Poirot "The Double Clue" #3.7 (1991) (TV)

"I am an imbecile. I see only half of the picture.", 5 August 2015

Poirot receives a visit from Japp who is highly concerned about the future of his job. A string of jewelry robberies has Japp's superiors breathing down his neck. Poirot agrees to help, but gets sidetracked when he becomes enamored with a Russian Countess. Can Poirot get his mind off things like picnics with the Countess long enough to help Japp and stop a thief?

As my rating indicates, I'm not much of a fan of The Double Clue. Sure, it's got all the trappings I've come to expect - solid acting, interesting location shots, great cinematography, attention to period detail, and wonderful music. But it never really feels like a Poirot episode. I'm all for trying something a bit different, but The Double Clue goes too far. Poirot's infatuation with Countess Vera Rossakoff is just all wrong. It's more like something you would expect from Hastings than the rational thinking Poirot. 

BIG SPOILERS - And the ending is completely wrong. Poirot has let criminals off the hook in other stories/episodes, but usually for a reason he's able to rationalize in his mind. Take Murder on the Orient Express as an example. He lets a whole train full of murderers go because he fells that justice has been done. In The Double Clue though, he lets a jewel thief off the hook knowing full well she's liable to steal again once she arrives in America. His only concern is that she not commit another crime in England. It's totally wrong for the Poirot I know. END BIG SPOILERS

5/10