Wasps' Nest

One of my favourite Poirot episodes. Beautifully acted by all four leading actors. The venture into 1930s fashion was superb. I always enjoy Poirot for the careful detail and attention paid to period details - clothing (esp. Hats), automobiles, architecture, furniture, and, especially, scenery. Watching Poirot is like time travel. And to have one of my favourite actors, Peter Capaldi (Local Hero, 1982), was such a treat. He plays a fantastically eccentric character, and though the role is minimal, he plays it to perfection. The plot is a treat as well. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say it is unlike any other Poirot dramatization in this wonderful series.

Poirot is not in the best of spirits, desperately needing a crime. After attending a fête the chances of a crime seem more likely.

The episode looks utterly fabulous, maybe it's the cars and clothes, but somehow I've always thought of Wasp's Nest as one of the best looking episodes in the series. Royal Doulton aplenty, it's a visual treat, Summer is truly captured.

Suchet's performance is as always first rate, never really in question. I think it's the story itself that makes this episode extra special, it's up there with the very best. Not a huge role for Doctor Who number twelve Peter Capaldi, but he's great as always.

I love the running joke about Mrs Japp, the fact that we never get to see her.

A slightly unconventional episode, but truly enjoyable nonetheless, very very sad. 9/10

Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are invited to visit a friend in the country, only to find mystery galore. Poirot is stung by a wasp, but can he stop anything more deadly from happening? Captain Hastings lends a hand with his film darkroom, his latest hobby. Chief Inspector Japp is hospitalized with appendicitis. This one has a sad ending, with a different twist than most Poirot mysteries.

Poirot shows his squeamishness in this episode. After Japp's appendectomy, Poirot and Hastings visit him in the hospital. Japp says he wondered if the anesthesia was properly administered, because he thought he could feel every incision and move of the doctor. At which point, Poirot quickly gets up and says that he and Hastings must leave.

As with all of the films of this and other Agatha Christie mysteries, I appreciate the great resources the English have for making old movies. The land, castles, old buildings are one thing. But the great numbers and varieties of vintage cars in so many street scenes are most impressive. Also, the dress and other costuming of the period.

"Wasps' Nest" is an excellent story of intrigue in the Christie and Poirot series. Here are some favorite lines from the film.

Captain Hastings, "I thought a nice afternoon at a garden fete might cheer him up a bit." Chief Inspector Japp, "Hmm. About the only thing that's gonna cheer him up today is the discovery of a body in a lucky dip."

Captain Hastings, "You're not planning to use the bathroom for the next half hour or so, are you Poirot?" Hercule Poirot, "Well, let me check with my diary, Hastings. No, it would seem not." Hastings, "Good. If you need me, you know where I am." He sets up a darkroom in the bathroom.

Hercule Poirot, after being stung by a wasp, "The open air - it should be closed during the summer. Captain Hastings - he wonders why I have a hatred for these crawling, buzzing things; and the reason is, they're always trying to kill me."

Poirot runs into an old friend, author John Harrison. He is engaged to model Molly Deane but Poirot senses that something is amiss in their relationship. Deane was previously in a relationship with Harrison's best friend, artist Claude Langton. Poirot is fearful that a murder is being planned.

Reasonably interesting. There's no murder to be investigated here, but rather a murder to be prevented. Quite novel in that respect, though it does make the plot a bit conjectural, rather than based on clues and evidence.

Worth noting that the cast includes Peter Capaldi, of The Thick of It fame, as Claude Langton.

"This is the most difficult case in my career", says Poirot at one point. "I'm trying to solve a crime that does not exist".

When Poirot meets the son of an old friend of his, a writer who is engaged to a beautiful fashion model, he senses that something might be wrong. The model's previous boyfriend, a sculptor, still seems to be in love with her. A sinister-looking old man is constantly lurking about. And why does this nest of wasps at the writer's garden seem to be so difficult to exterminate?

Sometimes it's hard to explain why a film, or a TV episode in this case, works so well, you just have to experience it for yourself. The story itself is ingenious (this time, Poirot has to connect the pieces to prevent a future crime, not solve a past one), and the ending left me speechless. But what gives "Wasps' Nest" an extra layer is how unexpectedly moving and quiet its resolution is. Up to this point in the series (Season 3, Episode 5), this is a candidate for best episode. (***1/2)