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Thanks for your reviews Sarah they are most welcome, with this I wanted to ask you a simple question and that is: How do you feel 'Wish me luck' compares to Secret Army?

Etienne wrote:Thanks for your reviews Sarah they are most welcome, with this I wanted to ask you a simple question and that is: How do you feel 'Wish me luck' compares to Secret Army?

Thank you for your kind words Etienne, its always nice to recieve appreciation for what I type. In answer to your question I was pondering this over the weekend and came up with the following...

In my opinion I feel that “Secret Army” is the stronger series for a number of reasons. Firstly it is much better known than “Wish Me Luck” with a stronger loyal and appreciative following than the ITV series which for example I personally only discovered earlier this year. Secondly “Secret Army” has an established meeting point (that of the Café/Restaurant Candide) within occupied territory. Thirdly the BBC 70’s series features the German threat posed to our heroic resistance members by having it personified so memorably throughout the entire three years by Clifford Rose’s marvellously captivating performance as Sturmbannfuher Kessler.

Although all the cards seem to be stacked in favour of “Secret Army”, “Wish Me Luck” has much to commend about its approach to telling a resistance movement operating behind enemy lines story not least of which is Liz Grainger’s strained relationships with her husband Laurence and former close friend Kit Grainger. I very much appreciate the performances from both Kate Buffery and the resolutely focused and believable acting of Michael J Jackson whom has impressed me the most in this series. Unlike “Secret Army”, “Wish Me Luck” largely takes a continuing narrative approach rather than stand alone tales but it seems to share the same tense ‘life and death’ atmosphere to the covert work of resistance operatives in occupied territories.

Again it’s very much down to personal preference but I have been more impressed with the location filming on “Wish Me Luck” no doubt taken place in the summer months and utilising more modern camera equipment which helps to elevate the productions impressive filmic quality. Despite not having the inestimable vocal talents of Angela Richards as accomplished “Secret Army” singer Monique Duchamps to call on “Wish Me Luck” benefits greatly from Jim Parker’s marvellous incidental music pieces which effectively accompany some of the more memorable sequences like for example the raid on the engineering plant during Season Two’s finale.

As I enter the third season of “Wish Me Luck” from tomorrow it’s suitably peaked my interest to return to the First Season of “Secret Army” on Thursday evening for a double episode per week leisurely stroll through the sixteen stories contained therein. I hasten to add that I won’t be so thoroughly offering thoughts on this series, partly as it would detract from “Wish Me Luck” and partly as I do not want to unduly impinge on Andy Priestner’s forthcoming and hotly anticipated book on the BBC series which no doubt will be as fascinatingly well researched and informative as was the “Survivors” book he previously collaborated on.

here is my thoughts about the sixth episode...

Following the traumatic events played out at the Ferrier residence during the preceding instalment this sixth episode now sees radio operator Emily finally move onto a new safe house which initially is clearly a room in a seedy brothel. This is something that is further emphasised by the rather salubrious music cue as she is show up the stairs by the owner. Although having a new identity (replete with shorter hair and thick rimmed glasses) and profession of chambermaid our caring youngster’s thoughts are still plagued by reflective thoughts of Leon and Marie. Prior to beginning her new life she guardedly watches a clearly battered, bruised and very frightened Marie roughly shoved into a boxcar, the door shuts and the train pulls out of the station, its destination and the fate of the occupants unknown. She subsequently risks her safety by seeking out Marie’s son Luc at the secret Marquis base where she tells him the tragic news. At one point whilst staying there we witness memories of that tragic night through a brief dream like flashback sequence including the mournful features of the couple and the laughing face of Annette mocking their fate which concludes with Emily seen to be clearly shaken from the experience. That strong relationship between her and the elderly couple understandably makes her highly motivated to discover whom was responsible for their betrayal and covertly she visits the Ferrier residence and observes the adjacent nosy busybody Annette sneak round the back and enter the property to appropriate a large ornate clock from Leon’s workshop. There has always been something particularly suspect about this woman in I guess not just the mind of Marie, Leon and Emily but also the viewers and our collective suspicions are confirmed as during this episode we finally witness Annette meeting with Sturmbannfuhrer Voller where she receives payment for the informant information she related. Naturally having discovered this the response from Luc when Emily tells him what she has found out is that the collaborator needs to be killed. Although in viewers minds the young radio operator seems unsuited to the task her feelings of revenge coupled with her strong feelings for the ‘adoptive family members’ are powerful motivators for her ability to carry through ‘what must be done’ however as we later discover someone beats her to it. The central objective of the area seven resistance movement, that of the forthcoming raid on an engineering plant, gains considerable credence with the invaluable sabotage experience of Kit Vanston. Newly arrived and with an cover upgraded from simple peasant farmer to that of agriculture spare parts salesman the new operative really fits the part well now wearing a smart suit and tie as we watch him touring the factory gaining an first hand knowledge of the site from owner Sylvestre. Once again the reliability of this man is in question as he is reluctant to show Kit the plants main transformer which is safely hidden behind both ‘no entry’ signs and diligently attentive senior employees. Naturally in initial scenes together there are elements of their previous romantic association however Kit and Liz make for an effective working partnership. Back in England Colonel Cadogan pays another visit to Colin whom still remains as restless as ever to return to active service. Although convivial enough the Colonel asks, in light of the failed transmitter raid, the pivotal question of whether he had ‘any suspicions that the circuit might have been penetrated?’ Understandably security is of paramount importance for the resistance movement and coupled with possible external informant collaborators concerns about errant agents whose allegiance might have shifted whilst in the field is another danger that can face area leaders. Such a situation is now facing Liz regarding the continuing erratic behaviour of Vivien Ashton and her continued pursuit of her daughter. Despite numerous attempts to ‘bring her back into line’ Liz finally admits the only solution is to recall her back to England however this news, transmitted back to HQ by Emily, could not have arrived at a worse possible time. Faith rushes into Colonel Cadogan’s office carrying the message however the Colonel has received a telegram himself relating the devastatingly tragic news that his son Julian has been killed in action, just a week short of his 21st birthday! Now that new relationship between Vivien and her daughter Yvette continues to expand during this instalment with the errant resistance message courier having the opportunity to visit the café where the youngster works. Not only do we encounter Yvette’s German boyfriend Jurgen but also present is the very officer whom was on duty during at the U-Boat tracking station on the night of the failed sabotage operation. This individual formally introduced by Jurgen as Sturmbannfuhrer Voller, the local commander of the SD immediately becomes suspicious of the newcomer. They spend time talking, then dancing (to the strains of the local assembled musicians) and later in a jovial mood Vivien features in a group photo. Voller attempts to convey a playful romantic interest with Yvette about her new friend however his harmless wish to keep a photo and have the negatives so that he can have them enlarged ‘on the firm’ are merely a thin veiled attempt to hide his real sinister motive of learning the true identity of Vivien. Despite her apprehension about the Sturmbannfuhrer’s interest in her Vivien continues to play her dangerous game of furthering her relationship with her daughter which eventually escalates to not only inviting the youngster to the chateaux where she works as a nanny but ultimately confiding to her the ‘full truth’ as to her true identity. It’s quite understandable that the youngster takes this astonishing revelation of being reacquainted with the parent whom initially deserted her all those years ago with extreme anger and revulsion. This shatters her cosy settled life of working at the café and enjoying a close loving relationship of three months with her German soldier boyfriend and is not willing to compromise all that she has for the added complication of the return of a long forgotten parent. Yvette runs tearfully from the upstairs bedroom and right into the hands of German soldiers coming up the stairs, the occupying force under the command of Voller have traced the pair and now take them in for questioning. The final freeze frame has the tear stained features of Vivien looking up towards Voller with the viewers left to ponder the fate of our resistance member and her estranged daughter.

