History Literature / CardsOnTheTable

* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than [[UpToEleven ''four'']] characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Jim Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock, the latter two of whom are in a sexual relationship.]] Shaitana is also given an AmbiguouslyGay flamboyance that he did not have in the original book.

* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than ''four'' characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Jim Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock, the latter two of whom are in a sexual relationship.]] Shaitana is also given an AmbiguouslyGay flamboyance that he did not have in the original book.

* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than ''four'' characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock, the latter two of whom are in a sexual relationship.]] Shaitana is also given an AmbiguouslyGay flamboyance that he did not have in the original book.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes]] in the 2005 adaptation.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: The night before being murdered, [[spoiler:Mrs Lorrimer]] confesses to Shaitana's murder, both to protect [[spoiler:Anne Meredith]] and to atone for [[spoiler:her own successful murder of her husband years earlier.]]

''CardsOnTheTable'' is an Creator/AgathaChristie detective fiction murder mystery first published in 1936. The mysterious Mr Shaitana, who boasts of being a "collector of murderers", hosts a dinner party to which he invites four "specimens" of his collection along with the famous Belgian detective Literature/HerculePoirot, crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, Superintendent Battle and Colonel Race. After some provocative discourse on the subject of murder, Shaitana invites his eight guests to play {{TabletopGames/Bridge}}, while he retires to his armchair by the fire, where he is promptly murdered. In investigating the murder, Poirot uncovers some dark secrets in the lives of all four suspects.

* AdaptationalBadass: In the 2005 adaptation, Shaitana is changed from a TooDumbToLive sadist to a world-weary prankster who [[spoiler:deliberately sets a challenge for Poirot by [[SuicideByCop goading four potential murderers, drugging himself, and waiting to be murdered.]]]]

* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than ''four'' characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock, the latter two of whom are in a sexual relationship.]] Shaitana is also given an AmbiguouslyGay flambuoyance that he did not have in the original book.

* AfterActionVillainAnalysis: Double subverted. At the beginning of the SummationGathering, we are falsely led to believe that the killer of Shaitana is [[spoiler:Anne, who has just drowned]], before Poirot announces that the true killer is in the room. Poirot begins his analysis of this person after they are taken into custody.

* CanonWelding: Superintendent Battle previously appeared in the two novels starring Bundle Brent, while Ariadne Oliver first appeared in the [[Literature/ParkerPyneInvestigates Parker Pyne]] stories, and appeared along with Rhoda Dawes and [[spoiler:Major Despard]] in the 1961 novel ''The Pale Horse'', which also featured the vicar's wife from the Literature/MissMarple novel ''The Moving Finger''.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: Part of the motivation for [[spoiler:Anne's]] attempted drowning of [[spoiler:Rhoda. It backfires. In the 2005 adaptation with the character swap between Anne and Rhoda, the motive is IfICantHaveYou instead.]]

* TooDumbToLive: Shaitana's dangerous hobby of collecting successful murderers gets him killed. Averted in the TV adaptation, where [[spoiler:he pulled a SuicideByCop, deliberately tempting four potential murderers and then drugging himself.]]

* CanonWelding: Superintendent Battle previously appeared in the two novels starring Bundle Brent, while Ariadne Oliver first appeared in the Parker Pyne stories, and appeared along with Rhoda Dawes and [[spoiler:Major Despard]] in the 1961 novel ''The Pale Horse'', which also featured the vicar's wife from the Miss Marple novel The Moving Finger.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: Part of the motivation for [[spoiler:Anne's]] attempted drowning of [[spoiler:Rhoda. It backfires.]]

* AfterActionVillainAnalysis: Subverted. At the beginning of the SummationGathering, we are falsely led to believe that the killer of Shaitana is [[spoiler:Anne, who has just drowned]], before Poirot announces that the true killer is in the room.

* AdaptationalBadass: Shaitana is no longer a TooDumbToLive sadist in the 2005 adaptation, but more of a world-weary prankster who deliberately sets a challenge for Poirot by [[spoiler:[[SuicideByCop goading four potential murderers, drugging himself, and waiting to be murdered.]]]]

