The Dream

In the recent years I have seen a few of ITV's Poirot and have viewed them in the context of the other ITV Christie series "Marple" in that I see them as Sunday night specials which are a bit bloated, don't always give the viewer much help to follow along but generally warm you with actors you'll know from other shows, nice periods sets/costumes and the promise of a solution. For some reason I never saw Poirot through the 1990s and never really gave it too much time till I saw a few because my girlfriend enjoys them. As a result of this I decided to jump back to the first season to see what it was originally like, and I'm glad I did.

There is no "first thing" you notice about the show back in the start, because there are a lot of differences. The most obvious for me is that the show understandably doesn't have the feel of a big ITV event or institution, so episodes are under an hour long, there are no big semi- famous ensemble cast and the episodes screened weekly like a regular TV show, rather than one every few months as standalone events. It may not be obvious why this matters but it is a fact that feeds through the whole show and, not to criticise later episodes, this season I found very enjoyable due to this overall feel. It feels lighter and the mysteries are more accessible and stripped down - again, less of a production to get lost in and mostly a tight story. In one of the episodes Poirot goes to a mystery play and gets it wrong, afterwards complaining that he was not given all the facts by the playwright - in some cases with the ITV Christie adaptations I have felt the same way but in this season this was not the case - I followed all of them and felt involved in the mystery even if I was always behind Poirot.

As a factor of time I know Poirot will change because in this first season he is a very different character. I enjoyed very much how irritable and mischievous he was and also how much comedy there was through the episodes; whether it is Poirot's outrage at being dismissed from a trivial case he never wanted in the first place, through to his failure to buy a typewriter or Hastings' belief that Cubism is such so that you can see everything from the front without having walk round the back. This frequent comedic element mixed with the accessibility makes it a very enjoyable first season. On top of this our younger Poirot lacks some of the moral anger he will later have - he seems to enjoy the puzzles rather than hate the criminals, although I thought the show made light of one instance where he lets the "killers" get away free - it is an odd thing to occur with hardly a comment.

The cast are very good from the very start. Suchet is great in terms of his presence but more importantly his timing; he gets such nice little mannerisms that he adds to every scene he is in, making for an intelligent, irritable and funny character. Fraser is much simpler as a "Jolly old chap" type but I enjoyed this presence as he added energy alongside the more clipped Suchet. Jackson and Moran feature regularly in this season and I liked them both in their supporting roles. The weekly cast is nicely free of distracting famous faces, although there are a few faces in there that became famous later. Generally the standard is strong with no bad performances I can think of - although the most memorable for me was the young cook in the first episode who delivers a really funny scene while stating her belief that "white slavers" are to blame for a colleague's disappearance!

I have always "liked" Poirot but just never made a habit to watch it as it screens, but I am glad I decided to watch this first season as it was very entertaining with accessible and satisfying mysteries, good clean delivery and plenty of comedy and character.

I have seen many episodes from this very exciting TV series but I decided not to write about them, there are too many. I make an exception for this one because I consider it the best of all that I have seen, from all points of view, subject, actors, director, everything. Very intelligent. Just watch it!

"The Dream" is one of the more cleverly contrived murder cases that Hercule Poirot has solved. And, it's another one that Chief Inspector Japp and others conclude early on as a suicide. All of Poirot's usual sidekicks are in this episode of Agatha Christie's famous Belgian super sleuth. And, Poirot credits Miss Lemon with the key to his unlocking the mysterious murder.

Poirot is genuinely stumped for some time and fears that his little grey cells are beginning to fail him. This murder is set in an industrial area where England's largest pie maker has his business. There are a number of funny lines. Here are some favorites.

Hercule Poirot, "Hastings, to say that Benedict Farley makes pies is like saying that Wagner wrote semiquavers." Captain Hastings, "Well, they're good pies, then?" Poirot, "No. Horrible! But there are a great many of them."

Captain Hastings, "Useful, eh, living above the shop? I suppose from here, Farley liked to keep an eye on his employees." Hercule Poirot, "No doubt. But it is a pity that such diligence does not improve the quality of his so-called delectables."

Hercule Poirot, "Ah, I see. So, when Hercule Poirot is concerned, there arises immediately a suspicion of murder?" Chief Inspector Japp, "Precisely."

Captain Hastings, "This is not like you, Poirot." Hercule Poirot, "But this is not like the grey cells, Hastings. I have given them every chance. They have been closeted. I have slept to allow them to do their work. I have eaten fish for breakfast. Result? Nothing!" Hastings, "It'll come, Poirot. The little grey cells have never let you down yet." Poirot, "Ah, but is this not an indication, perhaps, of what is in store? A sign that they are weakened by old age and the fast living?" Hastings, "Fast living, Poirot? I wouldn't call your life exactly fast." Poirot, "Oh, not now, perhaps, Hastings, but in my youth." Hastings, "Really?" Poirot, shaking his head, "Umm." Hastings, "Really?" Poirot, "See, one pays, Hastings. Eventually, one is called to settle one's account." Hastings, "I say." Poirot, "I shall have another tisane."

Poirot must discover the power of dream, can the power of suggestion lead someone to the ultimate crime?

I'll admit you'll need a leap of faith to buy into the plot, it is one of the more far fetched ones, but once you're over that it's a very clever, engaging story, beautifully written. A similar tricked is used in Mesopotamia.

Miss Lemon's face at the end is priceless 'it's just what I wanted.'

This episode holds up brilliantly, it's over twenty five years old, and it's still a fantastic watch. A plot full of mystery and intrigue, definitely one to get the grey cells in action.

This is a proper 'let's gather everyone together for the uncovering of the murderer' episode, we'd enjoy it many times more.

Tragic that two of the main stars in this episode are no longer with us. Alan Howard was truly excellent in both roles, giving us two very diverse performances, and the lovely and beautiful Mary Tamm, just great as Mrs Farley, Tamm was such an underrated actress. Joely Richardson of course is very strong too.

A great finale to Series 1, 9/10

This episode is the one where Suchet absolutely nails the character. There are bits and pieces in the previous episodes but this is the one where you can see it all really come together for him. Not the most exciting of stories but watching Suchet's masterclass is more than enough to satisfy.