Foyle's War (TV Series) The Cage (2013) User Reviews

Who is killing Soviet defectors?

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 31 March 2013]

When three Soviet defectors are murdered Foyle is given the task of finding out how the location of MI5 safe houses came to be leaked to the killers. Soon afterwards he learns of the death of another Russian; this one staggered into a hospital covered in blood. Meanwhile as Sam's husband is out canvassing for the upcoming election he offers to help a woman find her missing daughter; Evelyn Green. By coincidence Sam 'accidentally' sees an MI5 file relating to one Evelyn Green; she has turned up in East Berlin… is it the same woman? After the Doctor who treated the Russian is found dead Foyle starts investigating a nearby army facility; officially it is a communications centre eavesdropping on the Soviets but Foyle thinks there may be something else going on there; something far more sinister.

This was a fine episode with a good mystery at its centre; in fact several mysteries… who killed the agents, why was the doctor killed and what happened to the Evelyn Green that didn't flee to East Berlin? There were a good number of potential leaks so the killer's identity wasn't too obvious and there were some genuinely tense moments as well as some scenes that were a little gorier than I'd expected. There were also some more light hearted moments; I loved it when Sam suggested they might get more ham if the butcher shot a burglar! As well as having a good story the episode clearly had something to say about the evils of torture without it feeling like a lecture. As always the cast did a top notch job; it is just a pity that there is just one more episode in the current series; although I'd be surprised if there weren't further series made now it has been brought back as a cold war drama.

Multiple Screw Ups

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 23 September 2016]

When a system is put in place, the thing that can bring it down is smugness and self-centeredness. If you have all the answers, chances are you don't have all the answers. In "The Cage" Russians are being murdered. They have a connection to each other. Since Foyle has been invited into the higher levels of the British secret service, they have trouble, since they are not used to honesty and forthrightness. A young woman is mistakenly taken into custody because she has the same name as the intended target. Of course, the bad asses can't let her go for fear of exposing their dirty dealings. Foyle is intrepid in his actions. There is a subplot as Sam and her husband do the usual stuff it takes to get elected to office, making mistakes along the way. Foyle comes to realize that there are people, in whose arena he is playing, that are not what they appear.

More espionage and drama.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 11 April 2020]

A mystery Russian turns up at a hospital, the circumstances surrounding his appearance are incredibly complex.

It's a very good episode, I personally prefer the episodes that both preceed and follow it, but it is still an excellent watch. The story itself is very good, the ending is terrific, and unexpected, for me though it's the Adam element that lets it down a little, I never found him the most engaging of characters.

Michael Kitchen as always is superb, he steals every scene, he just has such an incredible presence, he doesn't even need to speak, a wonderful actor.

Very good indeed, the standard in the later episodes is incredible, 8/10.

Foyle and the Russian defectors

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 7 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.

"The Cage" is the second episode of 'Foyle's War's' revival period, having returned 2013 after a three year absence when initially cancelled. While it is not 'Foyle's War' at its best and nowhere near among the series' best episodes, it is an improvement on the previous episode "The Eternity Ring" and a worthy episode in its own right. That episode did have a lot of fine things, but was rather chaotic, rushed and not always easy to follow, one of the lesser 'Foyle's War' episodes to me.

Not everything works. The episode is at its least compelling with the character of Adam and his politics subplot, all the other regular characters have much more personality and development and the politics subplot just meanders and doesn't add anything really. It just seemed like an attempt to make Adam more interesting but doesn't achieve that.

While it is much better paced than "The Eternity Ring", the story easier to follow and the filming closer to prime 'Foyle's War' than the chaotic nature some of the previous episode had, somehow a more deliberate pace would have worked better with a series where all the story lines are quite complex.

However, the quality of the production values are high. 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 and while the story could have been much better told it still maintains interest.

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 and after the war in a new light. This was a bold move and dealt with a lot of honesty and tact. 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 and Hilda and Arthur are worthy regular characters, if not yet as interesting as Milner (very much missed).

All the supporting cast do a very good job.

In summary, a strong episode if not a 'Foyle's War' high point. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The Cage

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 7 September 2019]

The new security services takes a dim view of all those people who worked for the Special Operations Executive during the war. A lot of them cannot get job with MI5. It might because they did not go to the right school or have the right connections. Foyle though has use for someone rejected for a job by asking to make a daring attempt to infiltrate an establishment that holds people against their will.

Foyle is still getting used to being a spy rather than a policeman. Still when Russian defectors living in MI5 safe houses get garroted, an ordinary woman disappears and a man collapses in hospital speaking what looks like Russian. Foyle is the man to investigate especially a hospital doctor is later found dead.

The place is Barton Hall, a military establishment which spies on Russian transmissions and decodes them. It is run by Colonel Galt who is not keen on Foyle snooping about.

Meanwhile Sam is campaigning with her husband Adam for the by election. Adam decides to help out a mother whose daughter has gone missing, she has the same name of someone who defected behind the iron curtain.

It always seems too convenient that Sam's home life and professional life always seems to come together. I think once Anthony Horowitz decided to give Sam a husband and have him run for political office he felt that the element of that story should be bought into the main mystery somehow.

There is a lot going on this episode and some misdirection. The doctor's death is an important clue and Foyle also wants to help out the late doctor's wife who was a Jewish refugee who is at risk of being deported now that her husband has died. A leisurely paced story with too many stiffed upper lip characters for my liking. They end up looking like caricatures rather than real people.

Prison break-in

[shermanoaks-36823 · 24 March 2022]

Who broke in and rescue the girl? That was convient. At least he was mention later. Too many of these happen in Foyle. Many I should go back and point them out.