'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, with the first season containing three consistently great episodes, even with the darker and grittier approach with less humour, that established the tone and characterisation so brilliantly so early on with no signs of finding-their-feet. The second season opener "A Minority of One" was up to their level. "Widows and Orphans" is a slight step down from the previous episodes but is still very good, and the otherwise very worthwhile "Nothing to Hide" was let down by a far too obvious ending. "Stranger in the House" was the best of the season and to me one of the show's best episodes.
"Quarry" is not quite as good as the previous episode "Appropriate Adults", to me one of the best, most moving and gut-wrenchingly powerful 'Frost' episodes, with one of the best supporting performances on the show (Timmy Lang). It is still a great episode though, all the 'Frost' episodes up to this point are very good to outstanding. Frost's cruelty to Barnard was somewhat of a turn off, don't remember Frost ever being that cruel to any other partner of his, even in other cases where subjectivity is lost, and it was no surprise at all that Barnard snaps in a powerfully written and acted scene. When Frost becomes more sympathetic towards him the change is still very believable.
With that being said, as ever "Quarry" looks great visually. 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 while the theme tune is one of the most iconic in the detective genre (or at least to me it is).
The script is well written, with a few amusing quips from Frost, and thought-provoking, and the story is continually compelling and incredibly powerful, shocking me, giving me the creeps and moving me to tears. The solution to the first case is a complete shock and very sad, once that is solved the second case isn't as much of a shock but is not too obvious.
Frost is a remarkably well-established character for so early on, and one cannot help love his interaction with the rest of the officers and his chemistry with Bruce Alexander's stern and by-the-book Mullet, who constantly despairs of Frost's unconventional approach. Again he shows his less than perfect side but this is a situation where it is understandable.
Jason is brilliant as usual as Frost, while Bruce Alexander and John Lyons are just as good. Barnard makes a welcome return and Matt Bardock pre-'Casualty' days portrays him appealingly. Supporting acting is solid.
Overall, great episode if not quite as good as the particularly outstanding episodes up to this point "Stranger in the House" and "Appropriate Adults". 9/10 Bethany Cox
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