As other reviewers have rightly observed, "They Do It With Mirrors" is one of Dame Agatha's weaker murder mysteries (albeit "weaker" does not mean "bad"), and it hasn't as yet been successfully transferred to the screen, even in the Hickson series. This "weakness" must have given the "Marple" producers and screenwriters confidence that with this one they would not be criticised for using their hatchets on the works of the "Queen of the Whodunits". Indeed they had a great opportunity to rectify all their past faults by making this episode into a faultless adaptation. They failed. Once again they couldn't resist the lure of trying to better Dame Agatha.
The method of the murder of Christian Gulbrandsen has been changed from the original method, to a stabbing in the back (just like the producers of "Marple" have been doing to Dame Agatha for some time). The relationship between the two Restaricks is changed from being brothers, to that of father and son. Exactly why, I can't imagine.
Nowithstanding said changes (and a couple more incidental ones), the piece stays more or less with the original plot except for some bad oysters that somehow appeared into the plot, perhaps as an unnecessary alternative to poisoned chocolates. Again I can't imagine why.
It must be noted however, that they couldn't find different and better motives for the murders, nor even different and better concluding scenes, than Dame Agatha herself introduced. With the abysmal past offerings of "Marple" I was half expecting a different culprit, but thankfully that didn't occur.
The actors just did as they were directed, but without much enthusiasm. Understandable, as the script didn't promote much excitement. In truth it was somewhat irksome. The production as a whole is not the worst in the series (in my opinion "Sittaford" still holds that dubious distinction), but neither is it the best, and the sad thing is that with better writers and more thought applied, it could have been.
The method of the murder of Christian Gulbrandsen has been changed from the original method, to a stabbing in the back (just like the producers of "Marple" have been doing to Dame Agatha for some time). The relationship between the two Restaricks is changed from being brothers, to that of father and son. Exactly why, I can't imagine.
Nowithstanding said changes (and a couple more incidental ones), the piece stays more or less with the original plot except for some bad oysters that somehow appeared into the plot, perhaps as an unnecessary alternative to poisoned chocolates. Again I can't imagine why.
It must be noted however, that they couldn't find different and better motives for the murders, nor even different and better concluding scenes, than Dame Agatha herself introduced. With the abysmal past offerings of "Marple" I was half expecting a different culprit, but thankfully that didn't occur.
The actors just did as they were directed, but without much enthusiasm. Understandable, as the script didn't promote much excitement. In truth it was somewhat irksome. The production as a whole is not the worst in the series (in my opinion "Sittaford" still holds that dubious distinction), but neither is it the best, and the sad thing is that with better writers and more thought applied, it could have been.