Foyle's War 2.2 - Among the Few

Plot: Foyle departs a boring committee meeting, but eager as he and Sam are to return to Hastings, they have to wait for a checkpoint. But a lorry driver named Fred Pierce isn't interested in waiting, and leads them in a high-speed chase that ends when he wrecks and the wooden barrels full of stolen petrol he had ignite and kill him. Fred had connections to a local Mr. Big, Frank Gannon, which means this is no one-time occurrence. Stealing petrol in no laughing matter in war, and the only depot in the area is Bexhill, run by a Michael Bennett, a rather lecherous old sod who spends a lot of time barely concealing his drooling over the lady lorry drivers, to his wife's consternation. However, his system for sending out fuel shipments seems solid enough. So it's time for Sam to go undercover! Hot diggety!

Slight problem: Andrew Foyle - who is out of that whole thing testing the radar net and flying fighter patrol over France - is dating one of the girls who works at the depot, Violet. Vi thinks they're pretty serious, despite Andrew never even introducing her to his father. The best lie Andrew can come up with to cover their knowing each other is that he and Sam used to date. Because that's what your girlfriend wants to hear, especially when Andrew comes to Sam's defense at the pub (when an attempt at asking a Sean O'Halloran some questions goes poorly). Andrew's wingman, Rex, is dating Connie, who is the one training Sam as a driver (it's no mean feat to find your way around the countryside when there are no road signs). Things aren't all peaches and cream there, either, culminating in Connie having a complete breakdown in the middle of the pub a few days after the brawl. Andrew offers to take her home, and the next morning, she's found dead in the staircase. And when Foyle and Milner investigate, they find a picture of Andrew in Connie's diary.

All that leads to some unpleasant conversations between the two Foyle men, and an equally unhappy one between Andrew and Violet later. Meanwhile, Sam is being pulled out of her undercover assignment, but when both the Bennetts leave their office, she can't resist the chance to rifle through their safe. Too bad that's when someone brings in a bomb.

Quote of the Episode: Rex - 'No secrets between Andrew and me.'

Does Foyle Go Fishing? Nope.

Things Sam can do: A passable job as a lorry driver, despite not being adept at the lingo or having the appropriate stench of petrol, according to O'Halloran. Pretty decent at being observant, she picked up the safe combination watching from the corner of her eye.

Other: Interesting vocab for the week, "Conkers". Andrew also calls O'Halloran a "bog dweller", but that's not very nice, so let it pass. At least Andrew's commander chewed him out for starting a brawl. Gee, Andrew, I can't imagine why some of the Irish might not be all on board with helping the English. Granted that they could hardly expect better from the Nazis, but people are endlessly capable of self-deception, right? Or too wrapped up in anger to care.

Probably a lot of spoilers below.

I had a recollection of Sam surviving the bomb by using the safe, but that was inaccurate. Not sure why I thought it was the case, probably conflating it with something else. But hiding behind a table, waiting for the bomb to go off, that has to suck.

Andrew is only 22, and one of the most experienced pilots in his wing. Him, Rex, and Douglas, the last of whom can join the growing list of boys who tried hitting on Sam and went down in flames.

This is probably one of Sam's more successful attempts at undercover work. She did nearly get killed, but the person wasn't trying to specifically do that, which is better than most of the time.

Frank Gannon made the claim that he might be a criminal, but he was 100% English. He was apparently less sincere than the mob boss Valentine in The Rocketeer. Near the end, when Foyle shows up to confront Gannon with certain truths (and arrest him for stealing petrol), Gannon starts in with these pleasantries, and Foyle just looks so bored by the whole thing. He doesn't actually roll his eyes, but that impression boils off him in waves.

So one big reveal in Connie is pregnant, and while searching her room, Foyle and Milner find bicarbonate of soda, which Milner mentions Jane is also using. He's somewhat disconcerted when Foyle reveals Connie was 4 months pregnant, and perhaps Milner should ask Jane. Although Foyle actually phrases it as 'I should.' Which is a phrase he uses frequently, rather than "I would." Which I find curious.

The other big reveal is that Rex was actually into Andrew, and using Connie as a beard, is the term I think. The photo in her diary was one Rex was carrying that she found during the brawl. The story doesn't dwell on it much. Not on how much Rex may struggle with his feelings, how Andrew would have reacted to knowing, what it was like for Connie. It's just kind of a thing she figures out which adds more pressure to her already tense mindset.