"There is but one Hercule Poirot, and I am he."
Hello everyone!
It's that time again, or 'tis the season, really, which means that for the remaining month of December, the only theme of the blog posts will be Christmas and everything Christmas-related you can think of. That's just the reality, sorrynotsorry.
Ahem.
So what better way to start off than with a little mystery, eh?
Sure, I tend to gravitate towards Hallmark and whatnot when it comes to these seasonal movies, particularly and especially for the end-of-the-year holidays, but I figured, why not try for something different?
After all. There's only one Hercule Poirot.
And he has just the one wish for the holidays, but alas, it doesn't get granted in The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.
You'll find all my Hercule Poirot-related links down at the bottom of the page.
Now, firstly, to avoid any and all confusion: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding got re-titled for the television series starring the incomparable David Suchet, and was released as The Theft of the Royal Ruby. This is just in case anyone's wondering what's going on, but the story is the same thing:
Our detective - that is, Poirot - is by his lonesome for the holidays, with both Japp and Hastings away, something that the chocolatier who's selling him wonderful, decadent chocolates, seems troubled by.
No, no, no, no, no, says Poirot, I'll be PERFECTLY fine. A quiet Christmas, a book by the fire, good chocolate, it's all I need.
Naturally, this is the one wish he's never getting granted.
See, earlier in the show episode (this one aired as part of season three), we meet an Egyptian prince who's out dining with a woman, puts a priceless ruby around her neck, and then she disappears with it. Immediately, both the Foreign Office and Scotland Yard need to come running to this oversized manchild's cries, and naturally, Hercule Poirot's dragged into the mess, too.
He makes a rather vocal complaint, trying to put his foot down - but alas, he'll have to go meet some people who the prince recalls might have been there when he talked about the ruby, and who have excellent central heating, which should appease our detective.
Only somewhat mollified, Poirot heads on down there and meets an only slightly dysfunctional family in that there don't seem to be any parents, just the grandparents - his hosts, a colonel mad about Egyptology and his wife - and grandchildren, one of which is Poirot's cover for being there in the first place.
Sarah (the girl who's Poirot's cover) is apparently entering a relationship with a dude named Desmond, who heard about the ruby, natch, and her grandmother doesn't like it. Poirot's job is to find something that would officially make the guy unsuitable, but what he finds instead is a supposed piece of glass in the Christmas pudding.
Recognizing a priceless gem when he sees one, he pockets the ruby, now knowing the thief has to be among the guests, and after being sent back specifically to discover said thief (recovering the ruby just isn't enough, I suppose), he also overhears the kids planning to trick him with a little purported crime that's been committed.
What we as viewers don't get to fully see just then is that Poirot's been observing Desmond, having gotten a warning from an unknown benefactor to be careful, and he manages to avoid a sleeping draught so as to preserve the ruby, intact.
When the morning comes, the boys cry out for Poirot, and Poirot has to disappoint them: their little farce has turned into actual crime, with their cousin lying dead at their feet. Sarah is also nowhere to be found, much to the dismay of her grandmother, who can't wake her husband up.
Desmond double checks the girl's pulse, offering to run for a doctor, and takes off. Poirot calmly asks Sarah's other suitor, David, to get his car going so they can head on after him.
They - and Scotland Yard - manage to catch the guy and prevent him from flying off into the unknown. Supposedly, he's fighting for a "free" Egypt, but what free actually means here is up for debate. Needless to say, the plot goes as such, explained by Poirot:
Desmond and his lover heard about the ruby, she seduced the prince while he was off seducing Sarah to create an alibi, and then afterwards they lay low with their hosts for Christmas while waiting for their plane to be prepared. It took longer than planned, and panicking after seeing Poirot arrive, they hid the ruby in the pudding, which accidentally got served instead of the initial intended one after the boys tripped up the maid who was carrying it. Unable to get the ruby from Poirot initially, Desmond tried to take advantage of everyone's distraction and feel the country, with the woman who had seduced the prince actually his erstwhile lover.
And oh, Poirot switched his drugged coffee with his host's, hence why the wife couldn't wake him.
As for the warning - the maid tried to warn Poirot not to eat the pudding since she misunderstood what Desmond and the girl were muttering to each other.
With the criminal out of the picture, Sarah and David seem to grow closer, and as the eventful Christmas draws to a close, Poirot heads back to his city life - and hopefully some peace and quiet!
Then again, if you've read any book by Agatha Christie, you'll know neither of those terms apply where he pops up. This episode - and the show as a whole - is no exception, and David Suchet brings his brilliant acting to the fore both with Poirot solving the case and his humorous displays of agitation and pained realization he won't be left alone.
Overall, a fun, short little entry into Christmas, and I strongly encourage you to watch the show as a whole - you won't regret it!
xx
*images and video not mine
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