Towards Zero

First the good news: wardrobe and locations are exquisite. The actors are very good, especially Anjelica Huston as the matriarch of a despicable family. Now for the bad stuff: why oh why add absolutely unnecessary characters into one of the finest plots Agatha Christie ever wrote. The dialogues are stilted and absolutely boring. The language, contrary to the setting, is much too modern and sometimes very crude. For the life of me, I don't understand the importance of a cunnilingus scene on the stairs. It just makes no sense. And last, but not least: it's way too long. The whole story could've been told in 90 minutes, it's much too thin for three hours.

Why do the writers always take a perfectly crafted plot from the queen of suspense and trample it to death?

I'll never understand why the main character of the book gets cut out of the televised version every time. Also, why is everything so dark? It's like it was filmed in the middle of the night with a filter.

It's a good try, but Kay is not the 23 year old redhead party girl from the book, and several other characters don't ring true either. I'm just hoping that they haven't changed the murderer too.

Although, I could see the story being updated to the modern day with Kay as a social media obsessed influencer and Audrey as an ex-supermodel.

I'm giving it 5 stars for effort, even though it misses for changing the story unnecessarily.

Enjoyable tosh I'd say. Love seeing the mega-rich come unstuck. Love Agatha Christie too so this was a must-see. Looks great, lovely photography.

Reviewer kristhebass mentions the Black barrister played by the excellent Clarke Peters, as if this was an anachronism. This reviewer may be interested to know (but probably won't want to know) that the first Black barrister to practice in the UK was in 1884. No, Agatha Christie probably didn't mention any character's ethnic background so basically anyone could be cast. It's not as if it's 'unhistorical' in this instance. Oh and I think the 'maid' is more of a lady's companion, as she quite clearly states in the first episode.

The second instalment sees the situations at Gull's point escalate. After a danced through afternoon at the nearby pleasure hotel with multiple partner exchanges and another troublesome newcomer in the form of a former boyfriend, Lady Tressilian is most displeased with her house guests and threatens to change her will. The love triangle at the centre concludes in two people having intimate relations in the stairwell of the house in view of everyone else, a scene that I guess was supposed to be erotic, but ended up more awkward than enticing. Soon after we (finally) get our first murder. Inspector Leach, who has survived his suicide attempt and strikes up an unlikely friendship with Sylvia, investigates the death and soon finds that things might not be as easy as they seem at first glance.

It all continues to be very pretty and glamorous, but by now the changes from the book become glaringly obvious and not all are good ones. The addition of a couple characters are fine, but the original characters suffer a little. Audrey in particular appears little more than a pretty distraction here. It's unclear why Neville seems unable to stay away from her to the point that he betrays his wife right in front of her nose - or why Audrey seems to have her heart set on prying him away from Kay after insisting on the divorce. Both of their motives for this love triangle have been done away with, leaving the central relationships a little flat in result.

The visual aesthetic of the series is a major letdown. The overly dark and blueish tint gives it a dated, early-2010s look that feels more like a tired crime drama than a timeless Agatha Christie mystery. The muted color palette and lack of visual creativity make the entire production feel bland and uninspired.

The pacing is another significant issue. The combination of an overtly slow and melodramatic score and hollow conversations drag the story unnecessarily. The result is a miniseries that feels much longer than it actually is.

Finally, the characters, while seemingly layered, quickly become tiresome. Each one is burdened with a troubled past or some nuanced background, but these elements feel overused and repetitive, and lacking authenticity. Instead of adding depth, the constant focus on their personal struggles makes the characters feel like clichés. By the time the mystery reaches its conclusion, it's hard to care about who did what or why.

For me this miniseries is a waste of three hours that I want back.