Agatha Christie's Poirot: Dead Man's Folly

November 9, 2022 1:29 PM - Season 13, Episode 3

Hired to provide the centrepiece amusement of a Devonshire summer fête, a twisty-turny `murder hunt', novelist Ariadne Oliver becomes convinced that she is being manipulated, that her plans are providing the cover for a very grave crime indeed. Unable to navigate the web of deceit and treachery spun by the locals, she calls to her side the only man in the world who can discern the truth of the matter: Hercule Poirot.
posted by Carillon (2 comments total)

One of the ones in which Poirot let's the killer take their own life rather than face the noose. The Hattie swap that's revealed is clever and brutal. Also, this was filmed at Greenway House, which was Agatha Christie's own house for a time! I guess it was her holiday home in Devon. Very nice that they were able to film there, helps add some closure to the series as it winds down. Poor Marlene though, I always feel bad when it's a child caught in the crossfire in these Christie novels. Are we supposed to assume that the Italian Hattie gets away with it? I forget if that piece of the plot gets wrapped up or if she's just off in the world now.
posted by Carillon at 1:33 PM on November 9, 2022

I really liked this one. Beautiful location, gorgeous grounds (so cool that it was AC’s actual residence) and I felt bad for Poirot who was constantly tottering to and fro in his patent leather shoes. Ariadne Oliver wore two of the most stunning dusters. I liked the reason she called in Poirot, because she had a vague feeling someone or several someones were steering her murder game. Of course, it was a pretty elaborate plot just to kill a blackmailer. Her drunk of a grandfather was much simpler. The young couple, she of the affair and he the eugenicist, were underwritten and didn’t add anything to the plot. It was a waste of airtime for Poirot to give him that little pep talk about saving his marriage. Also it was odd how often Hattie was referred to as “subnormal” which I guess was a more common in the 1930s (vs when the book was actually written in the 50s). If it was supposed to be a red herring pointing towards the scientist, it wasn’t developed enough as no one ever suspected him.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:15 PM on November 11, 2022