‘It was Agatha all along’ why Agatha Christie is undoubtably the best

We all know that Agatha Christie is the greatest mystery writer of all time. 

You’ve probably heard a lot of compliments about Agatha Christie over the years. She writes the best plot twists. She defined the future of popular fiction. Every thriller writer currently publishing is writing in her shadow. With The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie confirms her legacy. She is undoubtably the greatest. 

I am in no ways a Christie expert (that title is reserved for a couple of my closest friends), but I have read a fair few of her novels over the past few years. During the first lockdown, I discovered how much I love a murder mystery (as opposed to contemporary thriller fiction). There is something about the dynamics of family, friends, or strangers stuck in one singular location that just appeals to me… I think this is partly the reason that I love a dinner party trope (yes Fleabag, I am looking at you). I found myself bored of reading about middle aged alcoholic women who are unrealisable narrators (partly because they are an alcoholic, partly because the author is judging their unfeminine approach to motherhood). The murder mystery might have a longer tradition (and for some be an overdone genre full of tropes), but the atmosphere is always great. They create a pressure cooker that reveals the worst in everyone involved. The distinction between the two genres relies heavily on the vibe for me. While both include different tropes, conventions, and narrative structure, the main difference between the two is that murder mysteries infuse the disturbing with the desired (most typically wealth).

As I became obsessed with novels like Lucy Folely’s The Guest List and films like Knives Out, I had to try out the queen of the genre. In some ways it is embrassing how little I knew about Agatha Christie’s work before picking one up. I am not ashamed to say that the main source of my knowledge is ‘The Unicorn and The Wasp’ episode of Doctor Who. In my humble opinion, this is one of the greatest Doctor Who episodes of all time. It features the best Doctor and companion due (David Tennant and Catherine Tate are second to none), a selection of iconic scenes (it is hard to forget the scene where the doctor requires something salty, but not as salty as salt), and it features many up and coming actors (watching it now, you may be surprised to notice that future Oscar nominee Felicity Jones has a major role). Yet despite knowing far too much about this episode, I knew very little about miss Christie herself. Basically, I knew that she once went missing and could name her most iconic titles. I was basically a civilian.

The first novel I picked up was And Then There Were None and this is hands down one of my favourite book concepts of all time. Since reading, I just have to pick up any book focusing on a group where one person dies on by one (and there are quite a few, Ruth Ware’s One by One being just one of a long list). With this novel Agatha Christie proved herself to be the creator of the best plots and concepts. Even though the who-done-it is perhaps not the most exciting reveal, the rest of the novel more than makes up for it. This is one reason why Christie is so great, the enjoyment of her books does not rely heavily on their ending. Many a thriller has been ruined by an ending that doesn’t quite make sense, but you won’t be upset by a Christie ending. Every detail is carefully plotted and designed. Regardless of whether you like her reveals, you cannot deny that it makes perfect sense. You couldn’t make a hole in them if you were a hole puncher.

Immediately after finishing this book (I mean this more literally then you are perhaps imagining) I picked up Murder on the Orient Express and this novel features my favourite plot twist I have ever read. I did start this novel knowing that she features this twist in one of her stories and yet I was still shocked and blown away. It is another perfect ending to a novel.

Since then, I have read a few more novels including Halloween Party, Death on the Nile, and The ABC Murders and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them (although, I did find Christie’s repetition of how annoying the murdered child Joyce is beyond frustrating). I was also privileged to witness the immersive experience of The Mousetrap. It was this fantastic play (and my friend Tyler) that finally encouraged me to pick up another of Christie’s iconic titles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This book made me realise what others have known for a long time. Agatha Christie is the greatest mystery writer of all time.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is another classic murder mystery and yet it subverts all of the traditions masterfully. It is the perfect mix of the known and the unexpected. Set in a small village, a widow dies and soon afterwards so does her dear friend Roger Ackroyd. The novel follows a local doctor and, everyone’s favourite detective Poirot, as they unpick this chain of events. What made this reading experience totally unique was that I guessed the ending AND I still loved it. I managed to predict who the murderer was and decipher a major earlier reveal. Don’t worry, this blog is not now going to turn into a lengthy humble brag. Instead, I am going to reassure that I am very dumb. The murderer normally has one over me. It is very rare for me to guess a who-done-it, and even in the rare case that I do, I never get all the details. This is why I was in love with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (in fact, I enjoyed it so much that I would call it my favourite mystery novel of all time). Even though I guessed what is for many a shocking reveal, I had less than no idea of how it could work. Christie is truly the master of making what civilians think as impossible entirely plausible within her world. When reading her novels, you are never unaware that she is far more intelligent than you are.

