Agatha Christie’s Marple

    Marple did change when the actress portraying Miss Marple switched to Julia McKenzie.  The basic premise remained the same, but the way the investigations were handled was definitely different.

    Miss Jane Marple is always up for investigating a mystery.  She doesn’t directly look for one, or at least that is how she makes it seem, but others would disagree.  An awful lot of mysteries fall at her feet.

Behind the Door/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

    The difference with the last three seasons of Marple is, unlike with the first three, the police are often willing to not only listen but also work with Miss Marple.  One exception is “A Caribbean Mystery”.  The police don’t want to hear anything Miss Marple has to say in that one.  But others are more than willing to have her help.

    Another change is this Miss Marple rarely, if ever, does the doddery old woman bit.  Even if she did, it would only work so far.  Miss Marple does not at all look doddery.  She looks more like a professor with all her faculties in order.  Something I cannot say for all the Miss Marple portrayals I have seen in the past.  However, no matter what the appearance, no Miss Marple is every truly doddery.

    Maybe because this Miss Marple looks so capable, she is the one everyone turns to for help.  Oh, people did before in other Miss Marple portrayals, but with this one I felt it was different.  She holds such certainty and authority.  When people went to this Miss Marple for help, they knew she could do something versus just believing she could.  There is a difference.

    As I mentioned, the premise for the last three seasons remained the same as the first.  A murder or suspicious death occurs.  Miss Marple is there or shows up to help solve it.  Most of the cases happen in places other than her home village of St. Mary Mead, as Miss Marple is often traveling.  Or running off to help someone.  In one, the action starts in St. Mary Mead and moves elsewhere as Miss Marple helps a woman and her child escape an abusive husband.

    Another thing that remained the same was my ability to keep my game going of guessing where the actors were from.  Again, some I knew right away, while others took a little time to figure out.  Others I did have to look up, but fewer than I did in the first three seasons.  Either I’m improving at this game, or the show was able to get even more notable people in the cast.

    Some people I knew right away were Samantha Bond, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hughes, Fiona Shaw, Julia Sawalha, Edward Fox, Alex Jennings, Aneurin Barnard, and Birgitte Hjort Sorensen.  I did not know everyone’s names, but I certainly knew where they were from.

    I don’t mention these actors just because of my game.  I mention them to show the quality of actor this show was able to obtain.  Some were probably well-known at the time, while other became known later.  Either way, with each episode full of people who can be named and placed, that says a lot for the show.  It was one to be on.

    Sadly, Agatha Christie’s Marple ended after season six.  Personally, I am surprised no one has tried to create another Miss Marple series or a film.  They certainly have with Poirot ever since Agatha Christie’s Poirot ended.  For Miss Marple it may only be a matter of time.