Not one of the my favorite episodes, but I did find The King of Clubs satisfactory up to a point. The set-up is great - Henry Reddburn, a studio boss (and an absolute horrid man), is found dead on his library floor with his head bashed in. Poirot is asked by a friend to help with the investigation as his fiancé was the person who discovered the body. But there are plenty of other suspects - everyone at the studio loathed the man. It's a classic start to a Poirot plot. Poirot investigations and questioning of those involved were as enjoyable as ever. I even followed his thinking on the King of Clubs clue and knew, like Poirot, what it meant. So, events in this episode were progressing nicely and just the way I like. But then we come to the end. I won't spoil things, but I felt so unfulfilled, for lack of a better word. It's not the kind of ending a Poirot episode should have. (I'd really love to be more specific, but that would be giving far too much away. Sorry.)
Anyway, there's still a lot here to enjoy. The acting is top notch. I was especially impressed with Niamh Cusack and David Swift. They easily held their own with the series' regulars. The sets were impressive. I was struck by the contrast between Reedburn's modernistic looking home and the more traditional, understated Willows next door. I also enjoyed taking a quick look at some the early filming techniques, like filming through painted glass. Interesting stuff. And, I got a kick out of Hastings attempt to explain a piece of modern art to Poirot.
Overall, a 6/10 from me.
Anyway, there's still a lot here to enjoy. The acting is top notch. I was especially impressed with Niamh Cusack and David Swift. They easily held their own with the series' regulars. The sets were impressive. I was struck by the contrast between Reedburn's modernistic looking home and the more traditional, understated Willows next door. I also enjoyed taking a quick look at some the early filming techniques, like filming through painted glass. Interesting stuff. And, I got a kick out of Hastings attempt to explain a piece of modern art to Poirot.
Overall, a 6/10 from me.