There are two things I appreciated most about "Curtain": 1) Although its major importance in the Agatha Christie canon is that it's "Poirot's Last Case", it is also a great mystery on its own - one full of shocks, surprises, and the kind of little twists (the revolving table....) that Christie was a master of; 2) Although it deals with Hercule Poirot's death, it is not particularly morbid or melodramatic. It treats this event with dignity, and allows Poirot to play the kind of mind games he always loved so much even from beyond the grave! This episode also functions as a worthy farewell for Captain Hastings, who is in some ways the star of the show; Hugh Fraser's contributions to this series should never be underestimated. The (justified) praise for David Suchet has become almost redundant by this point, so I would like to say that Alice Orr-Ewing has a bright future ahead of her if her Judith Hastings is any indication, and Aidan McArdle is simply brilliant - probably one of the best performances in the history of the series. This episode is smoothly directed by Hettie MacDonald, who also made the very underrated "Mystery Of The Blue Train". *** out of 4.
Review of Curtain: Poirot's Last Case
