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Updated 12/2/2009

Agatha Christie's Marple

Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who is an amateur detective. She lives in the small village of St. Mary Mead. She often finds herself at the scene of a crime either in St. Mary Mead or while traveling to visit friends or on holiday. At first appearance, she appears to be a very proper elderly lady, but she is very worldly and has a keen mind. She is very observant and is able to piece together small clues to solve the mysteries.

The character of Agatha Christie's Jane Marple has been played by many actresses. Many of you may be familiar with the series done in the late 80s and early 90s by Joan Hickson. I prefer the updated version with Geraldine McEwan and have started to summarize the episodes as I review them. This series is still active and new episodes will appear on the BBC in 2008.

1st Season - 2004-05

"The Murder At The Vicarage"

A universally despised man known as the "The Colonel" is found shot to death in the home of the local vicar. Miss Marple lives across the lane from the house and happens to be sitting in the garden when the murder takes place. There are a number of suspects with varying motives. No one is grieving the Colonel's death and a number of the suspects were in close proximity to the crime. Miss Marple teams up with the local police inspector to solve the crime.

This episode provides some insight into Miss Marple's past. She is more worldly then she appears.

"The Body In The Library"

The body of a young woman is found on a country estate. The owner the of estate does not know the woman and neither does anyone else in the household. The wife of the owner asks Miss Marple to come over to be with her and get her opinion of the crime. As the police investigation continues, the victim is identified as dancer who had recently come to town to work at the upscale hotel ballroom. She had recently become acquainted with a wealthy disabled man who had plans to adopt her and include her in his will. Also during the same timeframe, a missing young girl is found murdered. Miss Marple applies her investigative skills.

"4:50 From Paddington"

A friend of Miss Marple is traveling on a train. At a point in the track where her train travels along side another train, the friend witnesses what appears to be a murder on the passing train. She reports what she saw to the police, but no body is found to confirm that a crime has taken place. Miss Marple is sure that her friend witnessed a crime and sets off to find the body. She determines that the body must have been thrown off the train near an estate owned by a dysfunctional family. Miss Marple enlists the help of her niece to investigate.

"A Murder Is Announced"

A notice is published in the newspaper that a murder will occur at a certain residence at a certain time on a certain date. The people who reside at the house and a small number of friends gather to see what will happen at the appointed time believing that the announcement was a hoax. At the appointed time, the lights go out, shots are fired, a woman is wounded and a young man is found shot to death. The young man was not part of the gathering before the lights went out.

Miss Marple happens to be visiting a local spa at the time. The young man was an employee at the spa. Jane's curiosity takes over and she decides to get involved in the investigation. She moves from the spa to the home of the daughter of friend. The daughter was at the scene when the murder took place. The woman who was wounded appears to have been the target and an pending inheritance could be the motive.

2nd Season - 2006

"The Moving Finger"

A young man and his sister rent a house in a small village while the man recuperates from a motorcycle accident. As they become acquainted with the village residents, they discover that someone has been writing cruel anonymous letters. Many in the village have received them and one has already resulted in a suicide. After a second suicide, Miss Marple gets involved. Then someone is murdered.

"Sleeping Murder"

A young woman who was orphaned as a child and grew up in India arrives in England to get married. She finds things very familiar. How can that be? She has never been to England. After buying a house she feels she has been in before, she begins having nightmares about a murder she witnessed. As she investigates her past, she learns more about her family and her parents deaths. Miss Marple is there to help her sort out the events of the past.

"By the Pricking of My Thumb"

The aunt of amateur detectives Tommy and Tuppence dies mysteriously in a nursing home. She leaves behind a painting and note that suggests that foul play may be involved. By chance Miss Marple was also visiting a friend at the home and has her own suspicions. Miss Marple and Tuppence team up to investigate the aunts death and the disappearance of another nursing home resident. They travel to a village that seams to be hiding a terrible secret.

