While she wasn't quite that explicit about the trade, it did feel like she was saying that in a way. (A sly dig at parents today, perhaps? I think it's a lot like an episode of Sherlock - taking elements of the original and mixing them together until they come out in a form bearing little resemblance to the original. En route to the hotel, Poirot learns from the Swiss police the Marrascaud is at the hotel, but as he soon finds, almost everyone there is a suspect. Such a waste.'. And he is fooled by Gustave pretending to be Drouet, even giving Gustave the name of the policeman he is supposed to be! It's not a very credible plot and the CGI (including Halton House) doesn't really work. And yet the Countess calls Poirot "cruel" for "letting" her be arrested? I thought she was supposed to have visited Alice when we first see her leaving? On the other hand, the dinner scene, where Alice tells Poirot that her mother talks about him all the time, and the Countess tells Poirot that Alice studied him, sounds like they have spent a lot of time together (because they've heard so much about what the other is interested in) and almost feels like they're working together to manipulate Poirot by flattering him. What made her side with her serial-killer daughter? | ISBN: 9780006141969 | Kostenloser Versand für alle Bücher mit Versand und Verkauf duch Amazon. I now would almost have preferred to see her feature in the Big Four in some way...not as a guilty party...perhaps also falsely accused by Darrell of involvement, or unwittingly used by him to lure or torment Poirot. I would much rather they never mentioned dates or a specific passage of time.Other than that, despite the many wild coincidences in this episode, it has become one of my favorites that I go back to and rewatch. That policewoman rather obviously telegraphs the signal to the entire party. I feel we should really be ignoring the technical aspects such as CGI effects etc as they were quite secondary to the plot .. We would be missing the point if we harped on alps location and if it was convincing .. And why is Lucinda Lemerurier needed as bait? What happened to the old servant, Robert, and why is his replacement so inexperienced? The Countess' plea for her child to be spared somewhat calls to me the end of the book Big Four, where Poirot secures the cooperation of the Countess (who is working with the Big Four!?) leading Poirot to exclaim "Vera, you are impossible!" Alice looks at him cynically and says, "Is that what she told you?" Although British actor David Suchet is making his last appearances as the dapper Belgian detective, Poirot, like Christie’s work, will never go out of style. Hercules wins his "bird of paradise. THE LABOURS OF HERCULES. And she is a bit "forward" and not perfectly ladylike, kissing Poirot very ardently when he proves her innocent of the major crime (drug-dealing). Did anyone catch that Kika Markham was around 50 the year the Double Clue was made...but Orla Brady is around her early 50s NOW (if sites such as Wikipedia and Imdb are to be believed? Coincidentally, the local police are staking out the hotel, as they expect Marrascaud to be arriving … Or, Is there a feeling (by those of us watching) that if Poirot had done something different then, the Countess could have been reformed? Please, dorogoy. The physical resemblance between the actresses is passable, and I'm not criticizing either's performance...it just seems to me that the characterization was written differently. But this is an elaborate character study of the man we have become so familiar with. :). Seine belletristisch abgefasste Biographie lässt ihn als pensionierten Polizeibeamten während des Ersten Weltkriegs als Flüchtling ins Exil nach Großbritannien gehen. Hell turns out to be a nightclub of which the Countess is sort of an owner. Poirot is at a low ebb, is given a mission, takes up the call to action, receives help and hindrance from various shades of his life and past and arriving at a physically cleansed and renewed position where he no longer has to "hide" himself and his doubt.'. Some fans think Poirot was the son's father. The end result drew heavily on some of the stories; other stories contributed only minor details. realized that they've been using it since FIVE LITTLE PIGS (I think). Appointment With Death wasn't quite as good. Knowing what we know about the behind-the-scenes challenges (budget constraints, cancellations, viewing figures, creative decisions etc) just makes it all the more impressive. At the time, I would have agree - I'm not a big fan of "love changes the criminal" endings. Japp even says this in "Johnny Waverly." If he were really disgusted by her and done having feelings for her, he wouldn't have looked so sad in the last few scenes, and wouldn't have kept those cuff links.But even before Alice is exposed, there is a big difference in Poirot's attitude toward the Countess compared with The Double Clue. Hercule Poirot is depressed: he set a trap for ruthless killer and master-thief Marrascaud and the woman who was wearing the jewels as bait is now dead. The catastrophe weights heavily on Poirot's conscience, and he sinks into a steady depression, despite the entreaties of his physician, Dr Burton. Here it seems the series tried to work Poirot toward that point, and get us ready. Before seeing the adaptation I had read the line about "our love could have burnt down a city." For me this is a gross mistake. Considering that the final series nearly didn't happen - and the fact that this collection was one of the candidates to be dropped - I think we've been lucky to see an adaptation of it at all. I wish they had taken that off of the Carnaby story line. It’s by far the best episode of Poiret ever and I’ve seen them all. Poirot sets himself a challenge before he retires - to solve 12 cases which correspond with the labours of his classical Greek namesake! Especially on