Sunflower

I want to say Foyle's War is a great series. Michael Kitchen/Foyle and his driver Honeysuckle Weeks/Sam are such good actors. It shows how a honest police man is investigating criminals and arresting them but war is on at this time and the military won't let him do his job.

This is a story like many others where the British protect war terrorist and killers so they can get information out of them by protecting them, giving them a different name and safe housing.

Sunflower is a field where many Americans were murdered and the man that ordered the murders is a Nazi but a confidant of the British who want to protect him from arrest from the Americans or retribution from the people he hurt.

There is a lot going on in this episode a high ranking man has a plot of land surveyed and orders the surveyor to double the price it is worth so the original owner does not buy it back. He claims his intentions are good but Sam's husband Mr Wainwright thinks his boss committed fraud and calls him out on it.

In the end Foyle goes against a lot of higher ups who have been protecting this Nazi that is given the British some of the Nazi secrets.

Foyle is kind of sad but knows he did the right thing. Sam on the other hand is pregnant and tells her husband. They are both surprised and happy.

It breaks my heart in many of the BBC stories there are so many secret agencies that are against each other protecting killers in war just to get them to give them information. To me this is a double slap in the face for victims of war.

A high-water mark in the closing episodes of Foyle's War. Having watched the entire series, the complexity of the two parallel stories is some of the finest storytelling and writing we have enjoyed from Anthony Horowitz.

Foyle is now serving British Intelligence in London and helping to protect a valuable intelligence asset, a former member of the SS, now living as a Danish citizen. His value to the British is in conflict with the Americans, who want to try him for war crimes.

A serendipitous meeting between this former Nazi and a British soldier triggers a chain of international intrigue that Foyle investigates. He finds that little of these troubling post-war events has the clarity of wartime.

The parallel story is about a landowner who, like many British citizens, surrendered his farm for the war effort and now finds it has been priced out of his reach. Horowitz builds a much more substantial mystery for Sam and her husband to solve, with repercussions for them both and more insights into the issues facing citizens and politicians in the post-war era.

Both stories reveal the troubling moral ambiguities of the period after the war. All of the characters in the drama bring the trauma of their experiences in the war to the challenges of rebuilding Britain and the new world order.

Horowitz' pacing of the two stories is impeccable, as is the final dénouement. Director Andy Hay, who has credits on some of the highest-rated British dramas, shapes finely detailed nuances in every scene.

All of the cast are excellent, with standout performances by Ellie Haddington as Hilda Pearce and Michael Kitchen in one of his most deeply reflective and conflicted performances. 10/10.

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.

The third of three episodes forming the penultimate season, "Sunflower" continues the change of direction 'Foyle's War' adopted when it was revived when it focused on the aftermath of the war and became darker. Not everybody liked this change and felt that it lost a lot of what made 'Foyle's War' so brilliant in the first place. Can understand that, and while the execution has not been perfect the change of direction has been interesting, although it's taken some getting used to. While it's not one of the series' best episodes, not even close, that is very much the case with "Sunflower".

Very much the previous episode "The Cage", "Sunflower" is at its least compelling with the character of Adam, still a bit flat and to me not enough has been done to develop him successfully (there was an attempt to do so in "The Cage" but added nothing to that episode). For a titular character too, Foyle could have been focused on more and considering that he is one of the most interesting detectives on television it does feel like he's lost his spark.

However, the quality of the production values are high. 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. Throughout, the story is hugely intriguing and very twisty without being overly-complicated. The theme of disenchantment is also dealt with quite movingly and the episode doesn't feel as rushed as "The Eternity Ring" for example.

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 and after the war in a new light. This was a bold move and dealt with a lot of honesty and tact. 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. Kitchen has rarely been better. Honeysuckle Weeks is charming and loyal, really like that Sam has become more interesting in development, and Hilda and Arthur are worthy regular characters, if not yet as interesting as Milner (who is missed but nobody is begging for him to return.

Supporting cast are all very good, with a particularly chilling performance from Lars Eidinger, although perhaps the character is written a little too obviously and like it's obvious too early that he is not one to be trusted.

In conclusion, intriguing and well done but not one of the best episodes. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I agree with so much of the above.

Foyle's War is off its game. There's a real sense to me of Michael Kitchen just going through the motions.

I had wanted to love this new series of the show and was willing to give it time to find its Cold War feet, but this ISN'T Foyle's War.

Even allowing for character development our beloved Honeysuckle now seems to be playing someone else completely - none of the jolly old Sam - just an austere sadness.

"Sunflower" was also practically incoherent and I just can't imagine the original Sam stooping so low as to produce the transcript of a tapped phone conversation for her Labor MP husband. Felt like his response "It's unthinkable" was more a commentary on today than the immediate post war period. If that's the case it's not very subtle Mr Horowitz.

And just to be really picky, but as a WW2 history buff - why not?. In the Normandy Nazi war crime scene, the American artillery officer is seen wearing his dress uniform - what he'd be wearing on leave in London - not in combat attire ala helmet etc with subtle reference to his rank. That seemed weird to me. A bit like the new Foyle's War in general.

This is an interesting use of the series. Foyle is playing in the big leagues, working in high espionage situations. In this one, a man who was once a Gestapo agent has come to work as a professor at a university. Even though he has a checkered past, he seems to be "valuable" to Foyle's employers. A man who is suffering from serious injuries, both mental and physical, recognizes this man. The aforementioned Nazi senses that someone is out to get him. Many players are brought into the fold, working undercover, to protect this guy. Or are they? Anyway, there are some quick changes in this episode, a few red herrings, and some good twists. I really enjoyed this.