Foyle's War (TV Series) Broken Souls (2008) User Reviews

Modern Sensibilities Mar Plot

[james-c-decamp · 7/10 · 1 September 2014]

I love Foyle's War for the situations and characters, who wouldn't? I love the scenery and situations, the drama and historical settings, the attempts to preserve a modicum of historical accuracy. I find it a flaw of the series in general that it presents an overly cheery and prosperous depiction of Britain during the War. Privation was real and widespread, and the public mood was darker than depicted. This particular episode really annoyed me for the reason I am about the make more clear.

Spoiler Alert: The maudlin concern about the fate of the German POW Johann makes absolutely no sense. With about a million Britains killed by the Nazis, some in their own homes during what was by design terror bombing, or by artillery lobbed into Dover from France, virtually no one in Britain would be in the least bothered by the "murder" of an escaped German POW. Further, the act depicted was *not* murder. The Geneva Convention makes the killing of a fleeing enemy combatant completely lawful. An escaped POW is a fleeing enemy combatant. When Dr. Novak killed him it was not murder, it was a lawful act of war, by any standard, regardless of Novak's motivation, or the viewers' sympathy or lack of comprehension of what war means. Novak was under no obligation to seek a more peaceful resolution, and in fact would have been derelict to do so. He was confronted by a younger, stronger enemy combatant, who had the potential to inflict further damage and causalities, regardless of what the viewers might think of his character. I am sure Fred Dawson slept more soundly knowing Johann was no longer a threat to his life.

90 minutes of pure brilliance.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 4 June 2017]

Foyle is called in to investigate two murders, the first takes place at a psychiatric hospital, young Doctor Julian Worth, cocky, and unpopular with his peers is found dead, secondly young German Johann, who's been working as a farm hand on the farm of Rose Dawson, prime suspect in the latter is Fred Dawson, who's just returned from five years in a German Prisoner of War camp.

Fair to say I don't think a bad episode of Foyle's War exists, they vary between very good and outstanding, Broken Souls is one of my favourites, again I think it comes down to the superb writing, the brilliance of Michael Kitchen and co, and the fantastic production values.

A very strong cast, Natasha Little, Nicholas Woodeson, and one of my favourite actors, Joseph Mawle. Jonathan Forbes does an incredible job as young German Johann.

It's quite a different episode, primarily because most of your sympathies lay with The German Soldier, when they should be with Fred, having returned from five years of hell.

Broken Souls

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 2 February 2020]

An episode written by Michael Chaplin and not Anthony Horowitz.

There is a sense of optimism that the war might be ending. However as far as Dr Josef Novak, a psychiatrist and a Jewish refugee is concerned. The war is not over and there are more horrors to come.

There are a lot of broken souls here and that are not just the patients at the psychiatric hospital. There is a British soldier returning home after escaping from his prisoner of war camp.

The death of a young psychiatrist who was about to leave for a prestigious job brings Foyle in to investigate. Foyle has been learning to play chess with Dr Novak. He finds out that the murdered man was not popular with colleagues and was unethical.

There is a teenage lad who keeps running away from his home. He too has been affected by the telegrams that he delivers to those who have lost a loved one during the conflict.

A German prisoner of war working in a farm realises that there is no place for him, now the husband has returned home. Then a second dead body is found.

A melancholic episode let down by some bad acting from Jesse Birdsall. I had a good idea as to the identity of the second murderer. It all adds to the downbeat tone as the concentration camps are being discovered by the allies.

One of the best episodes

[Laight · 10/10 · 4 January 2012]

It's now fall of 1944, and the war is winding down -- people are hoping it will end any day (although it was another six months before it did, and many more casualties resulted). In this episode, possibly the saddest in the series, several lives come together, all victims of the war or other unpleasant human circumstances, resulting in two deaths, neither premeditated; both due to anger, but one very generalized, one very specific. The upshot is a series of lives ruined, lives of people who were good people, perhaps, but like others in a war-torn environment, the boundaries between good and evil are lost. All in all, even the joy that anyone in this episode can feel is tainted with unbearable sadness and the possibility that all could be lost at any moment. Life is frail.

Murder Mystery with an Emotionally Compelling Plot

[juliewriter · 10/10 · 7 July 2013]

Beyond the plot of this excellent Foyle's War double murder mystery are compelling lessons about the human condition endured by survivors who lived through the various levels of England's World War II experiences. Characters are both victims of the war and those who survived by participating in it. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is portrayed in several characters, whose special stories come together in a well acted series of inter-related sub plots. Emotional stress is spread among the characters who share the common thread of human loss, causing them emotional trauma. This mystery stays with you, especially the sensitive and creative scene where DCS Foyle (Michael Kitchen) reveals the murderer. Kitchen deserves acclaim for his portrayal of DCS Foyle, but his talent should be singled out for the acting in the ending scenes of "Broken Souls".

Compassion in the Face of So Much Pain

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 20 September 2016]

This could well be the best episode of the series. The war is winding down and a man who has been in a German prisoner of war camp for five years, who has obviously been treated very badly, comes home to his wife and son. He is gaunt and damaged. Working on the farm is a man on loan from a camp holding German prisoners. You can imagine the tension. Meanwhile, there are goings on at an institution for soldiers who have had breakdowns. A man who rubbed everyone the wrong way is on his way to Oxford. He is found murdered shortly thereafter. A boy has disappeared from his family and is hiding out as his father searches for him. And, lastly, a Jewish doctor, who works at the aforementioned facility, tries to kill himself. Foyle is in the middle of this which becomes interconnected. There strength of this episode is incredible writing which makes the whole scenario much more complex than the simple us against them mentality.

An episode with lots of heart-breaking soul

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 November 2017]

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.

"Broken Souls" for me is one of the best 'Foyle's War' episodes, the best since the first half of Season 4 with "Bad Blood" (while still good there was a slight quality slump for that season's second half from personal view) and one of the most emotional. It has a lot of soul, and in a way that's heart-breakingly poignant. 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 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. All the conflicts, social/ethical themes and how the period is portrayed are handled beautifully and tastefully and there is a real sense that war itself is a central character and has terrible implications.

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.

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.

The supporting cast are wonderful too across the board. Often with 'Foyle's War' it has been easy to pick out standouts, with no disrespect intended for any casts that for a vast majority of episodes are uniformly strong, not so here.

In summary, an intelligent, exceptional episode with a strong emotional core. Can't recommend it highly enough. 10/10 Bethany Cox