The Third Floor Flat

Hercule is bored - no cases for the little grey cells. Furthermore he is sick with a cold, and this is making him cranky. He becomes even more cranky after watching a murder-mystery play, and finding the plot sub-par. On returning from the play, however, he discovers that his newly-arrived upstairs neighbour has been murdered. Poirot quickly sets to work in solving who did it.

Overly simple, making this one of the worst Poirot episodes. The murderer is revealed in double-quick time, leaving the remainder of the episode an action drama rather than a murder mystery. Very basic plot, and the murderer is fairly obvious.

There are one or two sub-plots which do add some colour to what would otherwise be a fairly dull affair: Hastings and his car, Poirot and his cold. Not enough to save the episode, however.

Poirot is feeling low with the effects of flu. To cheer him up Hastings takes him to the theatre to watch a murder mystery play. Of course Poirot works out the murderer very easily and has a wager with Hastings.

Maybe Agatha Christie planted an in-joke here, as Poirot is startled that the actual murderer and their motive is not only different from what he thought it would be but it also defied logic.

Poirot spots several residents of Whitehaven Mansions at the play and when they return back to their apartments a body of a new resident is discovered. Poirot is hand to gets his little grey cells working despite his ailments.

The mystery takes time to unravel as it is some time when we actually see a dead body and then the murderer is revealed rather swiftly, with the rest of the episode being a chase as the murderer makes their getaway.

The police, Japp and Poirot actually come across as incompetent running around looking for the murderer as they try to make their escape. Poor Hastings, his car is wrecked in the process.

"The Third Floor Flat" is one of the more intriguing Hercule Poirot mysteries. For this episode of the BBC and PBS television series, Agatha Christie's super sleuth doesn't need to go far from home. The crime occurs right in his digs - the Whitehaven Mansions.

This episode has more than the usual build-up, and Poirot solves the murder very quickly - although he doesn't let on to others right away. This talk also is an excellent one to trace back the clues to discover how Poirot became suspicious of the culprit. It's all there plain as day, but as always, with Poirot so interested in every detail, only his little grey cells are capable of arranging the pertinent details for the conclusions.

All of Poirot's company are present - Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon and Chief Inspector Japp. Japp comments to his Bobbies when they arrive at the apartment building to be extra careful because they are on the home grounds of the sharp detective, Hercule Poirot.

And, the story has some humor, as we come to expect. Here are some favorite lines.

Miss Lemon, "It's only been tree weeks since your last case." Hercule Poirot, "Three weeks is an eternity to a brain like mine. Without the constant stimulation, my little grey cells will starve to death. Already you can see I am suffering the effects."

Captain Hastings pulls up in his convertible and honks the horn. Hastings, "How's the cold, old boy?" Hercule Poirot, "... I wouldn't be surprised if riding in tat care was responsible for my present malady." Hastings, "She's much too much of a lady to give anyone a cold. She's running like a bird since I fitted the hew gaskets" Poirot, "Birds do not run, Hastings. When you were little you should have paid more attention to your lessons in biology."

Captain Hastings, "You're really in a bad way, aren't you?" Poirot, "Well, my friend, as one approaches the end, one begins to see life as it truly is."

Hercule Poirot, "You see, Hastings? I am still a force to be calculated."(sic)

Hercule Poirot, "Hasting, my friend. Poirot is as magnanimous in defeat as he is modest in victory." Chief Inspector Japp, "Oh, yes." Poirot, "In view of the fact that you are going to need every penny you can get to restore this beautiful machine to health, I have decided to pay up and be content."

Dumb waiter to wrong floor--find body.

Very sneaky poirot engine should NOT have been steaming at end.

In "The Third Floor Flat", a downstairs neighbor of Poirot's is found murdered. How they found it is most unusual. The woman in the floor above cannot find her key and her boyfriend and his friend use the dumb waiter system in the apartment building to try to get into her apartment. But they end up in a different one...the one below. There, they discover a dead body...an obvious murder victim. While Scotland Yard is out looking for the wrong killer, Poirot and his friends solve the crime and show that one of the folks involved is NOT who they say they are.

This is a very tightly written and interesting episode. Well worth seeing and I appreciate how it's a bit shorter than some episodes...but that suits the story well.

Once again the episode is distinguished by the "padding": the various extra touches added by the writers to fill out the structure of the original story. And a clever story it is: Poirot finds that the charming young lady who lives directly below him has lost the key to her apartment. Her boyfriend and his buddy decide to break in via the small elevator used to deliver coal to the kitchen. But they accidentally enter the wrong kitchen and discover a dead body. Can Poirot and Hastings figure out who killed the woman who lived in the third floor flat? The short answer, not surprisingly, is yes, and in very quick order too. But beyond that are the clever little touches: the fact that Poirot, having caught a cold, is being more petulant than usual, the wager he makes with Hastings over the solution to a murder mystery play, and Hastings' distress over the very unfortunate result when the murderer tries to make his escape. Best line of the evening: "He'll need a whole new front end." Ce pauvre Hastings!