User Reviews

When you see Frost and Trigg together, you can see that they are brothers.

And so, A Touch of Frost ends. It ends on a high note with a great two-part episode featuring an arch-criminal who seems impossible to pin anything to. It helps that this villain is superbly played by Adrian Dunbar.

Throw in a mysterious unrelated series of crimes with a surprising perpetrator, a hit-and-run that ties into the main story and a hint of romance for Frost and it's wonderfully layered and intriguing.

On the negative side, the writers didn't really know when or how to end it. The final part goes on for about 15 minutes longer than it needed to. It does result in a very emotional ending but the last 15 minutes or so did feel largely unnecessary.

It's also apparent that by this time David Jason was too old for the show. Plot was still fresh but he was starting to not look the part.

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.

"Mind Games" was a great return for 'A Touch of Frost' after a two year absence, while "Dead End" while still decent was a disappointment and one of my least favourite episodes overall. As far as Season 14 episodes go, "In the Public Interest" is not as good as "Mind Games" but is superior to "Dead End".

Season 15 was the last, after David Jason decided to retire the role, and is comprised of one two parter. And it's mostly a very nicely done two parter, , though the two parter overall is not quite as good as the previous three two parters from Seasons 7-9.

Am of the opinion that for a show of such longevity the ending was rather too low-key (and maybe a bit on the maudlin side) and that things were solved somewhat too patly. Frost's relationship with Phyllis Logan's character while sweet and very touchingly performed didn't feel properly developed enough to properly care yet.

Production values still look great. 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.

Good deal of the script is taut and thought-provoking, with a few amusing moments but a good deal of gritty ones. The story is absorbing, with a good deal of tension and suspense, especially a shocking edge of your seat event that leaves a regular character's life in the balance.

Frost is remarkably well established as a character, with his faults but also good qualities. 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 with not a weak link, with Bruce Alexander and John Lyons being as ever sturdy regular support and Phyllis Logan and Adrian Dunbar faring best of the guest turns.

Overall, despite having reservations on the very ending itself "If Dogs Run Free" was still a very well done episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Things move along nicely for about sixty percent of this final episode in the series. The guilt begins to work the minds of the young men responsible for their classmate's death. The once resilient dogfight manager and drug pusher, begins to fall apart at the seams. It's a case of too many coincidences and too much cover-up. The down part is the whole love angle with Frost and RSPCA woman. These two episodes, combined, are over three hours. In much of that time, nothing happens. We are introduced to a tertiary character; the husband of Frost's new found love. We come to realize that he is an alcoholic and loses control when drunk. The ending is a bit too pat and rather sad. Still, there is a bit of closure and an epiphany for Jack. I'm glad I viewed all these episodes a second time.