We join this mystery to find that Poirot is on his way to somewhere with a lawyer friend who wishes him to help look into a murder which may or may not be connected to a rather suspicious series of events following the funeral of a client. This introduction to this story is nicely done because very quickly we get an introduction to a contained but quite large circle of family members who will essentially make up our suspects; it also saves time because it allows the viewer to look back over events in a neat way rather than having to play them out.
From here the plot thickens as various motives and family rivalries surface, and Poirot is swimming in one lie or another, all while certain little things stick in his mind and in the minds of others. In terms of the development of the mystery, it is very well done so that, although I was nowhere near working it out myself, I was able to pick up on many of the small things which ultimately were of significance. The colorful characters are all well played by the cast, and in particular some of the characters were played so that I was taken in by who I thought they were rather than who they turned out to be (character wise). With a lot going on with a larger group of characters, I appreciated the pacing of the mystery too – it has urgency and tension to it, but not so much that it changes the style of the series; it is not that it becomes CSI, but just that it feels lean, focused and effective.
The cast is roundly good. Retrospectively it is Fassbender who sticks out due to being much more famous now than he was at this point, however, while he is good, he is surrounded by people with a bit more to get their teeth into. Suchet of course is good as ever, and I liked that the fate of the murderer genuinely seemed to throw him, and he worked well with his feelings around this person. Dolan is also part of that, since she is so sympathetic throughout, and is strong in the denouncement too. Support from Bathurst, Carson, Doyle, James, Punch, and others is all good and gives a strong ensemble feel – but it is Suchet and Dolan that make the lasting impression.
Overall, a very enjoyable entry in the series, with a mystery that is introduced at pace and continues to have forward motion but not feel rushed. The cast do good work in the delivery of the satisfying and engaging tale, while the camera and direction keep the sense of pace and thought in there too.
From here the plot thickens as various motives and family rivalries surface, and Poirot is swimming in one lie or another, all while certain little things stick in his mind and in the minds of others. In terms of the development of the mystery, it is very well done so that, although I was nowhere near working it out myself, I was able to pick up on many of the small things which ultimately were of significance. The colorful characters are all well played by the cast, and in particular some of the characters were played so that I was taken in by who I thought they were rather than who they turned out to be (character wise). With a lot going on with a larger group of characters, I appreciated the pacing of the mystery too – it has urgency and tension to it, but not so much that it changes the style of the series; it is not that it becomes CSI, but just that it feels lean, focused and effective.
The cast is roundly good. Retrospectively it is Fassbender who sticks out due to being much more famous now than he was at this point, however, while he is good, he is surrounded by people with a bit more to get their teeth into. Suchet of course is good as ever, and I liked that the fate of the murderer genuinely seemed to throw him, and he worked well with his feelings around this person. Dolan is also part of that, since she is so sympathetic throughout, and is strong in the denouncement too. Support from Bathurst, Carson, Doyle, James, Punch, and others is all good and gives a strong ensemble feel – but it is Suchet and Dolan that make the lasting impression.
Overall, a very enjoyable entry in the series, with a mystery that is introduced at pace and continues to have forward motion but not feel rushed. The cast do good work in the delivery of the satisfying and engaging tale, while the camera and direction keep the sense of pace and thought in there too.