Alice's side - she displays contempt for her mother, sometimes speaking to her like an accomplice who has failed - and there are some weird mixed signals as to whether they live together, have been travelling together, met up at the hotel by accident, are working as a team, etc. this is a pity since from the start to season before this, production design of this series was highly praiseworthy, almost without exception. What bothered me about that was changing the Countess's role from being innocently used and set-up by Alice, genuinely disgusted at what Alice is doing (drug-trafficking), and MOST grateful to Poirot for exonerating her in the story to essentially defending Alice and showing more outrage at the police and Poirot fingering her daughter than at her daughter's murders. When Alice is proven to be a drug dealer, the Countess is at first alarmed for Niki's feelings, but a week later is engaged to someone else! 'The Labours of Hercules. But with the Countess, I think it's a different, and admittedly cliched decision: he's excited by someone whose sense of justice and right and wrong are (on the surface) different from his, but can he really be with her? It is obviously significant to him that she is there, and it is a distraction, but much less so than in The Double Clue. unfortunate lowering of quality of production design in the final season is quite obvious in this episode. However, for me, the atmosphere and the character study of Poirot make up for this. From the Double Clue -- - Poirot: You are the most remarkable, the most unique woman that I have ever met, but also...Countess: Opposites.Poirot: You must continue your work and I must continue mine...but not in the same country.So, not being able to stay together is more about their being "opposites" (and I put it in quotes because I question whether they really are - he's obviously attracted by her audacity, at least) than about him being all career and no family life. Quoting: "In the end, Poirot draws the line at allowing Marrascaud aka Alice to escape justice, and he realises that he made the decision about 'family life' several years ago. In the books there is a definite sense that her jewel thefts, and the way she pulls them off, well, turn him on. The final scene, in which he looks down on a pair of cufflinks he was given by the Countess, seems to suggest that he has reconciled himself with the decision to leave the Countess behind. We had at least two scenes that started with Poirot asleep in bed, and then someone opening his door. In the end, Poirot draws the line at allowing Marrascaud aka Alice to escape justice, and he realises that he made the decision about 'family life' several years ago. Were they really mother and daughter? Was I the only one who half expected it to be the Countess? Hercule Poirot is depressed: he set a trap for ruthless killer and master-thief Marrascaud and the woman who was wearing the jewels as bait is now dead. Was she coming back JUST for Poirot? And wouldn't Poirot be as bad as Alice if he let her go?How likely is it that the Countess was totally ignorant of everything Alice did, in the first place?Admittedly, Poirot himself doesn't point these things out to the Countess is in really moralistic way...he refuses her plea but he seems regretful about it, and he keeps the cuff links. But their work is in different countries, they are both independent, and let's face it, they would probably both find domesticity dull. "In the end, Poirot draws the line at allowing Marrascaud aka Alice to escape justice, and he realises that he made the decision about 'family life' several years ago. Given the brutality of the crimes Alice committed, killing several people in a brutal manner, including one Poirot had vowed to protect...are fans and reviewers wishing that Poirot had been willing to "spare" her so he could be with her mother? There's also a brilliant shift of location from the entrance hall to Poirot's hotel room, as Suchet turns around (rather like the recent Sherlock series). Here Poirot is on the trail of a master criminal, Marrauscud, who kills without compunction. "The Labors of Hercules" is one of Poirot's last cases, and it's a wild one. Faced with failure, he has once again plunged into an investigation of a missing maid (cf The Adventure of the Clapham Cook), and by chance been given the possibility of catching the criminal who killed the girl he had promised to protect. Yet -- reasoned the detective -- like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. Now I have them in the Hercule Poirot TV series format except for Series 13. : sorry for my english...). As for the titles; they've used the same font since 2003-2004 (so that includes FIVE LITTLE PIGS, yes). Agatha Christie's Poirot S13E04 The Labours Of Hercules - Part 01. Remember that last time, he and the Countess parted ways precisely because he WAS compromising his principles and allowing her to escape. He refuses to spare Alice for the sake of her mother's feelings, but on the other hand he doesn't seem totally repulsed by anything the Countess herself has done. And in a way, it seems like a fitting end to the Labours of Hercules. The Labours of Hercules Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie Audiobook - YouTube. 