Foyle's War 2.1 - Fifty Ships

Plot: The home Sam has been living in gets bombed by the Germans. She's OK, but the other young woman living there is killed, and Sam is without a place to stay. So her various attempts to find someplace to bunk down, without Foyle being aware of them (for various reasons), will be a recurring bit through the episode. Of more immediate importance is that the fire brigade guys steal some of the landlady's jewels and antique coins. We know who they are, and Foyle and Milner pretty quickly figure out they're the guilty party, even if finding the stash of loot takes time, so that's not much of a mystery.

However, one of the men in the group, Kenny Hunter, is having second thoughts. He just wants enough money to go to an aeronautical school, and his wreck of a father, Richard, is no help. But then Richard sees a newspaper headline touting the arrival of a major American industrialist, Howard Paige, to the area. Paige made a fortune with some syncromesh gear system for automobiles, but now he's a maor advocate of the U.S. entering the war on England's side. He's staying at the home of a local magistrate and acquaintance from his Oxford days, Arthur Lewes, who invites Foyle to dinner, as well as the local doctor, Dr. Redmund, and his wife. As it turns out, Foyle and Elizabeth Lewes know each other from before she got married, though Arthur doesn't seem to know it.

As Sam drives Foyle to the dinner, Richard is leaving in a bit of a state. That evening, several things happen. Someone signals with a flashlight to a submarine off the coast, and someone from that submarine rows himself to shore. And two shots are heard on the shore, and someone runs past a car with a news photographer sleeping inside. The next morning, Richard is found dead, and the man from the boat was found in a pub at 10 a.m., trying to order a beer (against local laws apparently). Hans Maier claims to be Dutch, but no one is buying that, and he seems curious about Foyle. Despite Dr. Redmund's assessment that Richard was a wreck of person with little reason to live, and even Kenny's opinion that his father was a worthless drunk, Foyle doubts it was a suicide. That photographer, Colin Morton, might have some useful information, but he's hauled away in the middle of the night. Fortunate Foyle has another witness who can't be dragged away, because he's already in custody.

Ultimately though, this is not a time where Foyle's desire to see justice carried out can win the day. Not that he's going to give up on it, he's just going to have to wait.

Quote of the Episode: Foyle - 'And no war has lasted forever, and neither will this one. A year, maybe ten, but it will end. And when it does, you will still be a thief, a liar, and a murderer. And I will not have forgotten, and wherever you are, I will find you.'

Does Foyle go fishing? No.

Things Sam can do: Cook Coq au vin, minus the vin. Used up all Milner's bacon in the process, though. She can take apart a gearbox, although she's not much good at putting them back together.

Other: I may have to start a section for words or phrases I enjoy, or ones that confused me. Let's see, this week there was 'haichi', which seemed to refer to people getting bombed? "Trekker" referred to people who took to sleeping in their cars in the countryside because they were afraid of being bombed in their homes. Sam used the term "diggety-boo" at one point.

Jane Milner returned from her trip to Wales. Unfortunately, she did so while Sam was there, and had convinced Milner to dance a bit in the kitchen with her. That was awkward, though Milner claims he was able to explain things to Jane. I have my doubts.

Hans Maier ends up being key to solving the murder, and asks Foyle to somehow get in touch with his family in Germany. He provides a clue which leads to the person who signaled with the flashlight, and Foyle passes the message along to them, opting not to arrest them. OK, so spoiler here: The person who was signaling was Dr. Redmund's wife, Eve, who is a cousin of Hans'. She only did it the one time, because he was family. But after Foyle leaves, her husband just lays into her. Not just the fact he backhands her, which he does, but he's vicious with his words. He tells her essentially, she no longer exists to him, that she can stay or go, but if she tries to speak to him, he'll leave. And sure enough, when she tries, he shushes her, and walks out of the room.

Now for me, I think she came out ahead. Redmund's a dick. Guy completely buys into that idea of keeping barriers between social classes, clearly thinks he's at the top of the heap, and thinks awful highly of his intelligence for a guy who can't put on cuff links without assistance. But Eve cares about him (or is afraid to be alone), and he knows that, but does this anyway. Devastates her, and took some real glee in it. Like, he was smiling when he shushed her. It's sick.

I used the quote I did because it will become relevant in a few seasons. The war is going to end, and Foyle is going to pursue the guilty party, though I don't think we ever get to see it. We do hear about how it played out, at least a bit.

I had the impression firearms were scare in Britain, but Richard Hunter had one, and so do a lot of other people. Maybe it's like Hot Fuzz said, it's the countryside, everyone and their mum is packing 'round here.

On a list of things we learned about Foyle this week, that his father was a sergeant in the police, and so Foyle followed in his footsteps. At the same time, Foyle assumes Andrew will not follow in his. Sound assumption there. Speaking of Andrew, apparently he debated at Oxford on the topic, 'Modern patriotism is a false emotion.' I'm guessing there was a girl involved.