I really like the setup for this story. It’s right up there with The Adventure of the Cheap Flat in terms of taking a very banal setup and using it as a springboard. Poirot, Hastings & Mabel are out eating at a restaurant and they begin discussing the old man who has been coming there for years, always eating the exact same meal every Monday night. And that’s when the waitress comments that, last week, for the first time in probably more than a decade, he ordered something different. Well, Poirot’s off on the hunt because in Christie’s world, no one breaks their routine without a darn good reason. And so this very simple question of why this old guy finally ordered something other than his usual turns into a tale of scheming, deception and, of course, murder. It’s a good story with a good premise and this is a solid adaptation. Kudos for allowing Oliver the Duck to discover a pivotal clue and then stare angrily at the culprit. 3 stars.
tl;dr – a simple, witty setup elevates this story and the show does a fine job with the adaptation. 3 stars.
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