Agatha Christie's Poirot

The Mysterious Affair at Styles - S3-E1

Plot hole: Can't fault this massive plot hole to the adaptation, but to the source material; the culprit (forgetting the stupidity of writing an incriminating letter detailing the plan to murder someone, and put it in a desk he shares with her) since there are people outside the room that are about to enter, tears the letter in 3 neat vertical strips, rolls them, puts them in the vase on the mantlepiece, and then opens the side door to slip away...instead of simply pocketing the letter and going through that same door. Nobody was going to search him or anything and could have burned it, torn it into confetti, anything, later. It takes way way longer to do what he did, which needed him to stay there in the room increasing the chances of being found out. And of course he and his accomplice do not retrieve the letter after.

Sammo

Peril at End House - S2-E1

Plot hole: The hole in the hat was pre-existing and the bullet was fired in advance and dropped. Poirot notices immediately the hole when Nick puts the hat down but somehow missed it while she was wearing it as she supported him. He also does not notice that the bullet has not been fired at that time - which would have been still hot if just fired, not at all if dropped. Most importantly, in the spot where they were sitting, it's not even possible to think where a shooter could have ever been hidden; nobody wonders where the mysterious shooter could have been or cares to investigate the circumstance despite knowing the very moment the supposed shot happened. The fact is basically ignored throughout the rest of the episode.

Sammo

The Dream - S1-E10

Plot hole: Nobody hears the sound of a gun being fired past a door they were waiting almost in front of, and the police cannot tell apart a shot fired point blank by one fired 20 feet away and probably at a very sharp angle. Moreover, the bleeding should be all over his face, since leaning the way it is shown in this adaptation is most likely to lead the victim to fall over, and even leave bloodstains out of the window and on the ground below, which someone would have noticed in the crowded factory.

Sammo

Agatha Christie's Poirot mistake picture

The Double Clue - S3-E7

Factual error: Attention to detail in props is always extremely high in this series, and tubular flashlights have been in circulation since the beginning of the century. However the one that the supposed burglar is holding as they make their way through the top floor of the villa looks perfectly modern and unlike any model compatible with the 30s. (00:10:20)

Sammo

The Incredible Theft - S1-E8

Continuity mistake: Poirot is holding up a letter in an envelope. He turns it to show the front to Lady Mayfield. The flap of the envelope appears to be tucked in. The shot cuts to a close-up, but now the back of the envelope is facing Lady Mayfield and the flap is sealed. He then turns the envelope to show her the front. (00:44:20)

paolog

Evil Under the Sun - S8-E1

Revealing mistake: As the major tries to convince the Chief Inspector to leave the island, we see Hastings come down the stairs. However, prior to this we can see Hastings waiting just out of shot for his cue to enter. The edge of his hat is visible for several seconds, and when he's cued he begins walking into the shot. (01:15:27)

The Double Clue - S3-E7

Plot hole: Since the Countess was the only person to be at every dinner when the jewelry thief was in action, it takes a very special kind of idiot to not identify her as the culprit. Japp here did not need at all Poirot's acumen, but simple due diligence cross-checking the guest lists, something there is absolutely no reason he wouldn't do, and yet she is never treated as a special suspect. Also, Japp's job is described as being in jeopardy after the first 3 thefts, a 4th happens, he does not quite solve it (but retrieves at least the necklace), but he's off the hook despite the thief being unidentified, at large and with still the jewelry stolen from the first 3.

