The Incredible Theft
- Original Airdate: 26 February 1989
Written by: Clive Exton
Directed by: David Reid
Recurring cast: Captain Hastings, Inspector Japp, Miss Lemon
Tropes
- Adaptational Name Change: Charles Mayfield from the story is now Tommy Mayfield.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Subverted. Mrs. Vanderlyn gets away with the plans for the Kestrel, but it's later revealed that the plans that were stolen were sabotaged, making them far less useful in foreign hands.
- Chase Scene: Poirot and Hastings commandeer a police car in an attempt to chase after a fleeing Mrs. Vanderlyn.
- Clear My Name: Mayfield's motivation for trapping Mrs. Vanderlyn is to help clean up his reputation after a scandal involving arms sent to Japan at the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese Warnote .
- Delayed "Oh, Crap!": While trying to determine where Mrs. Vanderlyn is headed with the plans, Hastings has Poirot read out town names along the road they are on, then casually tells of a friend who had a holiday home in one...next to the summer residence of the German ambassador. It takes him a moment to clue in.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: The target truck shot up during the Kestrel's demonstration flight bursts into flames right after. Justified, if it was armed with incendiary bullets.
- Femme Fatale: Mrs. Vanderlyn is an attractive woman who's used her wiles to compromise the British preparations for war.
- Fictional Counterpart: The Mayfield Kestrel is likely meant to be a counterpart to the Spitfire Mk IX MH434, given the use of the latter as a stand-in for the former.
- One Scene, Two Monologues: The episode opens with Poirot attempting to demonstrate the care of patent leather shoes, while Hastings is musing on the architecture of Poirot's apartment, being involved with a woman who is studying architecture and desperate to be able to hold a conversation with her.
- Out-Gambitted: After Poirot deduces that Mayfield deliberately let Mrs. Vanderlyn acquire the plans for the Kestrel, he realizes that Mayfield won; the plans he let slip had some deliberate design flaws meant to sabotage Nazi attempts to copy them.
- Right Behind Me: When discussing Mrs. Vanderlyn's guilt:
- Sir George Carrington: Froggy thinks she didn't do it.
Hercule Poirot: (entering) Froggy knows she didn't do it.
- Smith of the Yard: The subject of one of Japp's dreams, which has him talk in his sleep.Hastings: (quoting Japp) "Now I’ve got you, young feller me lad! Japp of the Yard strikes again! Stand back lads, he’s got a blancmange!"
- There Is Only One Bed: Due to not being invited to the Mayfields' home, Hastings is forced to look for his own lodgings. He ends up bunking with Japp in a one-bedroom room at the local inn; Hastings notes that Japp talks in his sleep.
- Visual Pun: Poirot dresses in a black suit and light grey vest to meet Mrs. Mayfield...at the penguin enclosure at the London Zoo.
