A visit to Hastings' new restaurant may well provide Poirot with a surprisingly good meal, but it also is the scene of a medical emergency – with rest being the prescribed treatment. As a result Poirot and Hastings head off to an island resort to join others seek sun and relaxation. The guests include many odd characters and, although he is on vacation, Poirot cannot help but pick up a few things here and there. These nuggets prove most important, whenever one of the guests is found to have been murdered.
The second (of two) episodes of the seventh season of Poirot was very enjoyable and I was pleased to find that this one was too. I say this mainly because as with the previous episode, the mystery worked at a level which I could enjoy it; I do not expect to ever solve the case before Poirot and to be outside tending the garden by the time he does his final reveal, but I do like the episodes that give the viewer access to clues and red-herrings which provide food for thought. The better films do this well, so that when I get to the end of the film and Poirot arranges all the pieces, at least I have the majority of the pieces in front of me already. That is how it is with Evil Under the Sun, it gives the viewer a lot of detail so that even if you do not get anywhere near the solution, there are certainly things to think about – the touch of white on the skin, the bath being run, the rather deliberate fight in front of Poirot, the glass bottle, and plenty of other pieces to the puzzle are well presented here, and I enjoyed that the film made them relatively easy to pick up on – even if I did not get them together in any shape. There is no shame to this though, because the solution is almost impossible to have figured out (at least for me it was) because it is so detailed and precise that it manages to both be ridiculous but yet also entirely plausible (or at least the way Poirot fits it together makes it seem so). Again, this makes the final reveal pleasing because, although I was of course behind Poirot, I had pieces in my mind and enjoyed seeing them fit together.
The overall production is very good as one expects; the choice of location in Burgh Island hotel is really good, with a great look outside and the usual art deco furniture and fittings inside (I wonder where all this came from and where it all went in the end). The cast remain on good form and it is always pleasing to see the four main characters in an episode – even if, being honest, they could have done without Hastings since he did very little other than be a plot device at the start. Suchet is good as ever, with a nice comedic touch here which reminds me of the earlier films where this was more common. Fraser is good but has little to do. I am never sure about Moran's performances, but I did like her concern for her employer and her stern manner. Jackson is reliable as ever. The supporting cast don't have anyone really standing out, but everyone is pretty good across the board – interesting to see a young Russell Tovey in there.
The eighth season is to be another one which only has two films making it up – and screened over a year apart, so I am not sure what makes these two episodes a "season". The first of the two films sets a good standard, which follows on from the previous outing by being accessible, enjoyable, well paced and of course professionally mounted by all. It is not amazing by any means, but I enjoyed having the pieces nicely scattered – and when Suchet's Poirot delivers his conclusion so well, I never feel bad that I was not able to put them together for myself.
The second (of two) episodes of the seventh season of Poirot was very enjoyable and I was pleased to find that this one was too. I say this mainly because as with the previous episode, the mystery worked at a level which I could enjoy it; I do not expect to ever solve the case before Poirot and to be outside tending the garden by the time he does his final reveal, but I do like the episodes that give the viewer access to clues and red-herrings which provide food for thought. The better films do this well, so that when I get to the end of the film and Poirot arranges all the pieces, at least I have the majority of the pieces in front of me already. That is how it is with Evil Under the Sun, it gives the viewer a lot of detail so that even if you do not get anywhere near the solution, there are certainly things to think about – the touch of white on the skin, the bath being run, the rather deliberate fight in front of Poirot, the glass bottle, and plenty of other pieces to the puzzle are well presented here, and I enjoyed that the film made them relatively easy to pick up on – even if I did not get them together in any shape. There is no shame to this though, because the solution is almost impossible to have figured out (at least for me it was) because it is so detailed and precise that it manages to both be ridiculous but yet also entirely plausible (or at least the way Poirot fits it together makes it seem so). Again, this makes the final reveal pleasing because, although I was of course behind Poirot, I had pieces in my mind and enjoyed seeing them fit together.
The overall production is very good as one expects; the choice of location in Burgh Island hotel is really good, with a great look outside and the usual art deco furniture and fittings inside (I wonder where all this came from and where it all went in the end). The cast remain on good form and it is always pleasing to see the four main characters in an episode – even if, being honest, they could have done without Hastings since he did very little other than be a plot device at the start. Suchet is good as ever, with a nice comedic touch here which reminds me of the earlier films where this was more common. Fraser is good but has little to do. I am never sure about Moran's performances, but I did like her concern for her employer and her stern manner. Jackson is reliable as ever. The supporting cast don't have anyone really standing out, but everyone is pretty good across the board – interesting to see a young Russell Tovey in there.
The eighth season is to be another one which only has two films making it up – and screened over a year apart, so I am not sure what makes these two episodes a "season". The first of the two films sets a good standard, which follows on from the previous outing by being accessible, enjoyable, well paced and of course professionally mounted by all. It is not amazing by any means, but I enjoyed having the pieces nicely scattered – and when Suchet's Poirot delivers his conclusion so well, I never feel bad that I was not able to put them together for myself.