Towards Zero
In 2014 the BBC successfully moved to acquire the rights to Agatha Christie's estate. Since then they have made nine adaptations. I actually couldn't bring myself to watch John Malkovich as Poirot so I can't pass judgement on it, but of the rest, two are fabulous, one is acceptable, and the rest are too painful to watch. In fact I couldn't even finish Partners in Crime it was so bad. AND they're redoing it with Conchita's husband from The Buccaneers who I've seen no evidence of acting ability from. Just hell no. There's only one Tommy and Tuppence and that's James Warwick and Francesca Annis. And while I'm at it, no one asked for that sex scene in The Witness for the Prosecution. NO ONE! I'm not saying that ITV wasn't guilty of crimes against Christie, they just weren't so consistently criminal. Plus, David Suchet! He IS Poirot and forever will be no matter what Kenneth Branagh thinks in his fever dreamed mind. Though one perfect show is almost worth the trade-off of all this dreck. And Then There Were None I have to say, from my point of view, is sheer perfection, but Towards Zero comes damn close. Though fans of ITV's Marple might find it a tad familiar. As Angelica Huston, in her first onscreen role in five years, looked out at a dead body being pulled out of the water while bemoaning the stupidity of man and rip tides I realized that I had indeed seen an adaptation of this mystery before. Back when Marple was gleefully pillaging all of Christie's back catalog this was adapted with added Marple and Greg Wise. And yes, it's because he wears a swimsuit that I connected the dots. But that's beside the point. The point is, I got see murder and mayhem with simply gorgeous dresses all at Tony Baddingham's house. Yes, Tony Baddingham from Rivals. Neston Park in Wiltshire has been in A LOT of shows lately. Or at least all the shows I've been watching. What makes this so good is the perfection of the casting, Oliver Jackson-Cohen is so so good and being bad. It's nice to see Jack Farthing being pitiable again. Anjana Vasan is the only answer I will accept for their being a season four of Killing Eve. I will watch Matthew Rhys as a hapless detective in anything! But most of all, there's Ella Lily Hyland. She's playing the first wife of Nevile Strange who is plotting to frame her for his crimes as revenge for leaving him. Ella Lily Hyland came to my attention in the highly lauded, but in actuality completely absurd, Black Doves. If while watching that show you wondered if everyone was a spy the answer is yes. Yes they are. But Ella Lily Hyland played Williams someone who changes alliances easily and loves a girl with a rocket launcher. In other words, she and Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor should have been the stars of the show, not those nobodies, what's their names again? Oh yeah, Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. I'm sorry, I just had to make the joke. Anyway, Ella Lily Hyland, an amazing actress, is totally going to be a star, she's the one to watch. As is this adaptation. Damn. Murder and elegance, what's not to love?
Adaptations of books were abundant this year. So much so that even if I watched a show this year if I knew it was getting another season I saved it for the future. Which means, yes, I loved Murderbot, I'm just not talking about it. Yet. Because Ruth Ellis only got four episodes to tell her life story so she was one and done. Though damn. I really relate so hard to a character that's head is full of old television theme songs and doesn't want to make eye contact. That being Murderbot, not Ruth Ellis. Though that could have been an interesting twist in that depressing story. And because I'm me I watched a lot of British adaptations this year which meant that there were several actors who've made multiple appearances here. Keeley Hawes crushed it on The Midwhich Cuckoos AND Miss Austen where she costarred in both with Synnove Karlsen, once playing her mother and once playing the same character but obviously older. As for Alfred Enoch? So delightful in Miss Austen and then so amusingly unhinged in The Couple Next Door. But don't think these weird reoccurrences were limited to actors, oh no! Neston Park in Wiltshire was owned by Lady Tressilian in Towards Zero AND Lord Tony Baddingham in Rivals. Now that is a showdown I'd like to watch. Or how about we just sign Anjelica Huston up for a role on Rivals. I think she'd be perfect in how she chews the scenery. I mean that has to be why they just cast Rupert Everett! So here's to all the books adapted this year and all the rest to come. What adaptations have you been enjoying this year? Or dare I ask, which adaptations did you despise? I'm physically recoiling at the thought of ANOTHER Tommy and Tuppence adaptation.
