'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 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.
On first viewing of "A Minority of One" several years ago, expectations were high after such a great and remarkably consistent first season. Those high expectations were more than met. Later 'Frost' episodes had a lighter touch with more humour, but "A Minority of One" deals with such hard hitting subjects of racial tension and prejudice that too much humorous moments would have threatened to feel like they don't belong in the episode and jar.
This said, the tone and characterisation are so well-established for so early on. When you see examples of shows that take time to settle and don't find their feet for sometimes as much as a season, this not particularly easy feet is remarkable.
Visually, "A Minority of One" looks great, matching 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).
"A Minority of One's" script is again very well written, with the tensions dealt with intelligently and with sensitive tact rather than being preachy. The story is tense and gritty, with the hard-hitting subjects the episode explores handled with not a shred of heavy-handedness while delivering highly on emotion, thrills (such as the climax) and shocks (without being gratuitously so). Nothing feels disjointed or misplaced here.
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. Frost also deals with the tension between him and Tanner, the prejudicial nature showing both characters being at fault while not making them less likable.
Jason excels brilliantly as Frost, and Bruce Alexander, John Lyons and Lennie James are a great match. Support is fine too.
In conclusion, after such a great first season Season 2's opening episode "A Minority of One" doesn't disappoint. 9/10 Bethany Cox