The best episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot show why the Belgian detective is up there with Sherlock Holmes on the list of the most famous fictional sleuths ever portrayed on screen. Born from the mind of Agatha Christie, the best-selling fiction author of all time, Hercule Poirot has been interpreted on the big and small screens for decades. From 1989 to 2013, Agatha Christie’s Poirot entertained fans of the ingenious detective with one of the most riveting versions of the character to date. Though the series ended in 2013, it’s still considered the definitive adaptation — and the best Poirot episodes demonstrate why.
The titular detective in Agatha Christie’s Poirot is played by David Suchet, whose performance is often regarded as the best version of Poirot ever brought to the screen. The British actor took on the role in the show Agatha Christie’s Poirot, playing it for a total of 24 years over the course of 13 series and 70 episodes — and the number of fascinating characters and talented Poirot guest stars is just as large. While every installment was memorable and honored the source material, the best Poirot episodes stand out as prime examples of why the definitive version of Poirot remained on screens for almost a decade and a half.
One of the most beloved recurring characters was Zoë Wanamaker’s Ariadne Oliver, the witty and messy writer who mirrored Agatha Christie herself to a certain degree. She even appeared in one of the big-screen Poirot movies with Tina Fey playing Ariadne in the A Haunting in Venice cast. In one of the best Poirot episodes, Ariadne takes on her own case with the assistance of Poirot.
In the meantime, Poirot is also busy with his own case involving a murder at a psychiatric facility. When it becomes clear the two cases are connected, Poirot must stop yet another killing and explain how two suspicious cases, that took place decades apart, could have anything to do with each other. The threads that tie together do so in a fascinating manner, giving both Oliver and Poirot great moments in the case.
Poirot season 13’s “The Labours of Hercules” is adapted from a compilation of a series of short stories published by Agatha Christie. Despite this being one of the best Poirot episodes, the plot is somewhat muddied by how much the episode tries to pack in. However, where this at times caused the episode to struggle, it was also ultimately why it was among the most memorable.
It is an episode that takes place in a hotel in the Swiss Alps where Poirot finds himself surrounded by a series of mysterious crimes that do not seem to add up, at least not at first. As events weave together, audiences start to learn alongside the detective, furthering their appreciation for him and investment in the show. It also makes for a sweeping location for the episode to be set.
In the final episode of Series 6, Poirot receives a letter from a woman who thinks she is in danger of being murdered. Believing it is a matter of her will, Poirot attempts to convince her to change it, only to discover that she has died mysteriously. Poirot investigates her death, suspecting foul play. While the episode stands out among the dozens in the show overall, its pacing prevents it from ranking higher among the best Poirot episodes.
“Dumb Witness” is a fitting conclusion to the sixth series, including a fascinating mystery with several people who have motives. It features many of the more common aspects of a Poirot mystery, but that does not make it any less exciting. This 1996 episode can still grip viewers 25 years later, and it remains a textbook example of why the staples and tropes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot are partly why it’s so beloved.
By the time audiences meet Poirot in Christie’s books and the show, he is a Belgian refugee in England who had a prolific career as a member of the police force in his home country and reached global fame due to his impressive abilities. It is also an episode that reveals certain aspects of Poirot’s past that shine an interesting light on him as a character, including a woman who loved him.
“The Chocolate Box” is a welcome change as it walks audiences through one of Poirot’s cases when he was still working for the Belgian police. It is a case that almost confused Poirot himself, and it offers fans more insight into the character’s past and how he came to be the renowned figure he is today. Poirot is such a fascinating character, any episode that delves deeper into his personality is worthwhile.
In “Dead Man’s Folly,” Hercule Poirot is asked to attend a fête by his friend Ariadne Oliver, who has been asked to orchestrate a fake murder hunt for the festivities and feels on edge about the people in attendance. It all seems to be a game until the fake victim actually gets murdered. Other people disappear and die as well, creating a terrifying atmosphere among the festivities that were initially presented to be lighthearted.
The episode feels like a change of pace for the series as it doesn’t contain the elaborate art deco aesthetic that was praised in earlier seasons. However, this juxtaposition makes the episode all the more interesting, and it includes Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver, who has appeared in several other episodes and is a welcome addition. Though one of the final episodes of the show, “Dead Man’s Folly” demonstrates that the program did not slow down and featured some fascinating storylines.
“After The Funeral” marked the third episode of Series 10 and featured a young Michael Fassbender in one of the main roles. This was one of those episodes that leaves audiences wondering how they managed to completely miss the twist and leaves them in awe of the incredible acting and phenomenal writing, mirroring movies like Knives Out.
In the installment, when people begin to drop dead within a problematic family, it seems like everyone is a suspect. Murder among a large family where the loved ones are prime suspects has been used in many murder mystery stories, and always provides the fascinating question of how someone could kill their own family. This is the question that drives the narrative, and leads to a conclusion that not even the smartest among audience members could possibly have guessed.
One of the best Poirot episodes came with the series 6 premiere, “Hercule Poirot’s Christmas”. Hercule Poirot receives a strange invitation to spend Christmas in the mansion of an old, rich man who suspects he is in danger and that someone in the family has it out for him. It offers a nice cozy murder mystery with a holiday twist, even if the episode doesn’t stay particularly true to the Agatha Christie novel.
Manipulation, diamonds, long-lost children, and fake personas: there is a little bit of everything in this exciting episode that sees Poirot investigating the murder of the old man and the disappearance of some very valuable diamonds. As many scenarios do, it all comes down to the detective’s brilliant mind, which is portrayed wonderfully by David Suchet, giving further evidence as to why he is one of the best actors who played Agatha’s Christie’s Hercule Poirot.
The great thing about Agatha Christie’s Poirot was that it wasn’t afraid to try and adapt Christie’s unique way of storytelling for the television format, succeeding in spectacular fashion. “Five Little Pigs” was a perfect example of that. Cementing itself as one of the best interpretations of Christie’s work, the episode also offers something slightly new in its storytelling as it finds Poirot taking on a cold case.
The story is told in a series of flashbacks as witnesses recount the days leading up to a tragic event that culminated in the death of two people, and Poirot uses his powers of deduction alone to solve a decades-old crime. The environment of both eras is exceptionally well done, conveying a sense that it actually takes place at an earlier time and delivering a very immersive episode.
The hardest episode to watch also happens to be the very last. “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case” quite literally sees Poirot solving his last case and, ultimately, dying after many decades of crime-solving. Agatha Christie had originally written the story of “Curtain” in the 1940s during World War II. The author feared for her safety and wished for her detective to have a fitting end lest something happen to her, so she had the story sealed away in a bank vault for more than 30 years.
As the planned end for Poirot, there is no surprise that it’s the most heart-wrenching and engaging of all his stories. David Suchet was so emotional by the time he finished filming Poirot’s death that he cried. While certainly emotional, the episode is a triumph as Poirot got the goodbye he deserved.
