'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 next two seasons and "Paying the Price" were more than up to their levels, with "Appropriate Adults" and "Paying the Price" being two of the show's best episodes. "Unknown Soldiers" was good if a slight disappointment, but "The Things We Do For Love" is a couple of steps up while not quite a classic.
Visually, as always with 'A Touch of Frost', "The Things We Do For Love" looks 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 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 very amusing quips from Frost, and thought-provoking, while the direction is solid and has more clarity than in the previous episode "Unknown Soldiers". The story is absorbing with some very surprising twists and turns and plenty of suspects, even if there are episodes before and since that had slightly more consistent forward momentum. Despite the subject matter there is absolutely nothing to be offended by.
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.
Jason is brilliant, then again he always was as Frost, while Bruce Alexander, Neil Stuke, John Lyons and the supporting cast (Michael Kitchen the standout) are just as good.
Overall, very good episode if not quite outstanding. 8/10 Bethany Cox