...and now time to polish off season two with the following thoughts...

Taking precedence in the seventh and final episode of Season Two our brave area seven resistance movement primarily focus on the engineering plant raid and we open by watching Josef, Liz and Kit paying a secret reconnaissance visit to the area looking over the exterior layout of the establishment. With such an important aspect of this instalment we get to see the planning and preparation of the mission from studying maps and diagrams through to assembling explosives and ammunition ready for the night time raid. When the time comes there is understandably a certain amount of nervous butterflies about what they are about to do, most notable in their leader Liz. However following Emily cutting the phone lines and Kit cutting the fence to permit entry this is one highly exciting action sequence that flows well before the viewers eyes matched to suitably arranged pacy incidental music. However when Liz and Kit enter the main transformer room it becomes evident that Sylvestre had indeed ‘lost his nerve’ regarding offering his total and unconditional help as their bag of supplies left nearby does not feature to critical detonators. Instead Kit engineers his own explosion using a variety of combustible substances and a grenade, the pin of which will be pulled thanks to a piece of string attached to the rooms door. As if the subsequent explosion wasn’t big enough there is the additional bonus of a nearby fully loaded petrol tanker which helps to further the devastation! In the cold light of the following morning both Kit and Liz are clearly delighted however this is something that Sylvestre, whom they see subsequently driving by in the nearby lane does not share their feelings. Admittedly this on its own would have constituted a really fine exciting ‘end-of-season’ sequence but this seventh episode has still more tense drama to offer as the final twist in Vivien’s (now tortured) newly discovered relationship with her estranged daughter has still to be played out. Having been unable to gain any further ground in interrogating her Voller orders his staff to appropriate transport to move both Vivien and Yvette to another location. Attempting to accede to his superiors wishes a junior German officer is seen talking with local mechanic Felix about appropriating a vehicle to convey the ladies for a ‘physical examination’ to make them more likely to talk. In truth Felix actually works for the resistance movement and we later see him go to a nearby café to covertly pass the message of Vivien’s fate to the waiter. Once the café has closed the waiter is then seen going to a secluded woodland spot where he leaves the message ready for Luc to collect. I only point it out as it’s an interesting sequence which shows how information is covertly passed through the resistance movement. Anyway with the engineering plant raid now safely concluded Liz, Kit and the area seven resistance team arrange for the rescue of their erstwhile colleague as well as requesting a subsequent RAF aircraft pickup following the personal safety of the team mission. Now subsequent to the success of their primary operation the Germans have reinforced their security provisions for the transport of Vivien and Yvette with an increased military presence accompanying the captive ladies. Using the remnants of their explosives and a primitive ‘stinger’ device to puncture tyres this early morning operation is largely successful however the unforeseen complication of Voller’s use of Yvette as a hostage leads to an emotionally devastating resolution which I would never dare relate at this point. Safe to say you just have to watch because it really is a gut wrenching sequence which for the most part is totally unexpected. Now when the signal comes through to HQ it soon becomes evident that the forest area in which the vehicle ambush is to take place is right at the very edge of the aircrafts range. Not only will it require the craft to take extra fuel tanks but there is only provision enough for one person to be returned. Now due to the devastatingly emotional conclusion Kit reasons that whilst both he and Emily have significant reason to remain the only person whom could possibly be considered to go back is Liz. As the RAF aircraft taxis and takes off into the subsequent night sky the viewers can bask once more in another mighty fine emotional rollercoaster of a season long ride culminating so spectacularly through both the engineering raid and the resolution of the Vivien/Yvette plot. Where can the series possibly go now and will Liz and Kit finally be romantically linked with the resolution of the war drawing ever closer? Well hopefully all will be answered in the third and final season spread over the DVD sets fifth and sixth discs.

Kicking off this weeks posting with this...

The 1990 third season run retains the same effectively descriptive opening title sequence, the only changes that this final run of the series centring around the actor profiles and ticker tape names scrolling along the bottom of the screen. For understandable reasons we permanently lose Julian Glover and Lynn Farleigh from the line up and gain new recruits Catherine Schell and Jeremy Nicholas. Its also worth noting that Kate Buffery is also conspicuously absent this time round however undoubtedly I suspect her character Liz Grainger will make a return to the series to further complicate Kit Vanston’s life once more. It’s also worth noting that the end credits also feature the French codenames, in brackets, of the leading resistance members, something I’ve not mentioned before as I have to admit my spelling of foreign languages is not up to this task!

Praise once again for another mighty fine Network DVD cover...

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/WishMeLuck-Season3.jpg

Right then now down to business and let's start clobbering Season Three proper with the first episode...

