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.
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.