2 years ago | 623 views. Maybe in the Double Clue it was like, "She's a thief, but thieves can fall in love." Although they are short, the stories are very varied and enjoyable. In a later story, she has concerns that a religious cult her friend belongs to is a scam, and suggests to Poirot that they work together to expose it. I confess to being rather delighted by the Countess's taunts about Alice's paternity (again, somewhat the way Moffitt always uses fan theories in Sherlock.) The Countess of the books was not nearly as refined-ly aristocratic is Kika Markham. Episode-by-episode: Curtain: Poirot's Last Case, REVIEW: David Suchet's 'Poirot and Me' (2013), Episode-by-episode: The Labours of Hercules, The Final Series of 'Poirot': An Overview. He said he didn't - but then, how did they know just when they were needed?Was the Countess just using Poirot or she did genuinely care about him and feel sad that they couldn't be on the same side? Several of the scenes have been beautifully shot. So for all the Poirot fans out there, there is plenty to get stuck into. ), and his loneliness. Yet – reasoned the detective – like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. I would have liked some reference to the hotel bill in Mesopotamia...even if it was being mentioned by Poirot as a reason for not trusting the Countess or suspecting she was using him. He seems to have that effect on most everyone he meets - some of whom start out worse than the Countess. Tap to unmute. Parents Guide. But what identity has the villain taken? Three months after Lucinda's murder, a lonely chauffeur asks Poirot to find his true love, the maid of celebrated Russian ballerina Katrina Samoushenka. The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition at eight shillings and sixpence (8/6, 42½p). I think it's very Poirot! What better place to reassemble the loose ends (loneliness, professional life, love life etc) and prepare to enter? Hi there! Almost the entire film you can see a building (otherwise pretty nice RAF Halton House) which is quite absurdly placed in inappropriate place - in the mountains (in the Alps) the building with this architecture would not "survive" the first winter (nor its residents). Stop feeding anonymous. I'm from India and I read almost all Agatha Christie novels during my adolescent years; some later on. Unlikely, I say. Some of these were incorporated into the penultimate television episode with David Suchet. Edit. (It is Miss Lemon who knows this! She was all smiles when they were introduced, with no sense of fear of him finding her out. Her love for her son overrides her loyalty to the Big Four when Poirot has the power to reunite her with her son. He is far more focused on the case, and far less overtly romantic and courtly. While, to me, it doesn't make much sense for the Countess of either "verse" to have a child, her maternal protectiveness and love are actually very much in line with the books. The final scene, in which he looks down on a pair of cufflinks he was given by the Countess, seems to suggest that he has reconciled himself with the decision to leave the Countess behind. The identity of the main criminal in this adaptation is actually very "Christie-ian." But - when did the Countess tell Poirot those stories? The whole focus was on assembling random characters together stuck in a hotel for days and the end justified the means .. Music was mellow keeping in tune with boxed in situation ina hotel unlike rousing scores of several other episodes... Classy stuff ... Hope we have more of poirot .. In this set of short stories, Poirot sets himself a challenge before he retires – to solve 12 cases which correspond with the labours of his classical Greek namesake… In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. There's something almost supernatural about the entire episode (too many coincidences, all the mythological references etc). Poirot's not in the habit of calling ladies by their first names, perhaps, but usually, someone says the first name at some time. The criminal, Amy Carnaby, and her motives in the first case are actually pretty sympathetic, and she later brings Poirot another case and works undercover to help him solve it (Flock of Geryon). Did you catch that the Countess talked about her father wearing the cuff links when they were fleeing somewhere...I didn't catch it, but it sounded like somewhere in Russia from where, presumably, they would have to flee during the revolution. But note that the Countess never asks Poirot to save Alice. | The Labours of Hercules Agatha Christie. http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/agatha-christies-poirot-the-labours-of-hercules-2013/ I am not sure there is a real parallel, though, in that I don't think social class, as such, is what's coming between Poirot and the Countess (even if she is really a Countess - no doubt some titled women, especially from England, would shy away from having a relationship with someone in Poirot's position but I don't think it was an issue for the Countess. If anything, I think here Poirot was in a sense uncharacteristically gentle in his refusal of the Countess' request. (Her weakness for taking jewels proves to be alive and well and is what enables Alice to set her up - she tries to plant jewels in Poirot's pocket(!) I think england has gained in the process , poirot has brought her back into people's minds .. "But has he redeemed himself? And that was true in the original story"The Capture of Cerberus." Here, even though he did figure out who was who, there was more of a sense that the situation got out of his control and the police just happened to save the day. It's a point to reassemble Poirot's thoughts on himself and our thoughts on Poirot. The former is not in character for the Countess...so that leaves us with motherly love...but we don't see a lot of affection between them, the rest of the time. The ski lift seems to parallel this (and that's sort of a pun, I guess. This reviewer sees a parallel between Nita/Ted and Poirot/Rossakoff, and said that Poirot gets his happy ending vicariously through Ted and Nita who "overcome their status and roles in life." For example, Countess Rossakoff has been removed from the big four, but is “present” in Murder in Mesopotamia, likewise we don’t get to see poirot dress up as achillie, but instead, get him as the Swiss locksmith. Maybe that carries over into being less confident that a woman could reciprocate his attraction, interest, whatever? A sentence missing in the 2nd last paragraph? It might