Among the Few

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.

"Among the Few" is yet another excellent episode, not quite as good as the previous Season 2 episode "Fifty Ships" but almost. Can understand those saying that the undercover stuff with Sam needs suspension of disbelief, thought so myself when reading the summary and it was at first but got more intriguing and feasible once things became more twisty. My only complaint actually is the ending, which for 'Foyle's War' was a little on the far-fetched side. 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 for so early on and things that didn't quite connect entirely at first made more sense on re-watches.

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 is complicated, with a lot of strands that requires full attention, but clever and from start to finish intriguing. It paces itself deliberately but with so much going on it's never once dull and the twists and turns that slowly unfold keep coming. Really liked the RAF scenes, the planes, Foyle's intuitive crime-solving, the social themes touched upon and the realistic and honest portrayal of the human conditions.

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. Andrew is becoming more interesting with every episode.

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, have really admired what the show does with his character. Julian Ovendon is very good as Andrew.

Likewise with the strong supporting cast, with standouts being Christina Cole, Selina Cadell and David Troughton.

In summation, excellent episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

With the advent of fuel pirating, Foyle allows Sam to begin doing undercover work. Unfortunately, there are some really bad characters, including those who would kill to cover up their actions. She stumbles on documents that would bring about an investigation into out and out treason. It is a little hard to swallow that Sam is doing this work. She also gets caught in the middle of a relationship among several women with whom she works. There is tension, as she must lie frequently to keep her cover. She also unwittingly brings herself into a series of close calls. She does valuable work for Foyle, but he fears for her life every step of the way. The conclusion of this episode is a bit much to believe. But it is fun seeing the young lady going through her paces.

In just a few words: a compelling mystery and a moving commentary on the tragedy of the War. Brilliant in all regards.

Several social themes are cleverly woven into "Among the Few", in the highly entertaining Foyle's War, starring the charming Michael Kitchen as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, in Hastings, England. Foyle applies intuitive logic to solving murders, while World War II is consuming all of England's resources. This episode is among the best in the excellent series, because of the realistic human conditions underlying several of the sub-plots. This particular story puts Foyle's driver Samantha "Sam" Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks) at risk when she volunteers to go underground to help determine how fuel thefts are being heisted from a highly strategic depot. At the same time, Foyle's son, an RAF pilot, is involved by association in the death of a female depot driver, who happens to be the roommate of his sweetheart. But, that's just the plot. "Among the Few" reveals contemporary themes far beyond the situations in the story. As with all the Foyle's War stories, the authentic 1940s sets are as captivating as trying to figure out how the story's untimely death will be solved. I was especially smitten with the RAF scenes and the use of several World War II vintage English fighter planes. Everything about "Among the Few" is well done. This episode is interesting, well directed, expertly acted and a tribute to the sophisticated talent of writer Anthony Horowitz. If you can only watch one episode of Foyle's War, this is one I would recommend, but all episodes are superb.

Among the few sees Sam go undercover to investigate oil thefts at a Depot.

Among the few, as with many of the previous episodes, explodes the unsavoury side of the war, crimes that happened, and due to the situation the country was in, go by unnoticed. The theft of oil would have been a major crime, with every drop vital to the war effort.

The start is explosive, quite literally, there's nothing like an explosion, as like in the previous episode, to grab the attention. Andrew and Sam are central in this story, both are fantastic. Many great scenes, the pub brawl was a great moment. Very well acted, Mark Umbers in particular was excellent as the dashing RAF officer, his story was a sad one.

Kitchen as always was incredible as Foyle, there is a lot of talk in the press about the show possibly returning, please let it happen, we need more Foyle. 9/10