Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The detective series A Touch of Frost was recommended for me on Netflix, so I put the first season in my queue and waited for it to arrive. I wasn't disappointed. The series follows the adventures of "Jack" Frost, a detective in the Denton police department. Frost is played by the actor David Jason, perhaps best known for his role as the perpetually scheming Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. The Frost series begins with the terminal illness of Frost's wife. We learn throughout the series that he and his wife, who were childless, were long estranged. He's gotten into the habit of spending long hours on the job in order to avoid coming home. Unfortunately, this habit has caused him to give up everything in his life except his job. Later, when he makes some attempts to start a new romantic relationship, he finds that old habits are hard to break. The series definitely revolves around Frost, and in the first few seasons for some reason he has a new partner in every episode. This isn't really explained, other than vague insinuations that the younger police officers will learn a lot from being partnered with Frost. Frost himself, of course, always gets results, but he tends to be forgetful, temperamental and messy. Still, he is very likable and it is interesting to watch his personal life (what there is of it) develop.

On a side note, while I have been watching the series, my husband, from the other room, keeps commenting that he "can't stand" David Jason's voice. I don't notice anything strange or annoying about his voice, so I have no idea where the problem lies!

I was startled when I went on to Netflix and discovered that there have been 13 seasons (so far) in the Frost franchise. This is going to take a long time to get through! Apparently, this series could go on in perpetuity, but David Jason has said that he's getting too old to play the part and that there will be a final two-part episode in 2009.

Final Verdict for A Touch of Frost (what I've seen so far): Four Gherkins, for being an engaging British detective series

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to admit although I thought "Fools" was funny, I found Del Boy or David Jason to be annoying from time to time. I'm not sure if it was the character or the actor. I guess I'll have to watch this series to find out.

Lisanne624 said...

I have only seen a few episodes of "Fools", and I have to admit I didn't really understand why it was "the most beloved sitcom of all time" -- maybe you have to see all of it to understand!

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