As the not-so-modest Hercule Poirot himself is quick to point out in "The Spanish Chest," he is not just "a" detective, he is "the" detective. In Poirot: Collector's Set 5, Agatha Christie's famous fictional Belgian shows off the power of his little gray cells in three typically intriguing mysteries, all adapted from Christie's short stories. From the British television series starring David Suchet as Poirot, the episodes included here are "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor," "The Double Clue," and "The Mystery of the Spanish Chest," and come from the third season of the television show, originally aired in 1990-1991.

All three of the episodes have an individual flair to them, in storytelling style as well as the ever-interesting plots concocted by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie. In "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor," Poirot faces up to a fiendish crime that seems to have a supernatural component. This episode doesn't at first have the typical feel of a Poirot story, which just goes to show that even at this point in the series, the filmmakers were willing to try something new. As a complete fan of the series, I found a lot to appreciate in the episode's humorous touches, which play off the personalities of Poirot and Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser).

"The Double Clue" is also distinctive, in an entirely different way. It's almost a character study more than a mystery (though a puzzling jewel theft is central to the plot), with Suchet turning in a nicely nuanced portrayal of the more personal and private side of Poirot. The slightly melancholy tone of some parts of the episode is nicely balanced against the humorous attempts of Hastings and Miss Lemon (Pauline Moran) to step in and do some detecting of their own.

"The Spanish Chest" starts off in an exciting manner, with a dramatic sabre duel setting the stage for a convoluted story of love, jealousy, and, of course, murder. The different clues fall together very well as Poirot discovers not just who is the true murderer, but also how and why the crime was committed.

One of the things that I enjoy about the David Suchet Poirot series is that it manages to maintain a perfect balance between the mystery element and a strong secondary comic element based on the characters. Poirot himself may be the greatest detective mind of his age... but he's also an egocentric and quite eccentric fellow; Hastings is the perfect foil, with his enthusiastic naïveté and his hearty British manner. While the episodes are all played entirely straight, with the emphasis on the serious mystery, there is always a comic touch or two that works all the better for being understated. I've laughed harder at a single well-timed "I say!" from Hastings than from many a joke in a full-blown comedy.

The Poirot episodes stand well on their own, so viewers who haven't picked up the Collector's Sets 1, 2, 3, and 4 can certainly start with Set 5 and add the others in any order. I will note that the episodes in Set 5 will be particularly enjoyable for viewers who are familiar with the characters of Poirot, Hastings, Miss Lemon, and Chief Inspector Japp, as the stories (especially the second episode, "The Double Clue") builds on our understanding of the characters' personalities. However, this doesn't require the viewer to have seen all or even most of the other episodes, and the stories do hold up perfectly well on their own.

The DVD

Video

The image quality in Collector's Set 5 is rather uneven. As is typical, there is edge enhancement in all three episodes, and detail is somewhat blurred at medium and long distances. Compared to earlier collections, I noticed less grain in the outdoor shots, which now look about the same as the well-lit indoor shots in terms of clarity. The print is in reasonably good condition, with little noise readily apparent, and fairly few print flaws popping up.

However, the main problem is that the first two episodes show muted colors, and more noticeably, the contrast is badly handled. Dark scenes show overly heavy contrast, with many parts of the image losing almost all detail. An additional amount of grain is also noticeable in dimly lit scenes. The contrast is a particular issue since a great deal of the action in these two episodes takes place at night or in dimly lit areas.

The third episode returns to a more satisfactory image quality. While the image is still not outstanding, colors are stronger, and contrast is more acceptable. Overall, I'm disappointed that these episodes aren't being presented with a better transfer, but they're watchable.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is satisfactory. The overall sound quality is good, with no background noise or distortion of any kind. Dialogue is generally completely clear and understandable. At a few moments in one of the episodes I felt that the overall sound was very slightly muffled, but this was a minor issue in an otherwise satisfactory soundtrack. The music is handled well, blending correctly with the dialogue; small environmental effects are likewise incorporated well into the overall audio track.

Extras

There are a few minor text sections in the special features: biographies of Agatha Christie and David Suchet, cast filmographies, and a short essay on Poirot's "Art Deco world," which offers some interesting insights into the set and costume design of the Poirot series, which presents a very detailed and realistic period setting.

Final thoughts

Poirot is certainly addictive... once you start getting familiar with the characters, you will definitely want to have all of the adventures of Hercule Poirot and his faithful associate Captain Hastings in your collection. Collector's Set 5 offers three more very entertaining episodes of the British series starring David Suchet, and despite the disappointing image quality, my overall recommendation stands at a definite "recommended" for this disc.