Partners in Crime

The series title is misleading as it has little to do with Agatha Christie if you are a purist, but it is entertaining enough for a quick break from reality. I love the sets and costumes in general; the setting is just post WW2. They did not have Botox and filler back then. A number of the female characters are pumped full of the stuff as their eyebrows are situated so high and arched on their foreheads and their cheeks so round and full, they have that all too common permanently surprised or even pained clown look that many celebrities have today. Unfortunately, the art of acting with a natural expression that includes facial expressions is becoming a lost art.

The negative reviews of this series are laughable. Is it spot-on Agatha Christie? No. Is it fun? Yes. Suspenseful and enjoyable. Jessica Raine is not attractive? Oh, please. Yes, David Wallaims' character is a bit of a dolt, but that's part of the charm of the series. The acting is fine; the script is fine; and the stories are engaging. The episodes each ended with engaging cliff-hangers, and the resolution of each was believable. The series also captures a post-war '50s feel quite nicely. Some of the folks who reviewed this seemed determined not to like it, and it might not be your cup of tea. But I found plenty to like here, and wish that they had made more.

The way this "Partners in Crime" series started I expected a madcap duo with interesting personalities to go chasing criminals across the countryside, rescuing a damsel in distress. Instead, Walliams as Tommy is so weak as a character, he has no funny lines, he doesn't seem friendly with Raine as Tuppence much less her adoring husband, and is not even convincing as a bumbling idiot. He appears to be an understudy substituted in a pinch -- totally unconvincing, pasty-faced, blunted emotions, and stands around like he doesn't know his next mark. He ruins the show for me.

But Raines doesn't do much better. She is great to look at and occasionally funny and the much smarter character of the two. You have to wonder what brought them together -- certainly not passion or chemistry. They don't even seem like best friends.

Then the plot never really gels. There is scene after scene of bland interior rooms where the bad guys are almost goofy, no one has a clue what is going on, and big holes in the plot loom around every corner. It desperately needs tightening up, replacement of Walliams with someone wittier and more manly, and could easily be cut down to 2 episodes rather than three.

What about the opera singer? What was that all about? That part never even went anywhere, and they spent so much time featuring Ms. Raines at a typewriter. Why? Nonsense.

I also felt annoyed by the too-bright crayon colors of the filming. It looked like they had used a saturation filter to juice it up.

All in all, a wasted afternoon. I would have done better to watch some of the old Christie movies.

Maybe it is because I read the books or saw the (1983) (TV Mini-Series with Francesca Annis and James Warwick), that it takes some time to accept the characters in this (2015) (TV Mini-Series with Jessica Rain and David Williams.) then when you think about it the characters are what they are supposed to be and not particularly what you would have written them as.

This is a 1950's period piece and the characters, clothing, cars, etc. Are quite convincing.

We follow the partners as they move from their mundane life as beekeepers to quasi investigators of spies and other despicable characters. With the help of friends and relatives, they foil evil plots against man, king, and country.

Agatha Christie was not smothered up by the TV scriptwriting. There are of course changes for the different media. It took a bit of time to get used to as I would not have given a good rating until well into the story.

The Good: the sets, the clothes, the cars, the cinematography, the fun moments The Bad: poor interpretation of Tommy, poor adaptation of post-war 20s to cold war 50s. The Ugly: no dramatic integrity - impossible juxtaposition of fun-loving adventure chasing, and brutal murder. Tuppence cannot lightly enjoy chasing down criminals under the threat to life and limb of her child and her husband - it does not make sense. The original Tommy and Tuppence series (books and BBC) present a light-hearted version of adventure and this is the only one that makes sense for them. We watched the first story, The Secret Adversary (3 episodes), but will not be watching "N or M" because of our disappointment. However, I will restate that visually it is very stimulating and satisfying - beautiful sets, scenery and atmospheric camera work.