Original Airdate: 26 March 2006 Written by: Philomena McDonagh Directed by: Maurice Philips Recurring cast: n/a Based on:After the Funeral
Tropes
Adaptation Deviation: The painting that motivated the killer in the book was a Vermeer. In the adaptation, it's a Rembrandt.
Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole: In the book, Cora leaves her money to Susan, most likely, because she sympathizes with the latter's Dating What Daddy Hates situation. However, here, Susannah is unmarried and her affair with George isn't revealed until the end of the episode, and no reason for Cora's decision is even suggested.
Cora Lansquenet is now Cora Galaccio, due to her marrying a Canon Foreigner.
Susan Banks (née Abernethie) is now Susannah Henderson, reflecting her changed status to an unmarried missionary to Africa.
George Crossfield is now George Abernethie, as a result of the changes to the Abernethie family tree.
Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In general, the Abernethie family tree, which was tangled enough in the novel for Agatha Christie to include a chart for readers to follow, is simplified to help viewers keep track of things easier.
In the novel, George Crossfield was the son of Richard's sister Laura with her husband Rex Crossfield. In the adaptation, George Abernethie is ostensibly the son of Richard's brother Leo and his wife Helen, but is in reality Richard's son with Helen.
Susan Banks was Richard's niece through his brother Gordon. In the adaptation, Susannah Henderson is Richard's niece through his sister Geraldine, which also makes her Rosamund's sister.
Richard's son Mortimer is written out of the adaptation, with Richard's heir changed to his nephew George instead.
In the book, Poirot acted through a friend, Mr. Goby, to conduct the initial investigation into Cora's murder. In the adaptation, Poirot does the leg work himself.
Greg Banks, Susan's husband, is excised from the adaptation as Susan's counterpart Susannah is single instead.
Amicable Exes: Giovanni Galaccio and Cora got divorced but are implied to have stayed friendly. She invited him regularly to appraise her purchases, and he talks about her with fondness.
As the Good Book Says...: We hear Gilbert Entwhistle recite the KJV version of Lamentations 3:59 ("O Lord, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause!") to Timothy Abernethie, which Poirot lampshades.
Blind Mistake: Lanscombe's eyesight has become poor due to his advanced age, which means he's left unable to verify the contents of Richard Abernethie's will even as its witness. The murderer managed to use it, somehow, with Lanscombe's poor eyesight preventing him from realizing that he was talking to an impostor.
Giovanni Galaccio, Cora's living ex-husband and art expert, corresponds to the novel's Pierre Lansquenet, Cora's deceased husband, and art expert Alexander Guthrie.
George Abernethie combines traits of Mortimer Abernethie (as Richard's biological son and heir) and of George Crossfield (sharing a first name as well as being Richard's nominal nephew).
"Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Part of why Susannah feels so guilty about Cora's death was that she had planned to visit Cora with George on the day of Cora's murder, but One Thing Led to Another and Cora was likely murdered while Susannah and George spent time in a hotel room together.
A Family Affair: Helen Abernethie cheated on her husband Leo with his brother Richard; the affair led to the birth of Helen's son George, who was passed off as Leo's son.
The Ghost: Inverted in the case of Sorrel, Michael's paramour. In the novel she's mentioned but doesn't appear, but in the adaptation Poirot catches Michael with her.
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Downplayed as one of the Red Herring background plots. Rosamund Shane finds out she is unexpectedly pregnant through her husband Michael. She considers having an abortion, but instead, she realizes she wants the baby and ends up visiting the nuns to talk it over.
Gory Discretion Shot: Cora's mauled body is left under a sheet for Poirot to examine, with the only visible part of her body being her arm.
Hair-Contrast Duo: Golden-haired Susannah and black-haired Rosamund are sisters and are each other's almost complete opposites.
Holier Than Thou: Susannah can get quite preachy, especially when talking to George and Rosamund. Rosamund lampshades the trope verbatim, saying that Susannah must have done something really bad to be so Holier Than Thou at present. Which she does — Susannah, in spite of her religious posturing, ended up having an affair with her cousin George.
Innocently Insensitive: In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Susannah gives Miss Gilchrist her heavy suitcase to carry, unconsciously treating her like a servant. And that is Susannah, a champion for people's rights (who, minutes later, gives Miss Gilchrist a three-month salary for her to live on until she finds a new job). It shows how such tiny things gradually fueled Miss Gilchrist's anger and resentment.
Kissing Cousins: Susannah has a secret relationship with her cousin George.
Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: George learns from Richard that the former isn't the latter's nephew through Richard's brother Leo as he had assumed, but that Richard is George's father. Understandably, George's relationship to Richard frayed after that, which led to him forging a new will that disinherited himself on purpose.
Match Cut: Richard Abernethie's coffin being wheeled off to the crematorium is juxtaposed with Poirot and Entwhistle's train heading off to Lytchett St Mary.
Poirot Speak: Aside from Poirot himself, Mr. Galaccio employs a variation where he peppers his English dialogue with words from his native Italian.
Saying Too Much: Susannah, who has allegedly never been to Lytchett St. Mary before, blurts out the directions to the hotel to Mr. Entwhistle.
Setting Update: Like in the rest of the episodes based on post-WWII books, the plot is moved back to the Genteel Interbellum Setting. In the book, Miss Gilchrist's tea-shop had to be closed because of the war and the pier at Polflexan Harbor likewise was burned down in the war; here, however, Miss Gilchrist's establishment didn't survive the competitive market and the pier burned down in a simple fire.
Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: Downplayed. George Abernethie is initially portrayed as the Black Sheep of the family, being an alcoholic and gambler. The fact that he was Richard's heir until they had a big falling out shortly before the latter's death puts the suspicion on him, especially after it's insinuated that Richard may have been murdered. In the end, it's revealed that while he did have a big falling out with Richard, the will being changed to benefit the rest of the family was George's idea all along, as a way of getting back towards a man who had hidden a big truth from George.
Shout-Out: Towards the end of the episode, the painting that is behind the pier painting which Poirot carefully pulled off with a knife is The Man with a Golden Helmet◊ by Rembrandt. In the original novel, it was one of the paintings by Johannes Vermeer.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Sisters Proper Lady charity worker Susannah and ditzy airhead actress Rosamund. The reality turns out to be a bit more complicated than that, but the general contrast remains.
◊ by Rembrandt. In the original novel, it was one of the paintings by Johannes Vermeer.
