henry-plantagenet-04 Review of Sad Cypress

Poirot: Sad Cypress (2003) Season 9, Episode 2

Well-acted and gorgeous to look at, but also confusing and ultimately unsatisfying

[6/10 · 17 December 2016]

From reading the reviews I gather that this is a great favorite for many fans of the Poirot series. It pains me then to say that I agree with the two lower reviewers and say that I find to be a bit overrated. I'll start with the good things. The cast as usual is outstanding. Elizabeth Dermot-Walsh wavers beautifully and I completely felt for her. Kelly Reilly gives Mary Gerrard a potentially nasty streak under her apparent innocence. I understand this one of the few gripes, that fans had, but I personally thought it made her more interesting. She reminded me a little bit of Lucy Punch's spectacularly bitchy performance in "Midsomer Murders: Tainted Fruit", an awkward comparison, I know, and I'll actually go further in pairing the two episodes. The costumes, sets, and cinematography are top-notch as they are in many of the feature length films. But what I can't help being bugged about is the plot. The motive for murder is money, but we are never given a good reason why the culprit should be in such financial need to commit double murder, particularly since the victims were her sister and her niece. (Neither of whom recognized her?) In fact, the murderer just generally very interesting. And to sasha99, assuming no one has answered your question since 2007, the murderer is Nurse Hopkins (Phyllis Logan), who is actually Mary Riley, the aunt from New Zealand. Which brings us to the biggest problem that the solution comes entirely out of left field. It really feels like one of the episodes of Midsomer where they had a set up and then chose the culprit out of a hat. There is no way the audience will be able to figure out who did it, and the motive is insubstantial and uninteresting. (The motive in "Tainted Fruit", mentioned above is actually better.) I do not think this episode is a waste of time. There are good things in it. Also Poirot's war against British sandwiches which I forgot to mention earlier. But on the whole, I would have to say, this is one of the weaker entries in the cannon.