The collection starts off with Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) and Hastings (Hugh Fraser) heading to Cairo where a recent Egyptian tomb opening seems to have resulted in a series of deaths. Of course, the thought of an ancient curse is all anyone will talk about, but Poirot has a feeling that the causes of the deaths are a little less supernatural.
In “The Underdog,” Poirot is asked to visit a chemical company, and while on his visit, the CEO is murdered. It seems the company’s new synthetic rubber might be the motive behind the killing, but the question is, who is the one that would benefit the most from the owner’s death, or was it a crime of passion, something done in the heat of the moment?
In “The Yellow Iris,” Poirot is forced to discuss a case that he didn’t solve, but seems to have been given a second chance. When a new restaurant with a name that Poirot remembers opens up and he is sent a single yellow iris, he recounts the events of the old case to Hastings and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) while getting ready to confront his one-time suspects in a murder case during a layover in Buenos Aires.
Finishing off Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 5 ’s first disk is “The Case of the Missing Will.” This episode starts off with the reading of a will some ten years before the rest of the episode. This will divides up a man’s wealth, but noticeably leaves out one of the kids, a girl. Fast forward to the present (well, Hercule’s present, that is). It seems the idea of women’s liberation is in high debate and that particular little girl is making her voice known. At this time, the man who wrote the will has decided to make some changes and has hired Poirot to bear witness to the new will. The only problem is, he is killed before he can actually write it.
In the next episode, Poirot and Hastings look into the death of an Italian nobleman that doesn’t seem to be who he claims to be. To make matters more complicated, Miss Lemon is dating the murder victim’s valet and the Italian Embassy doesn’t seem to know anything about the victim. Between the dead man’s apparently false identity and a slew of blackmail threats, Poirot and his colleagues have a lot to work out if they are going to solve this case.
In “The Chocolate Box,” Inspector Japp (Philip Jackson) has been asked to Brussels to receive a medal. While there, Poirot recounts an old case he had while still on the police force, a case that wasn’t solved to Poirot’s satisfaction. Much like in “The Yellow Iris,” it seems Hercule has a second chance at a case as he tries to work out exactly who the murderer was, even 20 years later.
“Dead Man’s Mirror,” has Poirot and Hastings go to an auction where Poirot intends to purchase a particular piece. Unfortunately, he is outbid, but the winner has invited the pair to his estate. Even more unfortunately, the man winds up dead by apparent suicide. Of course, Poirot quickly points out a few facts that makes that an unlikely call, the least of which is a bullet hole in a mirror that wasn’t in the line of fire and the distinct lack of an actual bullet.
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 5 wraps up with “Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan.” Here, Poirot is ordered on vacation and he goes off to Brighton. While there, he attends a mystery show that has an expensive necklace getting stolen. It’s too bad for the show’s producer and his wife/actress that they used real jewelry and the necklace actually disappears during the play. Even though Poirot is supposed to be relaxing, he can’t help but work on a case when the crime somehow happens before his very eyes.
Like past collections, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 5 contains some solid mysteries that are a lot of fun to watch. Each episode does a good job of standing on its own and episodes like “The Chocolate Box” are amusing since you get to see a young Poirot that starts to get an inkling to strike out on his own as a private investigator. Like always with this series, Agatha Christie's Poirot: Series 5 is worth buying, even if you are only a mild British mystery fan.