We open this first episode with the breathtaking majestic grandeur of the Swiss Alps and from the aerial shot a steep mountain pass can be seen cutting a narrow tree lined channel up the inclined gradient. Travelling along this road a lone bus makes it way through the picturesque scenery deep in resistance area five territory passing briefly through an impressive chiselled out tunnel passageway carved in the adjacent rock face. Sitting inside we observe the familiar features of Emily, occasionally glancing towards her adjacent fellow female passenger. The bus is subsequently stopped at a German checkpoint where the passengers leave their transport at the insistence of the military contingent present. A brief struggle ensues and during Emily’s protestations she drops her case and with the contents of a radio now evident it understandably peeks the interest of the officer in command. However thankfully help is at hand thanks in part to Emily’s fellow passenger Nicole who quick-wittedly intercedes and causes a diversion allowing the now discovered radio operator to make a swift unnoticed escape. There is still further distraction to aid both Emily and Nicole’s escape as the local resistance movement take that precise moment to attack the checkpoint, the subsequent exciting gunplay eventually yielding the capture of the German contingents troop transport lorry. Make no mistake this is certainly a mighty impressive dramatically exciting opening sequence which certainly bodes well for this final run of “Wish Me Luck”. Having successfully ingratiated herself to Emily through her actions Nicole seeks to take a much more proactive long term commitment to resistance activities. During the subsequent welcome reunion between Emily and Kit our now seasoned radio operator implores the area coordinator to take Nicole up on her offer as by already helping her at the checkpoint she is already committed to the cause they are all involved in. This apparently is successful as later on we see Nicole offering her services as a proven book keeper to Renard, something that the elderly but resolutely focused figure grudgingly agrees to. It’s worth pointing out that this grizzled rural Frenchman is played by Trevor Peacock, an actor that some viewers might connect with his subsequent appearance in the BBC television feature length special “A Very Polish Practice” where he played the hard drinking, hard smoking cynical hospital administrator Reynard Krapowski. Emily arrives in La Creste where as part of her cover she will be a newly arrived dairymaid, something that we clearly witness is something she has not done before, much to the amusement of Renard’s young daughter Sylvie. Echoes of Season Two are present thanks the reappearance of Luc, the Ferrier’s son whom left home to join the Marquis. He meets up with Emily in a charmingly picturesque countryside locale and initially their revived relationship gets off to a good natured start (further emphasised by the playful warm incidental piece used briefly as they first meet) however recriminations soon develop in the young man whom still blames her for the deaths of his mother and uncle at the hands of the Germans, apparently now almost a year ago. Feelings of guilt and remorse about those past events come back to haunt Emily about her continued existence and is clearly something that will have to be faced by her in the near future. As a devote Catholic Emily is astonished to discover that a key resistance member in the area is the local Parish Priest Father Martin, played by familiar character actor Bryan Pringle. Having attended a service she takes a moment to speak with the Father, or as he is more usually know, Rex and asks him how he can justify his resistance work against his spiritual vocation. His likening his dangerous undercover existence to that of ‘finding the devil had invaded your home’ and ‘catching him by the tail and attempting to throw him out’ is certainly no doubt surprising for Emily and viewers alike! Turning my attention back to Sylvie and I thought that, in that scene where she, Kit and her mother are spending a few quiet moments in a secluded area of the picturesque countryside there was a similarity to the relationship that Matty Firman and her corresponding parent had during the first season. It comes when the peace is shattered by local resistance members in the area testing their weapons and the subsequent gunfire causes panic and terror in Sylvie’s mother stirring past memories perhaps of a previous traumatic event echoing the ‘buried under coal to evade the Germans’ that Matty’s mother faced. Meanwhile back in England and we witness a new arrival, that of a smart suit attired Gordon Stewart whom is to discover that he is the new personal assistant to HQ’s new ‘boss’. We learn that with Colonel Cadogan being transferred to Eisenhauer’s staff Faith Ashley has now been promoted to take sole charge and the first task of this new working partnership is the selection of a new Area Five leader and courier. Looking through the files the most promising leadership candidate proves to be the well heeled affluent horse riding Virginia Mitchell whom passed the relevant training with ‘flying colours’, has worked in Area Eight and has valuable contacts in Area Five from living in the area six years before the war. On her countryside estate she gets the call for active service and despite the reservations conveyed by her bed ridden mother she makes her way to HQ. For the courier position Gordon views Faith’s choice of RAF airbase female impersonator Lewis Lake with considerable scepticism and his stunned expression when the convincing ‘artiste’ removes his wig on stage at a base concert is certainly a classic moment! Once again “Wish Me Luck” brings together a new operative duo with distinctly different personalities and following in the footsteps of Season One (well educated responsible Liz and common, impulsive but dedicated Matty), Season Two (seasoned resilient widow Virginia and eager youngster Emily) the ‘culture clash’ of personalities from Season Three’s pairing is immediate evident right from the first moment the meet in the lift heading up towards Faith’s office. With a clear flouting of authority conveyed by Lewis smoking in a ‘no smoking’ lift his whole mannerisms is in direct conflict with the resolutely focused Virginia, a women whom clearly will not countenance any challenges to her authority. By this stage of the war the tide appears to be turning in the allies favour and Faith conveys to first Virginia and Lewis and then later by the briefly returned Kit and Renard that a major operation of open rebellion against the German’s in Area Five is now being planned with full military support for the resistance movement from the allies. However in the meantime the area of La Creste has to face the wrath of General Stuckler, a grey haired war-mongering officer (played with magnificent overbearing swagger by Season Three ‘Secret Army’ regular Terrence Hardiman) resolutely focused on tracking down and capturing/killing those involved in resistance activity in the area. Following the checkpoint fiasco that occurred in the episodes opening scene he orders his newly demoted deputy to increase Merlic operatives patrolling the town. It is worth noting one particular scene where we see the General dismounting from a horse in the courtyard of a majestic Chateau, a stunning structure set amongst the picturesque surroundings so endemic of this series (http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/LaCresteChateau-WML3.jpg), an aspect that, for me at least, further elevates my passionate enjoyment of this series. One final point to mention about this season opener is the fact that the former friend of Emily, Nicole is revealed as a collaborator and, during her conversation with General Stuckler she betrays Father Martin. The episode concludes with the Germans visiting the church and taking Rex away at gunpoint for interrogation. Will he break under questioning or can his faith sustain him during what now lays before him? All will hopefully be revealed next week!

I'd just like to say that what I write about each episode is primarily for my own benefit, isn't a totally comprehensive chronological relating of events. Basically I just pick out key elements from viewing then use my scribbed notes to compile my own 'self styled' viewing notes which I print off at the conclusion of the season, the print out to sit in the DVD box. Naturally I do get rather passionate about what I watch and really enjoy the creative challenge that this writing presents me, typically on a Sunday morning. I'm grateful for the opportunity that TVGold affords me to share my thoughts with other fans of the series I watch.

Sorry I just wanted to clarify things and lets give episode two the same intensive treatment with this...