be on the soundtrack. It is implied to have been going on for a while when the movie starts. These have to correspond to the Twelve Labours of Hercules, specially selected problems that personally appeal to him.. I just struggled to think of them as the same woman. In some cases (such as The Nemean Lion) the connection is a highly tenuous one, while in others the choice of case is more or less forced upon Poirot by circumstances. "Orla Brady was a little closer to the books...perhaps less flamboyantly dressed but almost more "forward" - making no bones about making the circumstances of Alice's conception sound like a one-night stand, for example (which is something a lady with a title should have been much more ashamed of back then). Or, does she perhaps need the money but prefer to support herself, even outside the law, rather than being supported by a man? | The talk turns to Poirot's intention to retire after completing a few cases of interest and personal appeal and Burton laughingly refers to the twelve labours of Hercules. Christie was purposely vague about Poirot's origins, as he is thought to be an elderly man even in the early novels. And it seemed that in this adaptation her taking the side of someone who committed murder along with robbery broke the camel's back for him. The hotel business didn't, for me, line up with the Kika Markham characterization but you could see it with Brady's character. ...though, in fact, The Big Four adaptation in some ways felt more like the earlier episodes, particularly after the reveal. However, when he protected the Countess herself in The Double Clue, it was done in a way that meant they had to part. I thought the plot was complex and would have been difficult to hold for most . Yes No. In the Foreword to the volume, Poirot declares that he will carefully choose the cases to conform to the mythological sequence of the Twelve Labours of Hercules. I used to dislike her appearance in the Big Four because I thought, the thievery might be kind of exciting, but not the more violent crimes she's helping the Big Four with. And later, Alice is supposedly engaged to her son, Niki, and she discussed with Poirot why Alice is not her kind of person, but says she is going to love Alice for Niki's sake. Why did he not say, "Your Alice is the serial killer most brutal! Thanks for that. In the Double Clue, it was definitely Vera; Hardman used it when he introduced them and then later Poirot mentioned the full name because it became relevant to the "double clue" itself. But apparently he doesn't mind adaptations that go pretty far afield from the source material. The final scene, in which he looks down on a pair of cuff links he was given by the Countess, seems to suggest that he has reconciled himself with the decision to leave the Countess behind. Or is it kleptomania or some kind of compulsion she can't help? Poirot's reaction to Countess assuring him that she had given up crime was ambiguous...not just in the sense that he wasn't sure he believed her, but in the sense that it was hard to tell whether he was glad or sorry! Some of the women we meet in Poirot-verse would do such a thing for the thrill, but I got the distinct sense Lucinda was unwilling and had been pressured into it. For me also, the atmosphere and character study more than made up for any plot niggles. Poirot is thinking of retiring, but before he does he wants to solve 12 more cases and not just any cases. That he felt a dislike for Alice that was in fact jealousy of Mr. Cunningham. To keep an eye on Alice? But thank you again for your contribution - much appreciated! Not only does the thief get away with a valuable painting, the master thief gets hold of a valuable diamond necklace killing its owner in the process. )Given Suchet's stance that Poirot is always fighting the class system, Carnaby would have fit well into this series. Yes, it's not perfect. Excellent review. Instead, her big concern was "saving" Alice - implying she didn't think what Alice had done was so bad, and maybe she wasn't surprised.Also, was she only using Poirot? It seems more likely that they were uncomfortable with the idea that Hitler could be redeemed - or just that they found the premise a bit twee. It was like something out of a classical "quest" story, but of course, that theme ran all throughout this episode.Partly because of the way they did the lighting effects, I was very confused throughout about which character was which, and their reasons for being at the hotel. Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction. Agatha Christie's Poirot S13E04 The Labours Of Hercules - Part 01. bethanyangelina4231. Spare my daughter. His directing choices are interesting and not distracting. One wonders why she wasn't a potential love interest...at the very least, she's a bit like Mrs. Oliver, perhaps (although, Mrs. Oliver doesn't seem to have the same insecurities about her financial situation. In the Augean Stables, we are left with an uncomfortable sense that Poirot is definitely doing something sleazy to help someone sleazy. "In Labours he greets her with, "You look well," and she even points out that it's a luke-warm compliment at best. A romantic errand sees him in Switzerland, at a hotel high in the Alps. I suppose you can think about the implications a whole different way: if Poirot had somehow established more of a relationship with the Countess...Marrascaud might never have been born? Shopping. The Countess' defense of Alice at the end (trying to get Poirot to spare her) I think feels "out of the blue" because it is a gesture that should either stem from upper-class sensibility about the family reputation, or motherly love. I had no idea what to expect, but the cast were brilliant. Share. Report. They refer to each other as old friends, and make references to a history that doesn't sound very much like we see in the earlier stories where she appears.