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: The 2005 adaptation may have decided to make the killer's scandal more damning because they thought [[spoiler:that an affair with a female patient would not be enough to justify murder, but a homosexual affair would.]]

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: The 2005 adaptation may have decided to make the killer's scandal more damning because they thought [[spoiler:that an affair with a female patient would not be enough to justify murder, but a homosexual affair would.]]

* AdaptationalBadass: Shaitana is no longer a TooDumbToLive sadist in the 2005 adaptation, but more of a world-weary and mischievous character who plays a game with Poirot by [[spoiler:[[SuicideByCop goading four potential murderers, drugging himself, and waiting to be murdered.]]]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 2005 adaptation, [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes.]]

* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler:Mrs Luxmore and Major Despard]], who both decided that separation was the only option after what had occurred.

* AdaptationalBadass: Shaitana is no longer a TooDumbToLive sadist in the 2005 adaptation, but more of a world-weary and mischievous character who plays a game with Poirot by [[spoiler:goading four potential murderers, drugging himself, and waiting to be murdered.]]

''CardsOnTheTable'' is an Creator/AgathaChristie detective fiction murder mystery first published in 1936. The flambuoyant and mysterious Mr Shaitana, who boasts of being a "collector of murderers", hosts a dinner party to which he invites four "specimens" of his collection along with the famous Belgian detective Literature/HerculePoirot, crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, Superintendent Battle and Colonel Race. After some provocative discourse on the subject of murder, Shaitana invites his eight guests to play {{TabletopGames/Bridge}}, while he retires to his armchair by the fire, where he is promptly murdered. In investigating the murder, Poirot uncovers some dark secrets in the lives of all four suspects.

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the 2005 adaptation, [[spoiler:Anne Meredith. She's still a thief, though.]]
* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than ''four'' characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock, the latter two of whom are in a sexual relationship.]]

* NeverOneMurder: [[spoiler:Mrs Lorrimer]] is killed to serve as a scapegoat.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: The night before [[spoiler:she]] is killed, [[spoiler:Mrs Lorrimer]] confesses to Shaitana's murder, both to protect [[spoiler:Anne Meredith]] and to atone for [[spoiler:her own successful murder of her husband.]]

* HeKnowsTooMuch: Shaitana knows too much about the murderers he has "collected".
** Rhoda knew too much about [[spoiler:Anne's shady past, and she feared that Rhoda would figure out the truth about her murder.]]

* WhatAnIdiot: Shaitana's dangerous hobby of collecting successful murderers gets him killed. Averted in the TV adaptation, where [[spoiler:he drugged himself and counted on being bumped off.]]

* BluffingTheMurderer: Poirot hires an actor to play the part of a chimney sweep who claims to have witnessed one of the murders through the window. He didn't really, of course, but Poirot reconstructed how it occurred from his imagination.

* JustOneLittleMistake: Subverted. At first it seems that [[spoiler:Dr Roberts was seen killing Mrs Lorrimer]], but Poirot reveals that this was a bluff.

* Sadist: Shaitana enjoys tormenting his "murderers".

* ViewersAreGeniuses: Agatha Christie expects her readers to understand the game of Bridge in order to figure out the clues.

* AdaptationalSexuality: Oh boy. The 2005 adaptation makes no less than ''four'' characters gay: [[spoiler:Rhoda Dawes, Superintendent Wheeler, Dr Roberts and the offscreen Mr Craddock.]]

''CardsOnTheTable'' is an Creator/AgathaChristie detective fiction murder mystery first published in 1936. The flambuoyant and mysterious Mr Shaitana, who boasts of being a "collector of murderers", hosts a dinner party to which he invites four "specimens" of his collection along with the famous Belgian detective Literature/HerculePoirot, crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, Superintendent Battle and Colonel Race. After some provocative discourse on the subject of murder, Shaitana invites his eight guests to play bridge, while he retires to his armchair by the fire, where he is promptly murdered. In investigating the murder, Poirot uncovers some dark secrets in the lives of all four suspects.

!!This story provides examples of the following:

* TabletopGame/Bridge: The murder takes place during a game.