. These are a winter vegetable who's season is over by March. Elsewhere we are shown fields of bluebells. These flowers normally appear late April to Mid May.
- Quotes
DCS Christopher Foyle: Where do you get your opinion of men?
Barbara Hicks: Experience.
Featured review
Murder, a farm and the Women's Land Army
Loved 'Foyle's War' and was immediately hooked when first getting into it. Love it even more now, on re-watches things that didn't quite make sense at first are clearer and things that were not noticed or appreciated before are and much admired. Everything that came over as brilliant on first viewings still are brilliant on re-watches.
All the previous episodes ranged between great to brilliant. "They Fought in the Fields" is a slight notch down, being a very good high in quality episode but, slightly disappointingly, not quite up to the consistent greatness shown previously. As clichéd as this sounds, even when 'Foyle's War' was not at its best it was much better than a lot of shows at their weakest with none of the episodes being what one would deem "bad". Like with many 'Foyle's War' episodes, on re-watch there was much more appreciation had for how well established the character development, tone and themes are and things that didn't quite connect entirely at first made more sense on re-watches.
Do have to agree that "They Fought in the Fields" gets a little too complicated at times. First things first, all the stories in 'Foyle's War' are complex, which is in a way part of its appeal to me (really like shows and films with complex stories that make one think and keep you guessing) but most episodes don't have as many subplots and tie together better. "They Fought in the Fields" does have a few too many subplots, some more interesting than others, and they could have been tied together in a way that made more sense and connected better.
With that being said, "They Fought in the Fields" is an excellently executed episode otherwise. Have always admired the visual detail that went into 'Foyle's War' and how high quality the production values are, with beautiful costumes, the evocative way the characters are made up, the look of the houses and cars, pretty locations and authentic-looking scenery. The music is in keeping with the mood and doesn't overpower the drama while still making an impact.
Writing is intelligent, sophisticated and thought-provoking, establishing Foyle's personality with so much depth already and providing some tense and heart-tugging moments. The story has its issues, but is still compelling and never dull. It does require full attention as ever, and is mostly very clever and intriguing, pacing itself deliberately but as ever with a lot happening things don't feel dull. Some nice twists and turns and the ending is unexpected. All the conflicts, social/ethical themes and how the period is portrayed are handled beautifully and tastefully and there is a real sense that war itself is a central character.
One thing that wasn't picked up by me but now is and admired hugely is the tackling of what was seen as truths but some really misconceptions and seeing British during the war in a new light. This was a bold move and dealt with a lot of honesty and tact. The background information is so well researched and is every bit as interesting as the mystery itself. The character tensions were also handled very well and added a lot of intrigue.
Michael Kitchen is truly superb as Foyle, subtle, intensely determined, commanding and above all human. One of the most interesting television detectives there's ever been and Kitchen has rarely been better. Honeysuckle Weeks is charming and loyal, with some nice touches of subtle humour as ever, and Anthony Howell is wonderful, the character has always been developed very well and Howell continues to come into his own with each episode.
All the supporting cast are very good and play their roles with convictions, if not quite with as many standout performances as previous and succeeding episodes.
In conclusion, very good 'Foyle's War' episode but there are other episodes that are a better representation of how wonderful the series is. 8/10 Bethany Cox
All the previous episodes ranged between great to brilliant. "They Fought in the Fields" is a slight notch down, being a very good high in quality episode but, slightly disappointingly, not quite up to the consistent greatness shown previously. As clichéd as this sounds, even when 'Foyle's War' was not at its best it was much better than a lot of shows at their weakest with none of the episodes being what one would deem "bad". Like with many 'Foyle's War' episodes, on re-watch there was much more appreciation had for how well established the character development, tone and themes are and things that didn't quite connect entirely at first made more sense on re-watches.
Do have to agree that "They Fought in the Fields" gets a little too complicated at times. First things first, all the stories in 'Foyle's War' are complex, which is in a way part of its appeal to me (really like shows and films with complex stories that make one think and keep you guessing) but most episodes don't have as many subplots and tie together better. "They Fought in the Fields" does have a few too many subplots, some more interesting than others, and they could have been tied together in a way that made more sense and connected better.
With that being said, "They Fought in the Fields" is an excellently executed episode otherwise. Have always admired the visual detail that went into 'Foyle's War' and how high quality the production values are, with beautiful costumes, the evocative way the characters are made up, the look of the houses and cars, pretty locations and authentic-looking scenery. The music is in keeping with the mood and doesn't overpower the drama while still making an impact.
Writing is intelligent, sophisticated and thought-provoking, establishing Foyle's personality with so much depth already and providing some tense and heart-tugging moments. The story has its issues, but is still compelling and never dull. It does require full attention as ever, and is mostly very clever and intriguing, pacing itself deliberately but as ever with a lot happening things don't feel dull. Some nice twists and turns and the ending is unexpected. All the conflicts, social/ethical themes and how the period is portrayed are handled beautifully and tastefully and there is a real sense that war itself is a central character.
One thing that wasn't picked up by me but now is and admired hugely is the tackling of what was seen as truths but some really misconceptions and seeing British during the war in a new light. This was a bold move and dealt with a lot of honesty and tact. The background information is so well researched and is every bit as interesting as the mystery itself. The character tensions were also handled very well and added a lot of intrigue.
Michael Kitchen is truly superb as Foyle, subtle, intensely determined, commanding and above all human. One of the most interesting television detectives there's ever been and Kitchen has rarely been better. Honeysuckle Weeks is charming and loyal, with some nice touches of subtle humour as ever, and Anthony Howell is wonderful, the character has always been developed very well and Howell continues to come into his own with each episode.
All the supporting cast are very good and play their roles with convictions, if not quite with as many standout performances as previous and succeeding episodes.
In conclusion, very good 'Foyle's War' episode but there are other episodes that are a better representation of how wonderful the series is. 8/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Nov 2, 2017
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- Braughing, Hertfordshire, England, UK(village hall and church)
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