Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

They Do It With Mirrors is an unusual Miss Marple adaptation. It's hard to put your finger exactly what it is, but the best I can come up with is that it comes across as an everyday crime procedure. In that I mean there is a murder, then the police question everybody and then there is a denouement and the culprit is revealed. And that is more or less exactly how They Do It With Mirrors is to watch.

It starts with Miss Marple meeting old friend Ruth Van Rydock in a hotel, who is concerned about her sister Carrie Louise. Now married to 3rd husband Lewis Serricold, they live at Stonygates, a sprawling mansion that has been converted into a home for delinquent boys - part of a pet project of Serricold's. Despite everything seemingly well, Ruth is convinced that there is something wrong at Stonygates and is fearful for Carrie Louise's life - but she doesn't know why. She asks Jane Marple to go and investigate, having already arranged for her to stay at Stonygates, and soon Miss Marple is down there as one of the inmates (sorry, guests).

All seems well, but as this is an Agatha Christie something HAS to be wrong, but quite what Miss Marple can't put her finger on. It's certainly a bustling place packed with people. Also at Stonygates are Carrie Louise's daughter Mildred Strete, her daughter Gina Hudd and her American husband Walter, plus the Restarick brothers Alex and Stephen, who help Lewis Serricold with the boys, but also have their eyes on Gina, who enjoys their flirting - Walter, understandably, is less than happy about this. Dr Maseryk is also there on hand to help with the delinquents, which includes a young pre-EastEnders Jake Wood among their number, while another lad, Edgar Lawson works as a secretary for Serricold, but seems increasingly paranoid. The seemingly happy home looks complete when Carrie Louise's stepson Christian Gulbrandsen arrives unexpectedly for a visit, but he looks troubled by something and later Miss Marple overhears him and Lewis Serricold talking about concerns for Carrie Louise's health and keeping something back from her. But before she can find out more, events take a dramatic twist when Edgar flips and accuses Serricold of betraying him. Lewis tries to placade the boy by taking him into his office while the others watch an old reel of film, but while there the lights go out, gunshots are heard - and there is a body lying dead in a room. But it isn't Serricold who is dead, but Gulbrandsen, killed in another room the other end of the house.

It has to be said that it takes nearly an hour to get to this point, and what follows afterwards is Inspector Slack and his assistant Sgt Lake arriving at the mansion to conduct police inquiries, little suspecting the grey haired cobra is laying in wait for him. And what follows is Slack questioning the various guests of their movements, while around them various minor or major incidents happen. Minor incidents include Gina's love triangle with the Restarick brothers and her increasingly disenchanted American hubby Walter. More major developments are when Miss Marple learns from Lewis Serricold that someone has been trying to poison Carrie Louise. But who? And why?

Contrary to some opinions, They Do It With Mirrors is not a bad mystery overall. It takes it's time with introducing the various characters and it's numerous storylines before the crime is committed. But at times it feels a little eccentric and rambling in it's plotting, and before the crime is eventually committed you do wonder if they've actually forgotten to add one in! And once the deed is done, it mainly occupies Slack's efforts to question the suspects, while offshoots of plot interject the interrogations, such as the love triangle and the fact that another murder is committed when a witness is lured to the theatre by one of the Restarick brothers playing detective, little realizing that someone has overheard his plan. Again it feels a little eccentric in it's plotting, but nevertheless "Mirrors" holds your interest. The flaw with the 2nd murder is that it happens rather late, leaving little chance of us the viewer to figure out who among the household could of done it.

It's helped by some decent performances from the cast, which lift this from the ordinary. Joss Ackland is surprisingly muted from his usual eye catching portrayals, but his subtle playing of Serricold is actually a plus and he doesn't overwhelm the production. And he's helped by Jean Simmons, note perfect as the gentle and bewildered Carrie Louise who sees all that she thought of as certain slowly being queried by the shock of her stepson's murder and the later revelation that someone has apparently been trying to kill her. Jay and Christopher Villiers have different personalities as the Restarick brothers, and each play their roles well. Jay is the more sensitive lovesick Stephen, but it's Christopher who is more fun and amusing as Alex. But the most eye catching for me is Holly Aird as Gina, giving an effervescent performance that is as pert and perky as her many other attributes, even if at times her character is surprisingly insensitive to her husband's feelings when flirting with the Restarick brothers. I find it hard to really criticize Neal Swettenham as the paranoid Edgar, as he does decently enough in a difficult role, but it did feel more like a performance than truly delving into a troubled man's mind. However, he does provide a hugely enjoyable moment when he gets questioned by Inspector Slack (David Horowitz). Horowitz is great in this, and for once you thoroughly sympathize with his impatience at the more "PC approach" that is foistered on him by Dr Maseryk (Saul Reichlin), who insists on sitting in on Edgar's interview while Edgar proves to be evasive. But Slack proves wonderfully inventive in his questioning and ties Edgar up in knots by asking about the "voices in his head", before getting so fed up by Maseryk's interruptions he snaps and throws him out. It's a great scene, while there's also a surprising glimpse into Slack's personal life with his passion for magic that actually proves to supply Miss Marple with the answer to how the murder was committed.

There's a surprising softening in relations between Slack and Miss Marple by the end of the mystery that is quite touching. Joan Hickson was 85 at the time, and there was no guarantee that she would be around for the final adaptation, so maybe this was included in the script just in case. It's nice also to see the character of Sgt Lake (Ian Brimble) developed, and he looks to be enjoying himself as he watches Slack's discomfort with Miss Marple. The ending is dramatic as it is moving, and it's impact is felt on those that are left behind, made poignant by the reel of old film in the closing scene, as Miss Marple and those remaining view footage of themselves when young in the past, not knowing then what life or fate had in store for them. All in all, it's a decent mystery with an unusual structure that can hinder at times, but is aided by some bright and decent performances. And Holly Aird can drive me around in that car anytime!