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Foyle's War

Fifty Ships

Season 2, Episode 1, Aired Nov 16, 2003

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9.8

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An American multi-millionaire, an old flame of Foyle's, and a mysterious man claiming to be a Dutch refugee, are all implicated when a dead body is discovered on a Hastings beach. Meanwhile, Sam looks for somewhere to live after her home is destroyed in a bombing raid. Foyle investigates a case of looting after coins go missing from the bombed out house Sam was living in.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Janine Duvitski

Eve Redmund
GUEST STAR
Jon Rake

Warden
GUEST STAR
Clive Merrison

Alan Redmund

Honeysuckle Weeks

Samantha Stewart
Michael Kitchen

Christopher Foyle
Anthony Howell

Paul Milner

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Fan Episode Reviews (2)

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No war has lasted forever.

9.7

"Superb"

By jamoon2006, Oct 15, 2011

This episode was my first exposure to "Foyle's War," and I was delighted. Sometimes in "period" mysteries, the writers pay so much attention to the period itself that character and story are sacrificed, but thankfully this is not the case here.

In the tradition of the best mysteries, what appears to be a suicide turns out to be a murder, and Detective Foyle finds that the crime is linked to a spree of wartime looting and the midnight arrival by boat of a man who may be a German spy.

Michael Kitchen is superb, delivering a nuanced performance in an episode where Foyle is confronted with a lost love, meets his wartime enemy face to face and is ultimately thwarted in the pursuit of justice by government pressures.

All of this is set against a beautiful English backdrop, with supporting players that feel like they walked out of history. I can't wait for the rest of Series 2.moreless
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In my opinion, the very best episode of a superb series.

10

"Perfect"

By DavidReti, Mar 09, 2008

Christopher Foyle is one of the least talkative male leads in the history of television. But every word he utters is carefully measured and worthy of careful attention. In this episode, his final speech is a masterpiece of economy. It tells you everything you want to know about his character - his pursuit of justice, his doggedness, even his politeness. And all in 64 wonderful words.

"Precisely, Mr Paige. It's the war. And no war has lasted forever, and neither will this one. A year, maybe ten, but it will end. And when it does, Mr Paige, 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. You are not escaping justice, merely postponing it. Au revoir."

The final "Au revoir" contrasts beautifully with his earlier parting from Meyer, the captured German spy. Meyer casually says "Auf wiedersehen", but Foyle cannot bring himself to reply, as he knows the literal meaning of the phrase, "until we see each other again", and he also knows that Meyer will be shot. In contrast, he uses "Au revoir" as a final promise to Paige that they will meet again, and that he will achieve justice for the man that Paige killed.moreless
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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (2)
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- Jamieson: I haven't got anything to say to you. Foyle: Well, that doesn't surprise me. You know, I sometimes wonder why I do this job. And then I come across someone like you. I mean, we're living in such evil times, when the whole world seems to be sinking into some sort of mire. And as if Hitler wasn't enough, we got the likes of you, who capitalize on other people's misery, who hurt them, make things even worse for them when they're at their weakest. And it's with the likes of you that this mire begins. And it's some small consolation to know that I've helped to clean up just a little bit of it.
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- Paige: You sound like a sore loser. You know what the French say? C'est la guerre. Foyle: Precisely, Mr Paige. It's the war. And no war has lasted forever, and neither will this one. A year, maybe ten, but it will end. And when it does, Mr Paige, 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. You are not escaping justice, merely postponing it. Au revoir.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Fifty Ships: The title of this episode is a reference to the "Destroyers for Bases Agreement" between the U.S.A. and Great Britain in 1940. A predecessor to the Lend-Lease Act, the Destroyers for Bases Agreement transferred 50 U.S. Navy destroyers to the Royal Navy in September 1940 in exchange for rights to bases in the Caribbean and Newfoundland.
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