grantss A friend of Poirot's, Gilbert Entwhistle, contacts Poirot, asking him to look into the death of Richard Abernethie. Abernethie changed his will shortly before his death, leaving nothing to George Abernethie who had previously been the sole beneficiary. Also of concern is the death of Cora Galaccio, murdered the day after Abernethie's funeral. Could there be a link between the two deaths?Intriguing drama, as you would expect from the series. Good tension and mystery and David Suchet is in top form.The cast includes an early-career Michael Fassbender as George Abernethie.

henry-plantagenet-04 I may not be able to bring much new to this discussion. People here have already been heaping praise on this episode, and they are completely justified. It is one of the best. I watched this the same day as "Cat Among the Pigeons" and I think I marginally prefer the latter, but both of these are masterful and very different plots, with dramatic integrity and unique styles. "After the Funeral" takes place appropriately after the funeral of one Richard Abernethie (John Carson) as his dysfunctional family gathers at Enderby Hall. They're an interesting lot: less loopy than the Serrocolds from "They Do It With Mirrors" but not as vicious as the Cloades from "Taken at the Flood". Initially all of the characters seem rather unpleasant, but as the story progresses we come to see the good in them. All the characterizations are fully drawn, and even though there are many, I felt as though they had all had an ark of sorts. The best characterization of all is the murderer. Monica Dolan absolutely makes this episode in her dual role as Miss Gilchrist and her victim Cora Gallacio. The performance is simply superb, character, motivation, and one of the ingenious plots in the series all seem inextricably linked. The reveal at the end comes courtesy of an extra chilling detail, which I won't spoil here. I'm sorry I gave away the murderer's identity but I think many of the other reviews already have. The cinematography in this episode is also stunning. Very bright colors particularly greens at Enderby Hall, where there is also a stark contrast with the jet black cars from the funeral procession, and the smart suits of the guests. Then in the final drawing room scene, there is an aura which seems almost as if fog was floating through the room. David Suchet is fantastic as usual but I think Dolan actually manages to take his spotlight in the last third. Robert Bathurst makes for a good sidekick, his demeanor and his crush on Helen Abernethie (Geraldine James) are very endearing. Michael Fassbender who would go on to be nominated for two Oscars, turns in a very early performance yet he already shows great potential. (Suchet claims to have anticipated a great career for him and several others.) If you like the Poirot series, see this episode, but, let's face it, you probably have already.

Paul Evans It was hard as a huge Agatha Christie fan not to have the image of Margaret Rutherford and Mr Stringer running around, (note to all the purist fans that didn't like the Marple adaptations being messed around with and novels n characters crossed, it was done in the 60s!) after a few minutes all of that thought had gone and I got engrossed in what was one of the best Poirot adaptations. I was pleased at how faithfully they stuck to the book, but they did such a good job with it, they made a plodder of a novel into a wonderful screenplay. I will add to the plaudits for Monica Dolan, Miss Gilchrist was glorious throughout, and when she snapped at the end she showcased her acting talents to perfection, upstaging the rest of the cast, Mr Suchet included. Her behavious and mannerisms when the painting is slowly uncovered are so natural, you can sense the apprehension. A nice little bit of humour was used which gave it a light feel at times, the glances between Poirot and Gilbert, when looking at Cora's artwork. It was so nice to see William Russell of Dr Who fame as the butler. Hard to find fault with any aspect of this, but after watching it you can see why Monica has become an AWARD winning actress. The music throughout is particularly nice and melodic, pacing and direction are first class. One other scene I particularly enjoyed was between Poirot and Rosamund when she breaks down into tears, it's very touching and beautifully done. All in all a fabulous adaptation, a top notch 10/10

bob the moo We join this mystery to find that Poirot is on his way to somewhere with a lawyer friend who wishes him to help look into a murder which may or may not be connected to a rather suspicious series of events following the funeral of a client. This introduction to this story is nicely done because very quickly we get an introduction to a contained but quite large circle of family members who will essentially make up our suspects; it also saves time because it allows the viewer to look back over events in a neat way rather than having to play them out.From here the plot thickens as various motives and family rivalries surface, and Poirot is swimming in one lie or another, all while certain little things stick in his mind and in the minds of others. In terms of the development of the mystery, it is very well done so that, although I was nowhere near working it out myself, I was able to pick up on many of the small things which ultimately were of significance. The colorful characters are all well played by the cast, and in particular some of the characters were played so that I was taken in by who I thought they were rather than who they turned out to be (character wise). With a lot going on with a larger group of characters, I appreciated the pacing of the mystery too – it has urgency and tension to it, but not so much that it changes the style of the series; it is not that it becomes CSI, but just that it feels lean, focused and effective.The cast is roundly good. Retrospectively it is Fassbender who sticks out due to being much more famous now than he was at this point, however, while he is good, he is surrounded by people with a bit more to get their teeth into. Suchet of course is good as ever, and I liked that the fate of the murderer genuinely seemed to throw him, and he worked well with his feelings around this person. Dolan is also part of that, since she is so sympathetic throughout, and is strong in the denouncement too. Support from Bathurst, Carson, Doyle, James, Punch, and others is all good and gives a strong ensemble feel – but it is Suchet and Dolan that make the lasting impression.Overall, a very enjoyable entry in the series, with a mystery that is introduced at pace and continues to have forward motion but not feel rushed. The cast do good work in the delivery of the satisfying and engaging tale, while the camera and direction keep the sense of pace and thought in there too.