We pick up the story in episode two with Rex held at gunpoint in the German’s car before we switch to Emily, whom had witnessed events from the confession booth, encountering Sylvie to tell her of the priests fate. With Kit and Renard currently away in England the youngster feels frustrated that there is little help she can obtain to free Rex so initially she attempts to learn where he has been taken under the pretext of becoming a resistance courier. The use of the youngster later brings new area leader Virginia into direct conflict with the returned Kit with the senior operative stating that she is ‘barely 16’ and ‘Jewish’. There is certainly an admirably resolute stance to Sylvie Schneider whom when practicing to handle a gun presumably for the first time for the rescue of Rex could almost be likened to a similar nervous posture adopted initially by Natalie in the early stages of “Secret Army”. However in the context of “Wish Me Luck” I guess Sylvie bears more of a similarity with Season One’s Matty Firman than any other character this series has presented us with. Attempting to present a naive innocent persona she strikes up a friendship with the German soldier guarding Rex under the initial pretext of mending her bike. This enlisted man called Franz clearly takes a liking to the youngster which he likens to his own young daughter Gertrude whom is about Sylvie’s age. It’s interesting to point out that Franz is played by Sidney Livingstone. This actor may be familiar to viewers for appearing in the 1986 comedy feature film “Clockwise” where he played a flashy Northern businessman whom whilst out on a test drive in a flashy new red Porsche car encounters the monks habit attired teacher Brian Stimpson and his student Laura. In the midst of the English countryside this unlikely pairing persuade him into the woods to play a game of dress up and then promptly take off in his car leaving Livingstone’s character in the middle of nowhere with him only wearing his underwear! Now returning to “Wish Me Luck” and the character of Franz clearly has a moral conscience regarding his prisoner as typified by his offering a mug of water to the priest whom has returned from a session of interrogation clearly battered a bleeding. It’s a touching scene where Rex falls to his knees adopting a prayer position as Franz approaches mug in hand. Realising that she cannot effect his rescue either on her own or with just Emily’s help she persuades the radio operator to approach Kit for further assistance. Emily takes an interesting approach to persuade him to help them by saying that she is ready to desert her post rather than leave the priest to his fate. She reasons that after all that has happened to Leon and Marie and then Vivien and her daughter only the saving of Rex would give meaning to her continuing in post as the areas reliable radio operator. A rather stark way of gaining Kit’s assistance but ultimately it proves worthwhile and the three of them, under cover of darkness manage to rescue Father Martin from his confined incarceration, something that no doubt will further enrage General Stuckler in the next episode. It proves a wise decision of Virginia’s to monitor phone usage in the area as Luc believes he has discovered the identity of the collaborator in their midst whom betrayed the local priest however when confronting Emily about her new friend Nicole the newcomer is listening close by. She subsequently informs Stuckler whom arranges the suitable subterfuge of raiding the barn where Luc had informed Emily of whom he suspected having betrayed Rex. By helping to stow the supply of weapons from the barn down the nearby well she gains Emily’s further support and after the Germans have departed she reiterates her faith in Nicole’s loyalty to their cause to Kit and Luc saying that without her help they could never have escaped detection from such a intensive search. Back in England and regarding the forthcoming open rebellion operation in Area Five Faith Ashley faces a shock whilst attending a meeting as it becomes evident that due to the current military situation there will be no allied support for the resistance uprising. Despite her protestations during and then later after the meeting it is clear that Faith is put in a very difficult situation made all the worse by the fact that Kit and Renard have now departed for return to France with no knowledge of what has now transpired since they spoke. There is further frosty exchanges to be had for Faith when she is initially negotiating with French military leader Colonel Max Dubois who takes a lot of persuading to not call off the planned raid by his operatives in the area. There is certainly a subtle irony about the scene where Renard triumphantly announces the planned operation with full allied support to a subsequent meeting of all the resistance leaders of the region with the mood typically upbeat at the possibility of a successful conclusion to their occupied territory status not just locally but across France in general. Now whilst in England there is a brief moment where Faith is seen walking with Kit away from HQ where the viewers curiosity regarding the absent Liz Grainger are finally answered. Although for security reasons Faith is understandably unable to convey the exact details she does relate to Kit that Liz is well and back working somewhere in occupied France. This rather hints at the possibility that these two key resistance operatives may rekindle their romantic relationship at some point during this final season of the series. Virginia and Lewis continue their fractious relationship in occupied France with the new courier clearly not adapting well to both life in the countryside locale and the frosty resolute nature of his area leader. However despite his attempting to gain a significant response Virginia retains her professionally detached persona and instructs Lewis to deliver a message to the Manager of Regis Pharmaceuticals personally. Despite her specific instructions our erstwhile courier eventually gains ‘cold feet’ at overtly loitering around the premises foyer, especially with a Melice agent standing by the lift and instead elects to hand the sealed letter to the receptionist. He is dutifully remonstrated by Virginia on his return however thankfully both the woman on duty and the manager’s secretary pass the letter on unopened to the intended recipient. At a nearby restaurant Virginia and Alain Regis subsequently meet however their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of General Stuckler and Philippe Bonnard, the latter stimulates a momentary flicker of recognition in both his and Virginia’s features. It was already mentioned during the first episode that Virginia had contacts in Area Five but this is the first tantalising hint of what previous personal history she has and might go some way to explaining her mother’s concerns about her daughter returning to the region. We’ve learnt that Philippe Bonnard is clearly a highly influential figure and I suspect leading official dignatory in the region although apart from enjoying a close working relationship with General Stuckler I’m not entirely clear as to his exact role. With deep rooted connections to the area (e.g. his family have been in residence at the La Creste chateaux since 1778) he conveys that he is the ‘former owner’ of the chateaux in front of which we witnessed General Stuckler dismount from his horse. Quite what his and Alain’s connection is to Virginia remains to be seen and is something I suspect that will crop up in a subsequent episode.

I can't wait to see this series, but have not been able to get it from Lovefilm - they say it is not available for rental as yet. I have seen it for sale all over the web, but not for rental - anyone know why? Thanks, Rebecca

Back for some third episode thoughts which go something like this...

The continuing narrative of this final season of “Wish Me Luck” continues with the third episode showing Father Martin being first conveyed to a nearby barn and then smuggled out of the suburbs and onto a secluded hillside shack riding in the back of Kit’s van. Our area coordinator poses as a local vet and with Sylvie as his accompanying assistant they manage to effectively convince a German checkpoint that they are indeed transporting potential rabid carrying dogs. In England the tortured guilt that Faith is feeling about asking the resistance to continue with the uprising without armoured support is immediately evident as early on in this instalment we find Gordon attempting to pressure his superior into some definite action. Faith tersely berates her assistant stating that he has overstepped his remit. However at his second attempt to broach the subject the following day she finally levels with the impassioned, concerned Scot and starkly announces that she is considering resigning her position. It eventually falls to Colonel Max Dubois to successfully persuade her to reconsider her decision by suggesting that alternative military support may be obtained from either the Americans or allied forces down in northern Africa. Faith’s close friendship with Max rather dovetails with that which Luc is trying to reignite with Emily back in France. Early in this episode they meet with the young man attempting to clarify his feelings for the resistance radio operator. It’s a pleasingly tender moment between these young people matched by some suitably scored incidental music. However this romantic dalliance between the youngsters ultimately has grave consequences as it impinges on Emily’s ability to fully concentrate on her message decoding ability. Although Gordon makes sure that the order not to continue with the uprising is transmitted you can obviously guess which critical word Emily misses whilst taking down the latest transmission! Totally oblivious to what has transpired Faith is invited out to enjoy a picnic in the park by Max and it’s a charmingly romantically tranquil moment sitting on a park bench, next to the bandstand on a beautifully summers day which concludes with a gentle kiss between these two characters. However on her return to the office Faith is brought back to the grim reality of her job when Gordon states that Emily had interpreted the message as an intent to proceed with the uprising. Plans are put in place including assembling men, arms and vehicles plus the blocking of a hillside road and cutting of phone lines. In addition Sylvie offers to collect supplies from Regis Pharmaceuticals in Beaufort, much to the chargin of Virginia whom would prefer to go instead of the youngster or Lewis even though it is a task more suited to a courier than the area leader. Kit has his doubts about offering the assignment to Sylvie however this teenager boldly asserts herself by saying to her superior “just how many priests do I have to spring?” On his return from transporting Rex to safety Lewis relates his continuing concerns about Virginia to Kit saying that the area leader is constantly nervy and up tight. A good indication of this is when Lewis approaches Virginia whom suspects that the courier was seruptiously listening into her private telephone conversation. Despite being denied the option of going to Beaufort under the pretence of official resistance business Virginia instead chooses her moment and slips away from the hillside roadblock largely but not totally unnoticed. This third episode is significant as the subsequent meeting between Virginia and Phillipe at his impressive chateau residence fills in a considerable portion of her past history. Their previous association and reason for their noticeable glances on their first meeting earlier in this season is due to the fact that Virginia is Philippe’s ex-wife! As a ‘prefect of France’ Virginia took a moral objection to her husbands collaborative stance to the German occupation and this led to her fleeing to England. The heated and quite terse verbal exchange in one of the mansions state rooms is watched from the adjacent bushes by Lewis, no doubt incredulous at witnessing the area leader spending such private time with a known collaborator. The rescue of the priest from armed custody naturally is taken particularly badly by General Stuckler whom has posters put up around the town saying that there would be severe reprisals against locals if the priest was not handed over. In the meantime the cutting of phone lines and mobilisation of local residents leads the General to deploy his Lieutenant to investigate the hill side road leading out of the town. Although cautious in proceeding he is shot and when his inert body is returned to the General, our ranking military commander states that he had been his godson. With this and the return of the priest not forthcoming Stuckler eventually elects to take retributive action to bring the population to comply with his wishes. The closing scenes show soldiers roughly rounding up peasants whom are escorted into the church and the episode ends on the stark image of a machine gun being manoeuvred towards pointing into the religious structure. A distinctly sobering image with which to close a script that is uniquely written by series actors Kate Buffery (Liz Grainger) and Michael J Jackson (Kit Vanston).

and then another episode to 'under the microscope'...

Added into the chaos of the impending massacre of peasants in the church the fourth episode adds another tragic factor into the mix. In the panic and confusion stemming from the Germans sudden action Kit, Sylvie and her mother attempt to escape out the back of their house and then onto safety. However Mrs Schneider takes this moment to suddenly break from her fellow escapees to go back to rescue a photo of her husband. Having suddenly realised what has happened Sylvie attempts to race back after her but Kit quickly prevents her from reaching the errant parent when the Germans arrive and take Mrs Schneider to accompany her fellow citizens. Emotions are running high in the pair however Kit holds the youngster firm as the sound of machine gun fire rings through the air. As silence returns and the military retreat Kit eventually lets go of Sylvie and the two people approach the church to see the devastating results of what has transpired. Astonishingly in the midst of this carnage Mrs Schneider, still rambling away incoherently appears totally unscathed. In England the tortured situation regarding the misinterpreted message leaves Faith with the difficult matter of conveying the fact that the raid is still going ahead to Max so that the French Colonel now shares the pain she and Gordon are feeling about the fate of their resistance colleagues. Further to this Faith and Gordon make one final impassioned appeal to General Liddiard however despite their best efforts this largely falls on deaf ears. However all is not entirely lost as later in the episode Gordon offers the helpful suggestion that an arms drop to Area Nine could instead be picked up by operatives from Area Five because their need is the greater. Virginia makes a second unannounced visit to Philippe however Lewis is unable to let this pass and subtly confronts her shortly after which brings a suitably terse retort from the area leader. For the time being Lewis is silenced but will his concerns ultimately be proved to be justified? Time will tell! Renard’s friendship with Rex remains as strong as ever and the elderly man is seen spending time talking with the priest in the remote hideaway where he remains whilst the Germans search for their former prisoner. However when Luc arrives and finds it difficult not to intimate the true horror of what has transpired in the church the cleric breaks cover and heads on down the mountain, keen to learn for himself what has happened to his ‘flock’. Clearly troubled by what has happened he questions his faith to himself and then later in church whilst leading the rededication service. In front of the assembled congregation (including Kit, Emily, Virginia and Nicole) he speaks of guilt (directly effecting the collaborator endeavours of Nicole) and publicly renounces his faith. Nicole suddenly runs out of the church and we next see Emily attempting to console her in the graveyard without knowing the full reasons for her reaction to Father Martin’s sermon. The massacre in the church had already made meeting Stuckler difficult and at their last meeting during this episode she informs the plain clothes General that they should instead rely on an old tree as message point instead. During this episode we witness her following Renard and the subsequent arrest of his wife would be testament to the effectiveness of this written communication between collaborator and occupying military. Now I would at this point like to praise the scene between Renard and his wife Helene as this is a marvellous impassioned performance from former Doctor Who companion Caroline John (Liz Shaw in Season Seven of the sci-fi franchise) as her husband attempts to persuade her to flee to safety for the immediate future. With her suspicions already elevated about her friend Emily follows Nicole into the wooded area and when she picks up her latest message from the hidden recess in the tree she turns round and finds Emily gun in hand! Now we later see Rex, subsequently a plain clothed figure with gun in hand leaving his house and heading towards German command, vengeance clearly in his mind. On his arrival he promptly shots the two sentries before Stuckler appears on the balcony and shots him much to the horror of Mrs Schneider who rushes forward to cradle the fallen figure before her. Sylvie, whom had been attempting to trace the errant parent whom had been wandering the town rambling away to herself (clearly still in denial about the death of her husband at the hands of the Germans) joins her mother at Rex’s now inert form and with their Jewish identity now known the pair are taken prisoner by the Germans. Certainly a stark, powerfully dramatic and effective conclusion and leaves viewers wondering as to the fate of Sylvie, her mother and Renard’s wife Helene, all now in the hands of the Germans.

Gonna give you four pics from Season Three...

A couple of pics of the bus making its way through tunnels carved out of the side of the mountain at the start of Season Three...
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/WML3-busonmountainpass-1.jpg
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/WML3-busonmountainpass-2.jpg

The impressive 'La Crest' residence from a distance...
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/WML3-LaCrestfordistance.jpg

...and then close up...
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z152/saraht1102/WML3-LaCrestcloseup.jpg

Really loving this series and now onto the fifth episode with this...

