Wasps' Nest

Copying the plot summary from IMDb: "At a village fête, Poirot runs into an old friend, John Harrison and his fiancé Molly Deane, a fashion model. Harrison invites Poirot and Hastings to tea the following week where Poirot learns that Molly had once been engaged to a local artist, Claude Langton. Poirot is puzzled by a number of apparently unrelated incidents but concludes that someone is being untruthful and that a murder is being planned. Courtesy of Hastings' new hobby, photography, Poirot knows exactly what is going to occur."

Wasps' Nest has to be the most unusual episode of Poirot I've seen so far. It's a bit surprising how much I like this one considering there is no actual murder - something I've complained about endlessly in the past. In fact, there's no real crime at all. And the ending is something I really wasn't expecting. As the end credit rolled, I just sat there, unable to move, taking in everything I had just seen. "Sad" doesn't begin to describe the feeling the end left with me. It's the only episode I can think of where a tissue might have come in handy. Another great thing about the plot is that the mystery here works. Until the final scene, I had no idea who was trying to kill who. Very well done.

Beyond the plot, there's a lot more to enjoy. I'm amazed that in episode after episode the makers of Poirot find such interesting locations. And the attention to period detail is always amazing. In this one, period cars and fashion take center stage for me. The acting is great. The four regulars are as good as I've come to expect. Suchet is just brilliant. The supporting cast is just as strong with Martin Turner, Melanie Jessop, and Peter Capaldi all shining bright. I'll cut this short and say Wasps' Nest is a solid episode anyway you want to look at it.

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)

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

The original "Wasp's Nest" story, as written by Christie, is not one of her best ones. Although the ending is somewhat clever, the story itself is quite thin. It takes place in only one setting, and there are only two characters (one of whom is Poirot) engaging in dialogue in two scenes. Worst of all, from a mystery reader's point of view, the reader has no chance at all of deciphering the mystery along with the detective. Poirot presents his solution as a fait accompli at the end, and the other character has no choice except to listen and respond. In this episode, however, the writers have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Not only have they, of necessity, fleshed out the details, added scenes, action, and characters (including Japp and Miss Lemon, who mercifully have been given very little to do) but in so doing, they have provided the viewer with a variety of indications of what is going in behind the scenes. While there are red herrings involved, and it is still somewhat unlikely that the viewers will predict how the final scene goes, they will at least spend the episode feeling as though they are making discoveries along with Hastings and Poirot, and not feel quite so cheated at the end.