Double Sin

Poirot contemplates retirement, thinking he's finished, to lift his spirits, he and Hastings head take a break, and end up involved in a crime.

It's an episode for a cold and wet Sunday afternoon, it has that kind of sleepy vibe to it, not the most thrilling episode it must be said, but it's one to curl up with.

It's seemingly another of those episodes where Japp happens to be in the area, but we learn why he's in the area. The speech to the W.I. is worth seeing, it's fun seeing Poirot's reaction.

The subplot is entertaining enough, sweet as opposed to offering up any intrigue. The interplay between the main characters is the best thing about the episode, the mystery is slightly on the thin side to say the least, and that dream sequence does not work. Two of the worst getaway attempts you will ever see.

6/10

Some nice humor to be had in "Double Sin" from the Poirot series.

Depressed, Poirot has decided to retire. Not enough attention, no interesting cases -- he decides that he and Hastings need a trip to the seashore. They meet a young woman who is carrying some valuable miniatures to show a prospective buyer. Her aunt is an antique dealer confined to a wheelchair. The miniatures are stolen, and Hastings appeals to Poirot for help. But sadly, Poirot can't help. He's retired.

Of course, Poirot has a reason for wanting to go to the seashore -- as we soon learn. And Hastings, in his own well-meaning but inept way, tries to solve the mystery of the missing miniatures.

Fun episode, with the actors in top form, and a few red herrings along the way. There's nothing like a depressed Poirot and his sad "mon amis" to brighten one's day.

Poirot is feeling jaded and is even contemplating retirement. To rejuvenate himself, he and Hastings head to the Midland Hotel, a seaside resort. While there they take a bus tour. Also on the bus is a young woman who is transporting a set of valuable Napoleonic- era miniature portraits to a buyer. At one of the bus's stops, the miniatures are stolen. Poirot and Hastings are on the case, with Hastings to the fore. Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Japp is also in the area, delivering a series of lectures on his life and skills as a detective. Poirot is a touch upset at this, as it appears that Japp is taking all the credit for the cases he solved.

No murder, but a very interesting robbery and some engaging sub- plots. The robbery mystery delivers some great twists and a massive red herring. Hastings does most of the sleuthing, and, of course, gets much of it wrong (he is even upstaged by an inexperienced police constable at one point!). Hastings' lack of objectivity with regard to female suspects is also very prevalent. Such a gentleman, but so naive!

The Japp speaking tour sub-plot was also quite amusing, and had a nice conclusion.

If the last episode ("The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim") was an example of an excellent combination of story adaptation and original material, this one was more like a counterexample. Although there was nothing wrong with how they adapted the original story, I found the original material baffling.

The original story was portrayed well enough. On vacation, Poirot and Hastings meet a young girl on a bus who says she's taking some miniatures from her aunt's antique business to sell in a neighboring town. But when they arrive there, she shows our dynamic duo her suitcase; the small case inside, where the miniatures are supposed to be, is empty and the lock has been forced. Apparently someone stole them, got to the buyer ahead of the girl and took 1500 pounds cash in exchange for the antiques. It's up to Poirot and Hastings to straighten out the situation.

All well and good so far. But apparently the writers couldn't allow Poirot to simply be on vacation. No, he has to announce at the beginning of the episode, "I am nothing. I have nothing. Poirot is finished." and then suddenly declare to Hastings "I am taking you to the seaside." Then Japp and Miss Lemon need something to do, so Japp is now touring the countryside lecturing, and Miss Lemon has lost her keys. Not to mention the secret elopement thrown in as a red herring. There is a revelation at the end that somewhat explains this bizarre behavior, but it all feels thrown together. Rather disappointing.

"Double Sin" is, so far, my favorite episode of "Poirot". This is because the crime is interesting, shows a LOT of character development and made me laugh at the end. All in all, an episode not to be missed.

Poirot is in a funk. He talks about retiring and insists that he and Hastings go on a little vacation (this is the only vacation I know of where no one dies!!!). So, when something is reported stolen during the trip, Poirot refuses to investigate and encourages Hastings to do it...with predictable results. It seems some miniature portraits were stolen and then sold to an American collector...so who stole them and can the American keep them? Or, is there much more to the story than this?

In addition to the crime, I really enjoyed the scene where Inspector Japp is ALSO in the Lake District and he's lecturing about his most famous cases. How he handles this as well as Poirot's reaction are both priceless.

Overall, a must-see episode...well done and memorable.