Original Airdate: 14 December 2003 Written by: Kevin Elyot Directed by: Paul Unwin Recurring cast: N/A Based on:Five Little Pigs
Tropes:
Adaptational Attractiveness: Angela Warren has a large, disfiguring scar on the right side of her face together with her milky-white blind right eye. In the adaptation, she has the milky-white eye with some permanent bruising around it, but no facial scars.
In the original novel, it is mentioned that Amyas and Angela would mostly get along swimmingly with him acting the Cool Uncle to her. But then sometimes Caroline would focus on her, and Amyas would get intensely jealous and start throwing his bile at Angela, the week of the story being one of those episodes. The Series doesn’t mention any of this, portraing Amyas like a wicked stepfather to Angela.
Caroline gets a bit of this due to the change in Philip Blake's sexuality. While in the original story he tried to seduce Caroline while her marriage was apparently on the rocks; in the adaptation it was she who tried to seduce him, and then taunted his homosexuality when he refused her, making her come across less sympathetically than she had been in the original novel.
Adaptational Sexuality: Philip Blake is made gay and is in love with Amyas, whereas in the books, he's in love with Caroline. Also the governess, Ms. Williams is made a lesbian and was fiercely in love with Caroline Crale.
With the exception of Poirot briefly interviewing the judge who oversaw Caroline Crale's trial, Poirot's interviews of the people in charge of the case are excised in favor of focusing on the five major suspects/witnesses.
The rhyme of the "Five Little Pigs" is also excised, making the episode's title somewhat of an Artifact Title.
Book Ends: The adaptation starts and ends with young Lucy Crale running out toward the porch to have her picture taken with her mom and dad.
Chekhov's Gun: Rather literal. Angela has a flashback to when she would play "cowboys and Indians" with Lucy, with the latter pointing a toy gun at the former but refusing to shoot. Later in the episode, Lucy has a real gun in her hands, and is eventually convinced not to shoot it.
Dies Differently in Adaptation: Caroline Crale died in prison prior to the events of the novel, but in the series she was executed by hanging.
Flashback Effects: All the scenes from the summer fourteen years ago are tinted with warm colours and are filmed on a hand-held camera, emulating the effect of a Happier Home Movie.
Hotter and Sexier: For the first time, the series shows a bed scene, with Amyas and Elsa seen in bed clearly having had made love and covered by a Modesty Bedsheet.
Incompatible Orientation: Philip Blake and Cecilia Williams are attracted to Amyas and Caroline Crale respectively, who in spite of their tense marriage ultimately remain devoted to each other.
Jitter Cam: The filming of summertime flashbacks and the present day is done via handheld camera, as if to make the viewer feel that they are there on the same day.
Match Cut: The shutter of Angela's camera in the flashback is juxtaposed with the gallows' trapdoor opening as Caroline is executed.
Public Domain Soundtrack: In the episode, we get the song "Alice Blue Gown" from the 1919 Broadway musical Irene and Erik Satie's Gnossienne no. 1.
Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: Elsa tries to goad Lucy into shooting her for the sake of revenge. Fortunately, Poirot manages to talk Lucy out of it.