This blog post has been leading up to one final conclusion and it is one I have basically already stated earlier. No one ends a mystery like Agatha Christie. Sure, a writer might use the same concept or trope as Christie, but they cannot write like her at all. They cannot make you like a controversial ending, love a twist you knew was coming, or fascinated to disocver how who did it actually did it. The enjoyment of her novels does not rest on the ending, because her endings are always so well connected to the entire novel. No one writes an ending like Agatha Christie because they add an ending to their novel rather than naturally draw an ending out of a satisfying plot.

Fleabag season two is perfect from start to finish

The news that Fleabag is phenomenal is nothing new. In fact, it isn’t even news. It is a fact. While the first season is certainly a masterpiece it is season two that I cannot shut up about – much like the entire world when it first aired.

I originally watched the second season of Fleabag as soon as it aired. When I say as soon as it aired, I am being literal not hyperbolic. I distinctly remember watching the first episode in my university dorm room at dead on 10am before I started my work for the day. This then continued to be routine (if you can even call it a routine) for the next six weeks as each episode came out. Oh to be a uni student again and stick to such a relaxed schedule, starting work at 10:30 after a relaxing breakfast and an episode of Fleabag might literally be the dream.

Even though I was such an avid fan back in 2019, I had not rewatched season two since then. Don’t get my wrong, I had seen clips of the iconic moments and I obviously was unable to ignore the entire world falling in love with Andrew Scott one at a time. However, I had not sat down to basque in the glory of a perfectly crafted tv show. So that’s what I did last month.

I am a firm believer that the first episode of season two is the best episode of TV in existence. This is even something young nineteen year old me believed. It was this episode that confirmed that I love dinner party episodes of TV. I love when a show has a pause and focuses on character interactions in an isolated setting for just one episode – I instantly think of an iconic episode of Grey’s Anatomy (perfect Penny killed my husband). Watching again made me realise why I love it so much. I love characters dynamics and this episode concept is such a neat way of exploring these messy relationships.

Since watching Fleabag for the first time, I have also read one of my favourite books of all time (and perhaps the quintessentially-Jen concept for a book – There but for the by Ali Smith. This novel centres around a dinner party where a guest’s plus one adds a new meaning to guest room by refusing to leave it).

I have also come to realise that I love a classic Agatha Christie-esques murder mystery and I think I owe a lot of this to dinner parties. Closed room mysteries might not always include dinner parties, but they always carry the essence of them. People brought together in a room they can’t politely or easily leave having awkward conversations.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge takes the dinner party and elevates it. She savour every moment and brings out previously unannounced tastes. My favourite moment has to be the Priest’s joke about his brother, but the entire thing is iconic from the first second to the final frame (Waller-Bridge is so phenomenal that it might even be iconic after this to be honest). There’s Olivia Coleman’s Godmother being lovely and unlovable. There’s a swearing priests. There’s Fleabag and Claire’s conversation in the bathroom. And this is only the few things I can think of off the top of my head after watching it a good few weeks ago.

Don’t worry, my theory (or hard evidence) that Fleabag season two is perfect, does not rest entirely on the first episode. Even though I have much more I could say about these simple (but not so simple) thirty minutes of television, I will move on to discussing the season as a whole.

We all know that Fleabag and the Priest’s romance stole our hearts and refused to give it back. From the second Scott first entered the frame, his dog collar had us in a choke hold. We would all kneel if he told us to and we all want to drink M&S G&T’s from a can with him. He is the perfectly imperfect foil to Fleabag and that’s what makes the season heartbreaking.