"The Sittaford Mystery"

A prominent politician who is viewed as the likely successor to Winston Churchill escapes to a country estate to avoid the press. There appears also to be something in his past which makes him reluctant to accept the position. Miss Marple finds herself snowed in at the man’s estate. When someone is murdered, she gets involved in the investigation which includes a number of visitors at the local inn.

3rd Season - 2007

"Toward Zero"

Miss Marple is invited to stay with an old widowed friend at her estate. Other people are also visiting: a tennis player who had been raised by the woman; his second wife; his first wife; an elderly old friend of family; a man who was the son of a neighbor; a hanger on who is a friend of the second wife. There is also the widow's companion a 30 sometime spinster. There is a lot of friction between the first and second wife. The hanger on has a particularly close relationship with the second wife. There is considerable friction between the tennis player and the widow. A mysterious death and then a murder bring the police to the estate. Miss Marple is there to guide the police through their investigation.

"Nemesis"

A friend of Miss Marple passes away and leaves a last request recorded in a voice message. He wants her to solve a mystery so justice is served. She is provided tickets to a bus tour. As the travel group assembles, Miss Marple realizes that most of the people are acquainted with each other. She comes to the realization that her mission is to discover what happen to a missing young woman. A woman who disappeared 11 years before.

"At Bertram's Hotel"

Miss Marple goes to the Bertram Hotel to meet a friend. It is a hotel that she went to often as a child. To her surprise, the hotel has not changed much in 50 years. As always Miss Maple is very observant. She is very interested in her fellow guests. Some of those quests are there for a will reading. The owner of the hotel has recently been declared dead. There is an unusual number of American entertainers and celebrities there who frequent the hotel often. A recent rash of London hotel thefts is a topic of conversation. To add to the mystery of the place, the paintings on the wall are being moved all the time. When a hotel maid is found murdered, Miss Marple is determined to unravel the mysteries of the hotel. She enlists the help of another hotel maid whose sleuthing abilities almost be not quite equal Miss Marple's.

"Ordeal By Innocence"

Miss Marple is invited to the wedding of a woman who she helped as a child. The woman was an orphan. Her friend is marrying a widower who had five adopted children. His first wife had been murdered and one of the adopted sons had been convicted of the murder and hanged. Miss Marple finds her friend extremely happy but the family very dysfunctional. A new revelation casts doubt on whether the real killer was executed. If he was innocent, then the real killer may still be in the house.

4rd Season - 2009

***** Introducing a new Miss Marple - Julie McKenzie *****

"A Pocket Full Of Rye"

When Miss Marple reads about several apparent murders at an estate where a young girl she mentored went to work as a maid, she immediately offers her assistance. The owner of the estate and head of a very dysfunctional family was the first victim. He was poisoned by a unique poison and rye grain was found in his pocket. The theme of the murders seems to follow story line in the old children's rhyme, "Sing a Song of Sixpence".

"Murder Is Easy"

While traveling, Miss Marple meets a woman on a train who is on her way to Scotland Yard in London. The woman is certain that two recent deaths in her village were actually murders. After returning home, Miss Marple reads that the woman was killed in an "accidental" fall down an escalator shortly after she left the train. Miss Marple travels to the woman's village to follow up on the woman's suspicions.

"Why Didn't They Ask Evans?"

A young man discovers a dying man on a cliff. His last words were "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?". The young man never has a chance to tell the police about this and a young woman he has known since he was in school suggests that they solve the mystery together. Miss Marple is staying at the young man's house. She is a friend of his mother. Miss Marple becomes aware the of young friend's plan and begins to act as their guardian angel. Soon they are in over their heads.

"They Do It With Mirrors"

Miss Marple is asked by a friend to go visit the woman's sister. She is worried about her sister's safety since a suspicious fire at her estate. The sister is very wealth. She has had numerous husbands and several stepchildren. She also has an adopted daughter and a natural daughter who do not get along. The adopted daughter is married to a brooding ex G. I.. To make things even more interesting, the woman has a compound on her estate where she is trying to rehabilitate convicts. Shortly after Miss Marple arrives someone is murdered.

 

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