We open this fifth episode with the sight of Emily, gun in hand, escorting Nicole back into town to face Renard’s judgement. Our resilient radio operator presents him with the discovered hidden message, the contents in Nicole’s own handwriting are significantly damming to warrant the resistance movement hastily arranging a trial but more of that later. We next shift to the water torture being endured by Sylvie at the hands of General Stuckler. As further leverage to gain her compliance to his requests for information on the resistance he threatens her with a similar brutal treatment to be rendered against her mother. Sylvie eventually weakens and acquiesces to his questioning and with his quest for information suitably sated there is a touching tearfully emotive scene later that evening back in her cell when Franz visits. The soldier whom she had befriended to help gain the rescue of Rex clearly continues to exhibit the same fatherly concern for this plucky young Jew and although unable to help in obtaining Sylvie’s freedom spends the night attempting to offer moral strength for what will befall her. The following morning she and her mother are taken out to the town square where General Stuckler orders his soldiers to shoot them. Later in the day Lewis and Kit drive through the centre and notice a crowd of onlookers assembled. Curious to know what has gained their attention they walk over and are horrified to see Sylvie and her mother hanging from trees replete with ‘Jewish terrorist’ signs hanging around their necks. Having quickly retreated so as to not draw attention to themselves the two men return at dusk to cut them down however they are observed by Franz. The good natured, well meaning soldier means no malice however such is the outrage that still wells up in Kit the area coordinator rushes forward and knifes him to death. In the subsequent scenes where we watch him packing their clothes, glancing at a family photo and then onto the actual painful duty of burial in a suitably tranquil sensitively shot sequence you can really feel the palpable sense of loss Kit is feeling such is the effective way in which this is filmed. Although, as he said to Lewis, he always knew this was likely to happen, it doesn’t make it any less painful and will obviously stir thoughts of his own loss back in England. Now returning to the subject of Nicole and the suspected traitor is put on trial by her resistance member colleagues headed by newly arrived Jean Louis, a dashing French Captain of the 8th armed Dragoons recently arrived in the area, riding up to meet Renard alongside suitably jaunty music. This is the only light-hearted piece offered up here as the incidental score on offer throughout this fifth episode is of a much more sombre serious tone in keeping with the general despondent feeling prevalent throughout this script. Turning my attention back to England and Faith seems largely dejected about the prospects of offering arms for the forthcoming resistance uprising however Gordon inventively comes up with a possible solution. Recalling his very first morning at HQ he remembers his superior talking on the phone with Colonel Arnold Andretti, the liaison to the American OSS and suggests that she attempts to rekindle her friendship with him so as to ask for his persuasive assistance in a potential allied arms drop. This indeed has the desired effect and after a convivial lunch time meeting she returns to the office with the good news that an American airforce drop is now scheduled for the following night. This welcome development is then relayed to Emily on her next scheduled transmission however Faith later learns that the contents of this drop falls well short of what they had hoped for, something that becomes readily apparent in the French occupied area. As the parachutes rain down joy turns to anger as Luc discovers that the content of merely a dozen canisters rather than the expected fifty is no more than token weapons and pairs of boots! He correspondingly reproaches Emily about this and a tetchy nature of animosity between the local freedom fighters and the British agents begins to develop from this point onwards. News of Sylvie and her mother being captured reaches the resistance from an unexpected source as, disguised in his gardener’s peasant clothes, Philippe Bonnard takes one hell of a risk to enter the resistance base to tell Virginia. This fractious rekindled relationship continues during this episode however the danger of their regular contact is further endangered when Renard proposes that they capture the ‘local prefect’ the following morning. Having heard this Virginia secretly rushes to La Creste to warn her estranged husband and eventually winds up sharing a bed in the chateau’s master bedroom that evening. However Lewis, continuing to be suspicious of the errant area five leader, proposes that now Virginia is not present they instead go that evening, ever hoping to expose whatever relationship his colleague has with this supposed local collaborator. The kidnapping goes as planned although Virginia manages to hide in the cupboard, emerging just in time to see the bed empty, except for their calling card, a single armband monogrammed with the resistance movement motif. Episode five moves to a suitably dramatic conclusion as whilst Luc and Emily are attending to the evenings allied drop the Germans choose this moment to raid the town, catching resistance members unprepared. As they grab weapons and fight for their lives we fade to the signature turn and wonder just how many of the resistance movement will escape the ongoing attack with their lives.

and of last weeks other episode that I watched I'd like to say the following...

In the cold light of the following morning Renard and Kit look down from their elevated position high above the town centre as episode six opens. Whilst the men despondently glance towards their previous evening position where there now is increased activity we learn during their brief conversation that Kit has been working with Renard’s resistance forces now for nine months. It is also the following day at the chateau and watching from the bushes Virginia sees the maid rush out with the monogrammed armband which she shows to the police present. Eventually she returns back to town and entering the front terrace ready to enter the house where Kit and Renard are Lewis notices her return. With his usual acerbic wit he says “look what the cat dragged in” which seems a rather apt description as her hair does look a tad distressed! Interrogation of Philippe gets underway with Renard stating, in a useful bit of additional series character chronology, that he has been prefect of the region now for four years. However under cross-questioning the blindfolded prisoner says that he is infact working for the resistance but initially doesn’t say whom his contact is. Philippe is temporarily escorted to the cells located in the basement whilst Virginia tells Kit what she has leant about the Germans plans for the area. Before questioning is resumed Virginia avails herself of the opportunity to secretly walk down to the cells and in an entirely touching scene we see the estranged couple verbally reaffirm the love for each other through the bars keeping them apart. Now although at the second interrogation session Philippe again fails to name his contact Lewis obviously makes the connection that it is infact Virginia. Realising that her pretence has been discovered she comes clean and to the incredulous reactions of Renard, Kit, Lewis, Luc and Emily says that Philippe is her husband. With such a tense atmosphere existing between local resistance and their English allies Renard ultimately decides to arrest Virginia following her revelation. Now under sentence of death the tortured sole of Nicole awaits her fate in the cell but still attempts to talk with Emily with the intention for her to plead her case but is initially reticent to say what extenuating circumstances caused her to collaborate and why she should be allowed to live. Eventually Nicole states that she is infact three months pregnant which leads to Emily’s impassioned plea (after the leader had instructed Virginia to kill the traitor to reiterate her continued loyalty to the movement) to Renard in the town graveyard amongst the graves of the people whom had died in the church massacre. In a suitably moving scene we learn that before the war Nicole had been a secretary and her father, a local police officer had put her forward for a career in the malic. It was here that she met the prospective parent of the child which she is now carrying. As Nicole and Philippe are lead out and put in front of a firing squad all appears lost for these two people. However at that moment a motorcycle rider arrives carrying the passenger of Florence, Renard’s daughter. Apparently General Stuckler proposes that an exchange of Florence and Renard’s wife Helen be made in exchange for Philippe to which naturally Renard agrees. Following the exchange Stuckler cordially attempts to ‘debrief’ him about his time in the hands of the resistance and quite significantly it now seems likely that should he ever be captured Philippe could most probably provide positive identification of Kit! Prior to his capture by the resistance Philippe conveys to Virginia that he has learnt that the Germans are bringing in the Luftwaffe to invade La Creste by air, something that we viewers see being confirmed as at Mirand airport a couple of German officers watch a military plane arrive. With knowledge of this conveyed to the resistance Kit asks Emily to transmit a message to England asking them to undertake reconnaissance of the airfield with a view to subsequently bomb the area. However back at HQ Gordon informs Faith that aerial flybys of the area have not shown any significant military build up and despite his requests for another mission to photo the airfield the word is that this will not be possible for two or three days. Ultimately a negative message refusing the request for a bombing raid is transmitted back to Emily. With such a negative response coming back Luc suggests that they raid the airfield themselves although this is initially rejected by Renard as they do not have any current information about the military readiness of the assembled forces. Cautiously overhearing Renard’s conversation with Luc in the town square Lewis slowly sidles off and makes his way to a nearby café where he casually engages Prost, a Luftwaffe bomb aimer in idle conversation. In such an innocently convivial happenstance meeting (laced with a jaunty playful incidental arrangement of the theme tune) setting the German relates that currently ‘the planes are here but they are waiting a few days for parachutes to arrive’. Armed with this new information and under cover of darkness we watch this daring exercise put into action however due to General Stuckler’s insistence in increasing security this ultimately ends in failure and the capture of Lewis. It’s a dramatically effective conclusion to this sixth episode and leaves viewers gasping for a week eager to know the fate of the resistance courier.


