Part two of this series’ adaptation of Peril at End House gets into the characters in a nice way and also deepens the mystery of how Michael Seton connects to the story of Nick Buckley. Oliver gets more than the usual amount of screen time here as he adorably forms a bond with the frightened Nick. I mean, look, it’s easy to make fun of show based on the work of Agatha Christie shoehorning in a cute duckling as a recurring character, but, guys, he is super-cute. I have perhaps been underselling the degree to which the show utilizes him for reaction shots. Like when the characters are interviewing a grieving relative, we’ll cut to him looking sad; when someone is narrating an injustice, we’ll cut to him looking angry. Oliver really is a big reason I’m enjoying this show. I anticipated finding him saccharine, but in fact . . . WHY AM I STILL TALKING ABOUT OLIVER THE DUCK? Anyway, excellent episode. 4 stars.
tl;dr – middle episode of a three-parter is even better than the first at handling the plot and characters; expanded role for Oliver the duckling is a net positive. 4 stars.
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