A Touch of Frost (TV Series) Mind Games (2008) User Reviews

A welcome return for the detective

[jamiecostelo58 · 8/10 · 23 October 2008]

David Jason returns as Frost for the first time since 2006 which sees the detective reeling at the release of a man suspected of murdering two teenage girls 20 years previously. There is also the case of an amusing prank that leads to the death of a local businessman.

With friends, family and the local community disgusted by the fact that convicted killer Carl Meyer has been released from jail, they are desperate to discover the remains of the second victim, whose body was never found. However, there will be a surprise in store, especially when forensic evidence seems to point out rather disturbing facts that leave Frost questioning his previous judgement.....

Interesting twists to the tale certainly keeps the viewer enthralled, and we are left wondering whether or not Meyer's conviction was perhaps a miscarriage of justice with the real killer still on the streets or the fact that the quiet and subdued suspect really is guilty. Actor Jonathan Slinger's portrayal as Meyer certainly raises those questions.

Mind Games is a welcome return for what is now the 14th series of A Touch of Frost, and it continues the wonderful trend we've come to expect from the series. 8/10

A Classic Episode That Looks Back 20 Years

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 2 October 2015]

A quirky man has just been paroled after twenty years. He was convicted of killing a young girl and possibly a second one (her body was never found). This is one of those cases where decisions were made by a young cop, causing him to ignore evidence. The convicted returns to the neighborhood, taking over his mother's house and garden. Of course, there is great resentment toward him. The parents of the girls, are especially upset and the neighbors that are left harass the young man. The problem for Frost is that he has an epiphany at some point when he realizes his bullheadedness and intractability may have caused the conviction of an innocent man. The strength of this episode is the way things unfold and how forensics, now advanced, are used to get to the truth.

Frost is back!

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 7 July 2017]

As has been said by me numerous times already, 'A Touch of Frost' is a personal favourite of mine, and one of my favourite shows from the detective/mystery genre. Do have a preference perhaps for the earlier-mid-show episodes over the later ones, but none of the episodes are less than watchable and none do anything to embarrass the show.

So much appeals about 'A Touch of Frost'. Love the mix of comedy (mostly through Frost's snide comments and quips) and dark grit, the tension between rebellious Jack Frost and by-the-book Mullet which has led to some humorous moments, how he interacts with the rest of the staff, the deft mix of one or two cases and Frost's personal life, how Frost solves the cases, the production values, music and of course David Jason in one of his best roles.

There may have been people initially sceptical about whether the show would work, and with Jason (a mainly comedic actor) in a departure from usual in the lead role. Scepticism very quickly evaporated, the first six seasons were top notch with a few not-quite-outstanding-but-still-very-good episodes but most of them being near-perfect to masterpiece. Was not sure initially as to whether the Seasons 7-9 two parters would work, having seen two parters not quite work with 'Lewis' for example, but all three worked brilliantly.

Most of Season 10 was of a very high standard, "Held in Trust" was my personal favourite of the episodes but Jim Sturgess' performance in "Close Encounters" is one of the show's best supporting turns. Was a little let down however by "Hidden Truth", which was still decent and much better than a lot of weaker episodes from other shows but considering the high quality of Seasons 1-9 decent didn't seem quite enough. "Another Life" and "Dancing in the Dark" were very good episodes for Season 11, though neither high points. "Near Death Experience" was one of my favourite latter season episodes, while the next episode "Endangered Species", while a long way from bad (pretty decent still) is one of my least favourites of the series.

After a two year absence, 'A Touch of Frost' is back and "Mind Games" feels more like 'Frost' when it first started rather than as feared a show past its sell by date having had a hiatus. It may not be classic 'Frost' but it reminded me somewhat of it.

As ever, the production values as always are incredibly well done. It matches the dark, gritty tone of the episode beautifully with atmospheric lighting and the stylish way it's shot. The music is haunting without being over-bearing, the theme tune still iconic.

Script is very taut and one of the best written episodes of the later seasons, with a few very amusing quips from Frost, and is thought-provoking. Most of it though is a more sombre and more serious tone, and, considering the tone of the episode and Frost's predicament and dilemma of whether the convicted man was innocent or guilty all along, that not only was a perfect fit but necessary, any other way from personal opinion would have jarred too much.

"Mind Games" main case is harrowing and poignant, with an ending that wraps things up neatly but makes an incredibly powerful impact. It was also really interesting to see how the case is solved and how far forensics has come over-time. The second case starting with the prank wasn't quite as interesting, due to featuring somewhat less in the story, but had some nice twists and turns even if resolved slightly melodramatically.

Frost is remarkably well established as a character, with his faults but also good qualities. Even with a more conflicted side, he is closer to the old Frost than the unnecessarily rude and acrimonious character seen in "Endangered Species". The supporting characters are well drawn, with particularly interesting characters in David Crewes and Carl Meyer.

Can't fault Jason as Frost, he is simply brilliant in the role as always with not one foot put wrong. All the supporting cast are on point, like with Bruce Alexander and John Lyons of the regulars and of the guests Jonathan Slinger's impressively ambiguous Carl and Keith Barron's understated David standing out in particular.

Overall, great comeback. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Powerful and poignant: family matters

[safenoe · 10/10 · 27 June 2021]

This is the opening episode of season 14 and it delves into a massive miscarriage of justice that bubbles to the surface to tear apart a family with its secrets and lies in a village.

Anyway, Frost is feeling a bit redemptive and the final scene with Frost and Mullet was very poignant. Amber Aga and Elizabeth Berrington guest star. In fact about a decade later Amber became a regular for the first two seasons of Shakespeare and Hathaway, and Elizabeth made a guest appearance in one episode.

Intriguing, emotional tale of injustice

[grantss · 10/10 · 16 August 2022]

Just when I thought Frost is on the wane - David Jason is starting to look too old for the role - we have this. A superb episode, filled with the usual intrigue but also with fair amount of emotion.

Despite the crime he is convicted of I couldn't help but feel sorry for the released convict as he tries to get his life back on track after 20 years. It also made me think how difficult it must be the average released convict and no wonder they, out of frustration. Then have to turn to crime again.

The attitude of the townspeople and the vigilantism is also very frustrating, adding to the engagement factor.

Weak Plot

[Schweizer85 · 3/10 · 6 April 2021]

This episode falls into the trap of several Frost episodes of having two plot lines running simultaneously, in some episodes this works well but in this episode it just doesn't.

It was fairly obvious how the story of the two murders 20 years previously would unfold. This alongside the murder of the guy in his office seemed to drag on forever. One thing I did like though was the performance of the new pathologist.

Poorly acted as well, with the exception of the pathologist, no standout performances at all, it's a shame that this episode just isn't up to the standard of the earlier series.