NB : edited and extended 14th May 2008, following watching again alongside episodes seven and eight last night. What an awesomely emotional ending to the season and series it was! I was genuinely moved to tears of joy and sorrow particularly during the events of the eighth episode.

and so to the penultimate episode which I'd like to give a evaluatory clobbering with this...

After the failure of the nighttime sabotage raid on the airfield we observe the resistance group involved fleeing for their lives back into the wooded undergrowth in the opening moments of episode seven. It is clearly evident that Luc is the most severely injured, the young man’s shirt bathed in blood near his left shoulder, necessitating Emily’s assistance in his rapid escape. Undoubtedly this is a serious wound as the next day we see our young British operative helping him into a wooden handcart that she appropriated from a nearby barn which Emily then proceeds to push along the nearby path. Eventually the route ahead becomes more mountainous and being unable to manoeuvre the stretched form of her colleague any further Emily reverts to once more support Luc. However only a short distance ahead they eventually strike lucky and happen upon a band of resistance members sheltering under some trees. However as they approach the Germans arrive and having raised the alarm to their colleagues of the approaching danger the two people scurry away from the ensuing firefight. Finally they reach a deserted mountain farmhouse which has adequate provisions of food, water and a bed for Luc to rest on. It soon becomes readily apparent to Emily that Luc needs far more medical care than she can currently provide and with her radio operator duties again being neglected she elects to temporarily leave him recuperating in the upstairs bed. However as she steps out of the farmhouse she encounters a young German soldier whom immediately draws his weapon! Attempting to mollify him she suggests that she cook some for food for the no doubt tired adversary whom is currently separated from his unit. Having suitably filled himself he attempts to go upstairs to briefly sleep off such a full meal however Emily quickly attempts to dissuade him by romantically flirting with him. With his attention suitably diverted and holding her in his arms Emily silently picks up the serrated long bread knife lying on the adjacent kitchen table and plunges into the back of the amorous soldier! Elsewhere on the morning after the failed raid Kit returns to his telephone engineer’s van and on his drive back he encounters a security checkpoint. One of the French police officers on duty comes over and says that they have been ordered to ‘pull in chaps like you for questioning’ although this man was predisposed to letting Kit go through. However on this occasion as he retreats from the van some German soldiers turn their attention to the new arrival and the French police officer says having acknowledged that even his influence can’t prevent the occupying forces interest “I guess it’s not your lucky day!” Further to his being brought into German headquarters General Stuckler eventually takes personal charge of the interrogation of both Lewis and Kit and has Philippe in close attendance, ever hopeful that the regions prefect might be able offer further identification of whom he suspects to be a pair of British secret agents and thereby further support his trust in him. The reasoning for this undoubtedly hinges on their identity cards, both of which are issued by quite different departments but were signed in exactly the same handwriting which leads to Lewis offering the rather typical fatuous comment that it could have been the same civil servant transferred from one department to another, something Stuckler does not buy for a second. It’s good to see Virginia once more on horseback harking back to her initial series appearance in the first episode on her country estate and the first time that we see her ‘in the saddle’ in this instalment she meets up with a motorbike courier whom passes on the message regarding Lewis and Kit’s capture. Despite still exhibiting the same close friendship with Philippe, Stuckler’s trust in his friend has certainly wavered since he returned from his capture by the resistance. Just before he rejoins him for their meeting the suspicious ranking officer asks his lieutenant for a watch to be put over prefect Bonnard’s activities as he is no longer sure of his loyalty. This is indeed accurate as inside we watch, before the General enters, Philippe neatly pocketing one of the papers he finds lying on the German General’s desk. There are even clearer examples of his resistance movement allegiance which begins with his covert ‘unofficial’ meeting with the local Commissaire whom he hopes will offer additional assistance in facilitating the freeing of both Kit and Lewis. Later we see him alone at his desk practicing to forge Stuckler’s signature on official release paperwork when the General phones and informs him that he cannot meet him for the usual meeting as he is away from his office for the whole day. “I trust I won’t be missed” he says to Philippe to which when he puts the phone down he says with a certain air of gleeful pleasure “no indeed, you will certainly not be missed at all!” When he, some French police and Virginia in tow arrive to collect Kit and Lewis there is an unforeseen complication. In the cell Kit is clearly in a drugged state, ready to reveal all to the Germans and due to the seriousness of his condition suddenly cries out for Liz Granger to rescue him. The situation certainly looks bleak for Kit despite Lewis’s attempt to silence his colleague. Although Philippe obtains Lewis he is told that Kit has been transferred to hospital. Meanwhile there is further fallout from the failed airfield raid as back in England Faith and Gordon discuss what transpired leading to the eventual capture of both Kit and Lewis. In view of this they elect to send a message to request Virginia and Emily to leave the area straight away thereby at least making sure of the safety of at least two of their operatives in the area. Obviously the two ladies are totally indignant at this order from London and clearly have no intention of abandoning their colleagues. Instead they choose to ignore the message to withdraw as, according to Virginia, they’ve ‘been ignoring ours for weeks!’ which is something I’m sure viewers can certainly agree with! Eventually they learn of this and instead elect to transfer their highly experienced area four agent, known as Christine, over to area five to offer any assistance she can. We see a bus taking on passengers and before it begins on its journey the familiar features of Liz Granger are seen fleetingly before she climbs aboard. It is indeed a critical moment in Le Crest and Stuckler’s escalating offensive against the resistance is best exemplified by a meeting of his assembled staff where he tells them his stage two plans of sealing off all escape routes from La Crest, begin systematic searches through the forests and the mountains plus all buildings used by the marquee are to be burned together with denying them access to food and water. Pretty sobering stuff and gains the understandable level of panic amongst the opposing forces encamped in the rural settlement. The insurgent action planned by General Stuckler gets underway on 14th July 1944, better known to residents as Bastille Day. As they celebrate with a military parade through the main square and much merriment culminating in an emotionally hopeful toast by Renard (in which he mentions his twenty-seven year marriage to his wife Helen) the attention of all present turns to look up. Out of the sky the sight of many parachuted figures (in fact a combination of Platoon 602 Air Infantry Commandos, France and The Red Devils, England) falling earthwards is initially viewed as being the allied support they had been waiting for so long. However it soon becomes evident that this is definitely not the case as the joy turns to widescale panic as the identities of the new arrivals is soon evident. In the panic and confusion that follows we witness Emily transmitting the uncoded message to London which says ‘we are under attack from enemy paratroops and heavy artillery. Situation is critical, repeat critical!’ With this words the image of a multitude of parachutes landing in the countryside meadows around Le Crest brings a chillingly unsettling end to this penultimate episode. The stage is now set for a dramatically powerful, action packed exciting series finale where the fates of all regular characters cannot be guaranteed!

Right one more 'under the microscope' look from me to finish off the season and series with this...