Sammo

The Mystery of the Spanish Chest - S3-E8

Continuity mistake: When Poirot pulls out of the drill hidden in the handle, he holds it triumphantly in his right hand. In the next shot he mounts it on the handle starting the motion with the drill already in the left hand and the rest of the gimlet in the right. (00:40:00)

Sammo

The Underdog - S5-E2

Factual error: Lily looks over part of the procedure for the manufacture of Astroprene. There are several problems with the chemical structures shown in step two of the procedure. This step appears to be a simple acid catalyzed rearrangement of the molecule shown. The procedure should begin with a C inside the hexagonal ring and end with the C outside the ring with no other changes. The errors include, among other things, a carbon atom at the lower left of the ring with two lines (bonds) to it. The C should have four bonds (lines), the two shown plus two to hydrogen atoms (H). The bonds to H may be condensed so the C will look something like -CH2 - (the 2 would be a subscript). (00:10:30)

Noman

The Lost Mine - S2-E3

Audio problem: There's a bit of a mix-up in the codenames of the cars who chase Reggie Dyer. Unit 7 is the first to give chase and it is identified by its crew with the photographer. Then Unit 8 intercepts at the rendez-vous point. Check the license plate; FVW 49. Japp mentions a "unit 10" that is not shown. Later in Chinatown, Japp calls for the other cars, and "Car 8" responds, but its license plate is now YD 8501 and it's another car model. Unit 10 is again not shown. They dubbed in the wrong voiceover, they should have kept offscreen the second response by Unit 8 and made it Unit 10's.

Sammo

The Lost Mine - S2-E3

Factual error: In Poirot's study, Lord Pearson shows the big piece of mineral, saying "You're left holding a a nugget of top-grade 24-carat silver." That's a laughable blunder, from a top level banker and investor about to do a massive mining deal even. Silver purity is expressed in millesimal fineness. (00:11:30)

Sammo

Peril at End House - S2-E1

Character mistake: In the hotel lobby, Poirot, indignant of Hastings' attitude towards the murder case, says "After three attempts had been made at the life of M. Nick, Poirot gave his word he would protect her." But he did that after four attempts; Nick already avoided 3 "mysterious accidents" (painting, car, boulder) and Poirot witnessed the 4th, the bullet that pulled him into the whole case to begin with. (01:02:20)

Sammo

Triangle at Rhodes - S1-E6

Factual error: Throughout the episode there are sections of dialogue in Greek, which are deliberately left untranslated. The subtitles frequently transcribe the Greek inaccurately. For example, the Greek girl who assists Poirot and Lyall in finding out about the poison says "Elate!" to them, which means "Come!" said to more than one person, but this is transcribed in the subtitles as "Ella!", the form used to a single person. Later on, the girl's grandmother says "Ohi enas Anglos anthras. Mia Anglitha yineka. San esena" ("Not an Englishman. An Englishwoman. Like you"), but this is given in the subtitles as "Ohi enas Anglos anthras, che yenika. Son ethena", which doesn't make sense. (00:40:45)

paolog

Triangle at Rhodes - S1-E6

Factual error: Poirot and Lyall speak to people in the street of Rhodes, looking for someone who can tell them about the poison. The people they speak to all shake their heads, but Greeks do not do this to say "no" - they tip their heads back. (00:39:40)

paolog

Five Little Pigs - S9-E1

Factual error: In the beginning of the episode when Poirot eats with the daughter of the murdered man, on several occasions there are closeups of him. When in closeup, it is obvious the actor is wearing modern contact lenses, not accurate for the time.

Triangle at Rhodes - S1-E6

Factual error: At the end of the report on the findings of the crime scene, the "Italian" inspector tells to his subordinates what literally would translate as "Removes this meddler from here, no more access to the prisoner, that you understand?", which is just wrong in accent, cadence and construct. (00:36:30)

Sammo

More quotes from Agatha Christie's Poirot

Problem at Sea - S1-E7

Trivia: Poirot in the ship's lounge is reading the actual May 1st 1935 issue of Bystander (recognizable by the cover and with the correct page order, does not seem to be a simple movie prop), roughly consistent with the time frame of the first season and a contest taking place on the 14th. (00:07:50)

Sammo

More trivia for Agatha Christie's Poirot

Answer: He definitely says "Belgian", but the subtitles get it wrong and show him saying "American."

Wblank71

Answer: It sounds a bit like "American", but listen very closely and you will hear "Belgian".

More questions & answers from Agatha Christie's Poirot

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