At Last! Katherine!
Remember how we were teased Poirot’s lost love Katherine briefly in Orient Express? Great news! We start the movie with a young Poirot. Fighting on the Western Front of Belgium in 1914.
His keen attention to detail turns what should have been a suicide squad mission into a success. They take over a German trench line thanks to Poirot’s future detective skills.
However his Captain? Completely chuffed by Poirot’s and skills, walks into a German trap to deter soldiers rushing their position, killing him.
We find out that Katherine is a front line nurse Poirot fell in love with. We also learn that she loves him, and nothing will stop her from marrying him…
Sigh. Feels like a sad ending is coming. Also? I’m pretty sure this murder in the movie ties into these events. Otherwise Brannagh heard us fans clamoring for Katherine screen time and voila!
Yes. I’m certain the actress teased in Orient Express reprised her Katherine role for Nile. Sigh. Even if Brannagh as Poirot is done? Id love a trilogy of Alternate Reality movies. Set in the Early 20s. Where Poirot & Katherine solve murders together.
Yes yes. I’m sure that’s not Agatha Christie canon. But I’m dying. I’m willing to bend Canon a lot more now in my dying years. Just seeing her actress have at least one full movie to shine? That’s enough.
So we are now in 1937 London. World War II is but a short distance away. This has Poirot dropping in at the nightclub of a friend to treat himself to a dessert tray after returning from a murder case. A case seemingly done in Egypt.
This whole sequence seems to be here just to introduce the suspects and victim of murder to come. But strike one for this movie? This might club scene drags on seemingly forever!
While our introductions to the suspects in Orient Express flowed better, and felt more natural. We ran into them as Poirot had to board the train to get back to London for an urgent case. This…
I know we are meeting the important figures of the case. But it feels like it’s drawn out. Especially the couple dirty dancing on the floor with the most entertaining music sequence. Yeesh. Eat your heart out Patrick Swayze!
We know a few things from the padding. We know that the young lady who is getting married in Egypt kinda fell hard for her man… Who is probably going to be a jerk or womanizer.
We know she’s friends with Gal Gadot. And she asks her to May be hire her soon to be husband on this important job. We know the husband after meeting with Gadot dances with her. And if we find out they had sex later? Let’s try not to be shocked.
Also. No shock. Poirot is often cut to starring. Apparently absorbing all this info for later. Then he goes super OCD when his dessert tray (with micro bite sized desserts) came as 7, not six! He then sends one ba… NOT THAT ONE! IT’S THE TOP OF HIS PYRAMID!!
So. Like Orient Express he’s OCD again with his food. This time it isn’t mis sized eggs. It’s lining dessert dishes to form a pyramid. Sigh. Anyway six week time jump to Egypt and the Nile.
We already know that Poirot is on vacation. It says so on the back of the DVD case. Great because suddenly there’s no set up. It’s just six weeks later and he’s on vacation.
Irritated by a random person flying a kite while on top of the pyramid behind the Sphinx, we find out that this guy is a friend of Poirot’s. And he will probably aid in the case. Like his other friend did in Orient Express.
So that brings us to Egypt. Tomorrow the case starts promptly as they all get on the Nile cruise ship… And maybe someone dies? We shall see. Tomorrow. See you.
Pop Goes the Darke Raven 