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Agatha Christie's Poirot: Peril at End House
In retrospect, most of what I remembered from Peril at End House, the BBC version (eps 201-202), was Polly Walker being hot (well, she always is) and Hastings's adorable little pyjamas.
What I'd forgotten was Hastings flirting, sticking to Poirot like glue, and generally giving one of his strongest impressions of having a schoolboy crush on Poirot (which is really saying something).
When they arrive at the hotel, Hastings is like, "What d'you think? Down to the beach? Or should I go golfing without you? Or what about tennis!" Poirot gives a tolerant little eyeroll to himself, and after the scene change Hastings is docilely reading a newspaper on the pool terrace with Poirot instead, futilely waiting for the attention of the waiter.
Rather than making a fool of himself over Polly Walker, he moves out of her way, keeps his silence, then describes her as "a nice girl" when she's gone, and asks if Poirot has fallen for her. There ensues one of the most intimate conversations between them I remember, low-voiced, scarcely a few inches apart, in which Poirot explains that his interest was aroused by the failed assassination attempt witnessed, and not by the lady herself.
They go to End House, and after holding the door for Poirot as usual, Hastings does the Old Chap thing when left in an awkward social situation with Polly Walker's incredibly rude house guests, and then ends up in the doghouse for failing to tell Polly Walker in sufficiently glowing terms how awesome Poirot is when asked to perform the introductions. That results in making faces like this.
Eventually they get absorbed in detecting, and while going over their preliminary findings at a street café adjacent to a woman in a very silly hat feeding a pug from her own plate, Hastings remarks that he doesn't like any of Polly Walker's rude houseguests, except for the chap that was in the Navy of course because he's the type of fellow who would be someone's old school chum.
This tempts Poirot to remark that Hastings's instincts are remarkable for always being so exactly wrong, which makes Hastings's little face fall:
He brings it up again sulkily later, when Poirot asks him to deliver some information ("You'll only conclude the exact opposite is true"), but forgives Poirot instantly after one long (apparently melting) look (which would no doubt be described by Agatha Christie with something about his eyes turning greener than ever, because Poirot's magically color-changing eyes are one of her favorite conceits).
The next day Poirot bursts through from the adjoining room to wake Hastings from a sound sleep by throwing open his curtains (see the pyjamas cap) and poses several rhetorical questions. To one of these Hastings replies that all women own a little black dress, and Poirot exclaims that Hastings understands nothing about women. Apparently he is not in the petticoat-line.
This episode also contains Hastings attempting to take a break for some golf, and Poirot putting his foot down that is time to work; Hastings is so whipped that he runs out the doors after Poirot and just tosses his golf clubs to the nearest bellboy, not even pausing to put them away.
It also contains Polly Walker with a giant rings-of-Saturn type hat on her head:
What I'd forgotten was Hastings flirting, sticking to Poirot like glue, and generally giving one of his strongest impressions of having a schoolboy crush on Poirot (which is really saying something).
When they arrive at the hotel, Hastings is like, "What d'you think? Down to the beach? Or should I go golfing without you? Or what about tennis!" Poirot gives a tolerant little eyeroll to himself, and after the scene change Hastings is docilely reading a newspaper on the pool terrace with Poirot instead, futilely waiting for the attention of the waiter.
Rather than making a fool of himself over Polly Walker, he moves out of her way, keeps his silence, then describes her as "a nice girl" when she's gone, and asks if Poirot has fallen for her. There ensues one of the most intimate conversations between them I remember, low-voiced, scarcely a few inches apart, in which Poirot explains that his interest was aroused by the failed assassination attempt witnessed, and not by the lady herself.
They go to End House, and after holding the door for Poirot as usual, Hastings does the Old Chap thing when left in an awkward social situation with Polly Walker's incredibly rude house guests, and then ends up in the doghouse for failing to tell Polly Walker in sufficiently glowing terms how awesome Poirot is when asked to perform the introductions. That results in making faces like this.
Eventually they get absorbed in detecting, and while going over their preliminary findings at a street café adjacent to a woman in a very silly hat feeding a pug from her own plate, Hastings remarks that he doesn't like any of Polly Walker's rude houseguests, except for the chap that was in the Navy of course because he's the type of fellow who would be someone's old school chum.
This tempts Poirot to remark that Hastings's instincts are remarkable for always being so exactly wrong, which makes Hastings's little face fall:
He brings it up again sulkily later, when Poirot asks him to deliver some information ("You'll only conclude the exact opposite is true"), but forgives Poirot instantly after one long (apparently melting) look (which would no doubt be described by Agatha Christie with something about his eyes turning greener than ever, because Poirot's magically color-changing eyes are one of her favorite conceits).
The next day Poirot bursts through from the adjoining room to wake Hastings from a sound sleep by throwing open his curtains (see the pyjamas cap) and poses several rhetorical questions. To one of these Hastings replies that all women own a little black dress, and Poirot exclaims that Hastings understands nothing about women. Apparently he is not in the petticoat-line.
This episode also contains Hastings attempting to take a break for some golf, and Poirot putting his foot down that is time to work; Hastings is so whipped that he runs out the doors after Poirot and just tosses his golf clubs to the nearest bellboy, not even pausing to put them away.
It also contains Polly Walker with a giant rings-of-Saturn type hat on her head: