I’m not sure how to do this. I’ve always been terrible at endings, which is why I have a bazillion “Chapter One” files in my unfinished stories folder, and precisely two in the “Finished” folder. Endings are hard, though, and … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): SERIES FINALE – S13E05 “Curtain”

A strange case of a stew with perhaps one too many flavors this week, ma foi! Our Belgian removes himself to a Swiss chalet for a little R n’ R, only to find that trouble follows him even to remote … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S13E04 “The Labours of Hercules”

Ah, but we have reached very nearly the end of our travelogue through this series, mais ous? With but two episodes to go, and having recently been through a number of episodes that felt quite different than the classic Christie … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S13E03 “Dead Man’s Folly”

Zut alors, but this week’s tale of murder and mayhem possesses quite the… how do you say… “stinky aroma of badness”? Yes, “stinky aroma of badness” is what we’ll go with. In an episode that even its own writer (Mark … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S13E02 “The Big Four”

Je suis desole, mes amis – your faithful author watched his self-imposed deadline approach, then waved it on by as it sailed right over his head, which means I’m a week late on this, but eh bien, what can one … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S13E01 “Elephants Can Remember”

Mais oui, we find Our Belgian’s mood lightened ever so much this week, n’est ce pas? A pre-war tale with the Soviet baddies from the original book swapped out for a pack of German sympathizers and spies, and a bit … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S12E04 “The Clocks”

Well, well, well. Let’s get this out of the way toot sweet – there will be massive, non-tagged spoilers for the duration of this post, so if you somehow have not had a chance to either read this, watch this … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S12E03 “Murder on the Orient Express”

oooooOOOOOOOooooo, mes amis, but it is the time for spirits and all manner of things which go bump in the night, is it not? (Well, it’s not, but it’s a Halloween episode this week, so let’s all just pretend for … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S12E02 “Hallowe’en Party”

“Could you please tell him Chief Inspector George Gently would really like to talk to him?” Viewers of Poirot on Blu-Ray will instantly recognize that line, delivered by Martin Shaw in a clip excerpted from the George Gently series that … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S12E01 “Three Act Tragedy”

Pour one out, mes amis, for this is the last time in the series we get to see Our Belgian in his desert whites with his spyglass cane! Longtime readers will know I have a soft spot for “Hercule on … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S11E04 “Appointment With Death”

Zut alors, but where does the time go, mes amis? Apparently I was supposed to have this up LAST week, but here we are. (In my defense, watching this episode seemed to make time itself slow to a c r … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S11E03 “Third Girl”

Mais ouis, we have a tale this week of international espionage, kidnapping, blackmail, and murder – and all at the most prestigious girls’ school in England! This is the part where if I were a complete hack I would write … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S11E02 “Cat Among the Pigeons”

Sorry gang, but July has kicked my ass up one side of the calendar and down the other; so not much time or energy for this (admittedly late) installment of Our Belgian’s adventures. Once again, some bullet-point thoughts and we’ll … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S11E01 “Mrs. McGinty’s Dead”

Not much time to talk this week, gang, but it’s probably for the best; as Faithful Commenter Raven Wilder alluded to in last week’s discussion of After the Funeral, this adaptation suffers even more horrendously from the switch from post-war … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S10E04 “Taken at the Flood”

Well, well, well, what have we here? An episode that has dinner parties, country manors, butlers, poison, and a double fake or three? Sounds like comfort food to your Faithful Author in These Troubled Times (TM)! The Setup: Dick Abernethie, … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S10E03 “After the Funeral”

Sacre bleu! I expect this week’s episode to most divisive among fans of the original work, n’est ce pas? Not surprising as it is, in many ways, at odds with itself; just as the sinister Mr. Shaitana’s party divides the … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S10E02 “Cards on the Table”

One can be forgiven, mes amis, for experiencing a bit of deja vu this week, as our tale of murder most foul is an outsized retelling of a shorter work we’ve covered here before – “The Plymouth Express”. How does … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S10E01 “The Mystery of the Blue Train”

Actions, naturellement, have consequences, and many times those consequences aren’t immediately recognizable; it can take days, weeks, or years for the results of those actions to become apparent. Consider, for example, Linnet Ridgway, a wealthy American heiress whose money comes … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S09E03 “Death on the Nile”

Come away, come away, death, And in sad cypress let me be laid. Fly away, fly away, breath; I am slain by a fair cruel maid. — W. Shakespeare I mean, it’s no “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”, but credit … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S09E02 “Sad Cypress”

Mais ouis, mes amis, but this week’s episode surely is perhaps the darkest, most bleak time spent with Our Belgian to date in the series as a whole. Fortunately for us, dear readers, it’s also one of the best in … Continue reading Poirot (Classic): S09E01 “Five Little Pigs”