The TV series “Foyle’s War” is one of the most engaging the relevant programming in this era, even though the series originally appeared via PBS over two decades ago.
One of the most compelling aspects of the show was its historical accuracy owing to writer Anthony Horowitz’ deep research into the events of the days in which the series was set, namely, the onset of World War II in southern England.
Real world events like the black market, fuel rationing and German spies as the basis for plots provided a context for the story lines which led to its characterization as “exceptionally accurate.”
The series was ended by Horowitz based on a lack of authentic materials to continue even though it ran for 13 years, even taking in periods following the war. Its singular star Michael Kitchen appeared in a couple of the James Bond films (the ones starring Pierce Brosnan.) His Foyle’s War character is his signature role. He largely retired after the series run concluded.
What the series provided the public was an extraordinary look at what life was like in the opening days of the second World War when in the minds of many, a successful invasion of the British Isles by Hitler was almost a given.
It challenged the public with a great conundrum, whether to compromise their values in order to go with a perceived “winner,” or to stand strong with their loyalties to the British nation.
By all measures, it certainly did look as if the Naziis were likely to become the future for England, even though the consequences of that were horrible.
It was an environment that made disloyalties and secret alliances with the enemy of England far more common than they otherwise might have been.
The main character, Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle, played masterfully by Kitchen, had the unenviable task of rooting out the enemy and its covert operations, including spy operations that were part of preparations for a Nazi invasion of the British Isles that was an imminent fear but never actually materialized.
The almost miraculous citizen-led evacuation of the British military from Dunkirk and related heroic actions on the part of the British people were instrumental in foiling Nazi invasion plans in the war’s early days.
The parallels from that era to today are clear. In the U.S., the temptation since the rise of Trump in 2016 has been to side with the enemies of the U.S. out of a sense of despair, if nothing else, that included the infamous January 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capital.
Only very lately has the mood of the nation begun to change as the extreme duplicity of the enemy, centered in Trump, himself, has finally begun to sink in.
The danger has not yet passed, but there is now for the first time in a decade a light beginning to show at the end of the tunnel. It could result in great danger arising in response to this fall’s midterm election, but at least we’re beginning to see a more robust reaction from elements of the national mainstream that could rise fo the occasion and block some of the more egregious efforts of the current administration to impose an anti-democratic mandate.
If the “Foyle’s War” series were able to play a role in this, itself, it could come as Americans seek a reasonable alternative to Trumpism, grounded as it must be in the rule of law and a revival of a sense of civility and civic values.
In the meantime, the drive to turn this fall’s midterm elections into a rout of the MAGA Republican agenda needs to be escalated, and the temptation to back off the full exercise of its fury must be overcome.
This is a critical period for our nation and even as the countdown to the midterms continues, there needs to be no stone left unturned to restore pride in the nation’s core values. “Foyle’s War” as an historic study provides a strong starting point for this.