The armed attack against the residents of Le Crest really begins apace in this eighth episode with the landed paratroopers making remorseless progress through the meadows towards the settlement firing on any resistance they encounter, replete with some marvellous building and vehicle explosions. In the desperation that ensues by this assault Renard elects to set their prisoners free feeling that not only can they ill afford to waste valuable ammunition but reprisals against their charges would prove worthless in the current crisis. Although Jean Louis protests you can certainly see Renard’s point of view in his decision. Initially Nicole does not want to leave however eventually she does and Emily is horrified to see her former friend advance towards the armed forces making no attempt to identify herself and parlay for special treatment. In a heartbeat she is obviously shot down. Fleeing from the town centre the residents of Le Crest are spread around the forests of the region, their local knowledge of the region now proving vital to their survival! At this early point in the episode Luc and Emily are separated, the young man staying with the wounded whilst Emily, her radio operator skills obviously in demand, correctly elects to accompany Renard and Virginia. As the two cars containing Renard, his family and our British agents journey out of the town and along an exposed stretch of road a nearby machine gun emplacement opens fire sending the vehicle occupants scurrying away from the halted transport. Although offering spirited gunfire our brave resistance members seem totally pinned down by the Germans leading to Jean Louis to take decisive action. With sword unfurled this brave French officer gallantly launches a cavalry charge against the enemy position with the sad inevitable fate resulting, something that his father, Colonel Max Dubois would indeed be proud. However this is small recompense for the tragic news of the death of his son and related in the transmitted message that Renard sends and Faith delivers with understandable emotionally shattered feelings. It’s a touching scene which is well played by both Jane Asher and Damien Thomas. He is but the first of the lead characters to lose their life during this emotionally action packed tense series finale as we later see Philippe, attempting to defend the retreat of the resistance group from forested rocky outcrop, being shot down much to the emotional distress of Virginia putting up much protestations to being escorted away by Lewis. The doctor, nurses and patients of the hospital find shelter in a large cavernous cave where eventually Emily is reunited with Luc however their delight at escaping the carnage of German military aggression currently sweeping the region is short lived. Whilst the couple climb the mountain outside to both gain a better view of the area and for Emily to test her radio set to see if reception is possible the Germans raid the cave. Although offered the chance to leave the doctor present elects to stay and the gunfire that follows echoes around and up to the elevated position where Luc and Emily are. As the sequence of tragically devastating events play out I am in no doubt that viewers will share with the view of Renard whom, in a message to London succinctly sums up the situation thus… “We have held on for so long against overwhelmingly superior forces despite repeated requests we have received no support, nothing I repeat nothing. We are now exhausted and almost out of ammunition. We have had no alternative but to pull out and save ourselves as best we can. Responsibility for this lies with our supposed superiors in London. They alone are to blame for the terrible tragedy that has now been visited on La Crest. No one here can be blamed for feeling that we have been betrayed from afar by men who are no better than the criminals and cowards repeat…” The utter frustration that Renard feels at the seemingly hopeless situation is further demonstrated by his impassioned ruthless dispatch of a German paratrooper down at the bank of a nearby stream where he throttles the life out of the youngster. It’s rather poignant that later looking in the mans wallet he discovers a photo of his family whilst he lies in the undergrowth with his own wife and daughter. As if to further underline the merciless conquest of the La Crest resistance movement Metzhofen reports to General Stuckler that ‘314 terrorists have been caught and shot and 193 civilians assisting the uprising have been dealt with!’ In the midst of all this despair and death at the hands of the Germans what possible crumb of comfort can the regular characters and infact the viewers clutch to as they watch the events continue to develop on screen. Well for the most part Liz Granger, recently arrived from area four, rides into the mountain area and, alongside her guide, can only look on in horror at the German attack being played out down below, realising that they have arrived far, far too late. However with the allies moving ever nearer we later see her anxiously approach the German headquarters, thoughts of Kit Vanston locked in the cells, clearly now uppermost in her mind. If you think back to the second episode of season two and how Kit argued with Colonel Cadogan that he didn’t want to be left on the sidelines rather than taking part in the forthcoming decisive armed conflict the fact that he is now a prisoner whilst his resistance colleagues are fighting for their lives is precisely the situation he had hoped to avoid. I guess I like most viewers are totally amazed to see her boldly stroll into Stuckler’s office and confidently state to the General her three previous code name identities, her real name and that she is infact a British agent whom has been working in France for three years! As if that wasn’t enough she further states that she is willing to arrange safe passage to Switzerland for the General when the allies arrive if he were to free Kit. General Stuckler needs some time to reflect on this offer however as he subsequently listens to his Lieutenant relate the state of their operations he begins to question the relevance of their actions at this particular moment. Having eventually agreed to Liz’s proposal he states his initial conditions of four million Francs and a safe conduct paper signed by the resistance leadership. Unwilling to stretch to that amount Liz suggests two million but they ultimately agree on three million before she has the difficult task of convincing Renard (recently arrived in Beaufort with his wife Helen and his daughter) to agree to the safe conduct document. There’s a rather poignant irony about the firing squad scene to which Kit is included with two other captured resistance members harking back to the opening scene of the first episode of Season Two. However in this instance our series lead is spared once Stuckler has safely driven past the security checkpoint heading out of the town, the General only to be later ambushed by Renard and his colleagues in a back alley some distance away. For long time viewers of this series the sight of him being reunited with Liz as the bullets rain down on the remaining firing squad prisoners is a touching scene laced with upset for those whom were not so lucky. As to whom the other two regular cast members were well I certainly won’t spoil it for you here as to their identities. We’d previously seen Luc and Emily struggling across the mountains with both apparently in good health and their luck apparently continues to hold out. Also worth considering is the pairing of Virginia and Lewis whom after the at times sarcastic courier had pulled his area leader away from her recently killed husband had made their way to a farm. In one of the outbuildings we watch this pair sink to their knees and hungrily eat the chicken feed only to be discovered by the farmer. Looking towards the gun-toting figure Virginia states that they had not eaten for three days (time where a good natured relationship has developed, a stark but understandable change against much of the time they have spent working together during this third season) which gives some idea of the time that elapses during this episode. Ultimately thinking about his family and considering that the Germans have already raided his farm twice before he calls in the enemy sending Virginia and Lewis. Will the British agents reach Beaufort safely or will Luc and Emily’s luck finally run out? Who indeed will join Renard, Kit, Liz and other resistance members in the town, celebrating the arrival of the American allies? It is certainly an emotional ending laced with joy and sadness to an extremely enjoyable outstanding war time drama series which is superbly crafted with well-defined characters, dramatic scripts, effective incidental music and marvellous location filming. Congratulations to all involved for bringing this classic series to the screen!

additionally I've just posted a review here... http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3229445/Wish-Me-Luck-The-Complete-Box-Set/Product.html

Right then I'm going to take a couple of weeks break and catch up on some Season Three Blakes Seven and although I've got one or two other things I'd like to say about 'Wish Me Luck', providing the creative fire still burns in me this is effectively the end for me, unless prompted, for this marvelous series. Hope to move on to my next target of "Danger UXB" next month!

With best wishes
Sarah