'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' "Un Cadavre au Petit Dejeuner" (2019)
Opening thoughts: "Un Cadavre au Petit Dejeuner" is notable for three things. One is that it is a rare 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' episode to not be based on an Agatha Christie (my personal favourite author and coined the Queen of Crime for good reason) book. One is that it is the last Swan Laurence and Alice Avril episode, always did love Alice though Swan and their chemistry took time to warm to but came on leaps and bounds. The final interest point is that it is a musical episode, and there have been musical episodes of shows that have worked surprisingly well ('Buffy the Vampire Slayer's' "Once More with Feeling").
Surprisingly well is a very good way to sum up the Season 2 finale "Un Cadavre au Petit Dejeuner". 'Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie' is an uneven series, ranging between average and great with no bad episode. "Un Cadavre au Petit Dejeuner" couldn't have been a better farewell to this pairing and is a great episode in its own way. Despite not being based on a Christie story, it surprisingly was not as blatantly obvious as feared and was honestly expecting it to.
Bad things: Maybe there could have been a little more of the Swan and Alice partnership, but that is not too major a quibble.
Good things: Everything else is truly excellent. Expectedly, the production values are typically handsome and so lovingly recreated, makes one nostalgic. The beautiful photography complements expertly. When a musical episode, the music/songs makes or break the episode in question, luckily in "Un Cadavre au Petit Dejeuner" the songs are little joyful bonbons that are a mix of uplifting and emotionally impactful while never coming over as cheesy. They are choreographed and performance in a spirited fashion too, and it never felt like the action was being slowed down or that the songs were not relevant.
Furthermore, the dialogue is entertaining and thought provoking with lots of funny and intriguing lines. The story is never dull, always intrigues and is always easy to follow while with enough to keep one guessing. It is suspenseful, is an illuminating insight into Alice's past and done in a way that makes feel and root for her and does a good job with staying true to the tone of the rest of the series and of Christie's style (not an easy thing to achieve). All while with affectionate nods to Rochefort and Hitchcock.
Alice is a joy and Swan has come on such a long way as a character. They interact very well together. The acting is very good, particularly from Blandine Bellvoir.
Overall, was shocked at how excellent the episode was.
9/10.