On this re-watch however, I feel in love with another dynamic even more. And that has got to be the complex sisterhood at the route of the narrative. I somehow overlooked Claire the first time I watched this seasons, but in my rewatch I desperately wanted her to be happy. My heart was pulled in two directions towards both Fleabag and Claire. Yet, you do not have to make a choice between the two sisters. Much like our own sisters (or our eyebrows) we can love them both equally despite their differences. Even though both can’t achieve happiness, you route for them both. When talking to a friend about the season, I came to the conclusion that while Fleabag and the Priest are perfectly ill-fated soulmates, Claire and Klare are the opposite: they are the perfectly fated soulmates.

What’s the lesson from all this aimless rambling? Honestly, it is nothing new and it is very much not needed for anything other than a shameless want to discuss this season over and over again (much like I did with every single person I know who has watched this show before).

Great endings for TV Shows

In anticipation of the last season of Schitt’s Creek, I am going to talk about my favourite endings for TV shows. I know that Schitt’s Creek is going to end in a way that matches the spectacular nature of the show. The fact that Dan Levy decided to end the show at this season gives me so much hope, so many shows go on way past their sell-by dates. I can’t wait to laugh and cry my way through the last season of one of my favourite shows. To celebrate the joy of Schitt’s Creek here are my picks for the best last seasons of TV shows.

Honourable Mentions

There are some TV shows that ended on such a high, even though the creators intended there to be many more seasons. Most of these shows I would have loved to have continued, but the way they end there seasons are so good that the end of the shows is still great despite the abrupt ending.

The OA

I will never stop being bitter that this show ended. Brit Marling planned for the show to have five seasons and a show that was this special and clever deserved to have the whole story told. Each season ends with what I guess could be called a plot-twist or shock ending, but what I think of as the reveal of another layer of the story. The whole show pulls you in and the end of the only two seasons are perfectly smart and engaging.

The Fades

To be honest, I can’t remember how much I enjoyed the majority of this show. But what I could never forget was the fantastic ending of the show. Even though the show was meant to have more than just the one season it had, I think this show ended on the perfect high-tone. The ending draws attention to the traditional narrative plot of the apocalypse genre and flips the script in a way which I have certainly never forgotten.

Hannibal 

Hannibal was an amazing show that ended too sone, but the ending of what turned out to be the show’s last season was fantastic. This is another show that changed direction in the last second. While seeing the ramifications of the ending in another season would have been fantastic, this new direction being explored at all was incredible to watch. The last shot in particular lives on, but I don’t think anyone could forget any part of the magnificence that was Hannibal. 

The List

Here is my list, in no particular order, or the TV shows that have great endings.

Parks and Recreation

When I think of a great ending of a TV show I think of Parks and Recreation. I have watched this series multiple times and the ending still holds up. The unique framing structure used to show the future for all the characters really makes the episode. This episode does what all good final episodes should do: it ends the season, it calls back to classic moments and it ends each character’s arc from the smaller characters.

Ugly Betty

When thinking about the journey from beginning to end, this show knew what is was doing. No character has faced a better journey that Betty Suarez – she went from a woman who was desperate to fit in in a world she didn’t really understand to a woman who found her own dream job. This was a show that proved that looks aren’t everything. Betty may change in looks but this isn’t meant to signify that she is now a person of worth – she is the same person, but now with confidence. The show dedicates the last few episodes to the conclusion, meaning that the show gives the time for each of the characters’ stories to end in a fulfilling way. From emotional moments to conclusions to the drama this final season has it all.

Orphan Black

This is another show that chose an end-date for the show, and this decision really paid off in the execution of the ending. Orphan Black is known for the fantastic acting of Tatiana Maslany, but it should also be known for its equally fantastic storytelling. One trend for this list is my love of shows that carefully make their narrative choices and this show is the master of them all. Each season of this show is masterfully done, and the last season is no exception. The final season ends both the overriding narrative and the final scene is one which can’t be forgotten as it combines the masterful acting of Tatiana Maslany with a perfect conclusion.

Fleabag

There is only one word which can describe Fleabag and that is perfection. From beginning to end, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is completely in control of the narrative and the journey for Fleabag – this means that the last episode is a perfect conclusion. Not all last episodes have to have a traditional happy ending, and this show certainly doesn’t. The show instead ends somewhere completely different for the character of Fleabag – the ending is then optimistic and impactful.