I will say, that my overview of the entire Poirot series is that it is absolutely wonderful, so well made and acted. Taken At the Flood isn't terrible, as there are some good things, but as an adaptation it doesn't work. Out of Season 10, this is the episode that I was most disappointed with. I was disappointed as well with Cards on the Table which started off so well with great acting but the ending spoilt it completely, but After the Funeral was absolutely phenomenal and one of my favourite Poirots to date. As far as Poirot episodes go, while there are some undeniably good things this is for me the weakest Poirot, and this was after I saw the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, which despite the good performances and production values made a mess of what I consider one of Miss Christie's best books. Speaking of the book Taken At The Flood, I agree it is one of the lesser works by the Queen of Crime, but it is still a compelling enough read.
There are some outstanding things here. First and foremost, David Suchet; by far the best thing of the adaptation, for he was absolutely outstanding here as Poirot. Here he acquired a perfect mix of the comical Poirot, which he does so effectively and the serious which he does even better. Second, the production values. The photography is excellent, the effects are well done and the scenery and costumes as is always the case with this series is top notch. Thirdly, the music is very good, beautiful in some places and haunting in others. Fourth, the direction from Andy Wilson is excellent in general. Out of the supporting performances, Elizabeth Spriggs and Tim Piggott Smith are the most impressive, and I love Jenny Agutter and she does a good job. Also Amanda Douge is stunning.
Some other things were merely acceptable. The quality of the script is not as good as it is in an adaptation like Five Little Pigs or After the Funeral, but Poirot does have some truly funny and even moving parts that Suchet, the great actor that he is, delivers brilliantly. Everything else ranges from acceptable to rather uncharacteristic of Agatha Christie. Eva Birthistle as Rosaleen does well, she performs effectively in some scenes, but Rosaleen isn't quite the same as she is in the book in terms of looks. The pacing is not exactly fast paced, as a matter of fact this is an example of an adaptation that starts quite slowly, but it does pick up.
However, there were other things that didn't work at all. I for one, didn't like the portrayal of David Hunter. Instead of the cynical, calculating and lecherous jerk he is in the book, he is as one reviewer summed up a cold blooded lunatic and I for one found it obvious that he was a villain in some way. Plus Elliot Cowan overacts so wildly, I found it hard to relate to his character at all, it was like Robert Hardy in the Inspector Morse episode Twilight of the Gods all over again. Some of the plot changes were baffling and implausible too, Rosaleen's drug addiction was a head scratcher, and the German air raid idea was implausible. Don't get me started also on the suicide of Major Porter, whose idea was it for him to do it right next to someone, it made no sense. But the biggest flaw, and the weakest scene of the whole adaptation was the ending, what a let down. I can watch it for Suchet's denouncement speech, which is a revelation in terms of delivery, but the plot changes like Cards on the Table and Murder of Roger Ackroyd ruined it, and it misses the point of the book completely.
All in all, some good things, but there are things that just didn't work. 5/10 Bethany Cox