Talk:The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

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"The Under Dog" adaptation is faithful to the original story. The only changes to the story are replacing Inspector Miller with Captain Hastings and valet George with Miss Lemon. There is also an additional motive to Sir Reuben's murder at the hands of Trefusis, whose first name is changed to Horace.

• The adaptation is faithful to the basic parts of the original but there are several changes to characters and a few added and tweaked scenes. First and foremost, Sir Reuben's main commercial interest is not mines in Africa but his Astwell Chemical Corporation. Most of the other characters are related to this chemical industry including Mr. Owen Trefusis changed from a meek, nervous secretary to a quiet but solemn chemist named Harold.
• Poirot is on scene earlier than in the original story – here he and Hastings are guests of Charles Leverson at Mon Repos because Hastings is Charles' partner at a golf tournament. Poirot, comes along to marvel over Sir Reuben's fine collection of Belgian bronzes.
• They are invited to dinner on the night Sir Reuben is murdered but sleep at a hotel, whereas in the original story, Poirot and his chauffeur were allowed to stay in the house to investigate Lady Astwell's suspicions that Mr. Trefusis killed Reuben, not Charles (it's worth nothing she only thinks Charles innocent in the adaptation, there is no bold, stubborn accusations against Trefusis).
• While Charles was already in custody days before Poirot was hired in the original short story, he is discovered washing a bloody shirt the day after the murder, and makes a break for it before getting caught by police. Charles claims his innocence and having run because he was in a panic.
• The terms of Sir Reuben's will are different. Here, Lady Astwell and Victor get half each. Charles never got anything. However he still has a plausible motive as the night of the murder, Sir Reuben had threatened to cut off Charles' allowance unless he agreed to work for the chemical company.
• The broken knife tip was not noticed by Lady Astwell. Gladys, the maid, discovered by cutting herself while cleaning the dining table. Also, the piece of green chiffon belonging to Lily is not a plant by Poirot but a clue he actually discovers. He does press blood into it and show the bloody cloth to unnerve Lily (in the short story it's his own blood and it's enough to prompt her to confess she was at the crime scene).
• Miss Lemon is the one who hypnotizes Lady Astwell (written to be much more demure as opposed to the version in the story who refused to change her mind once it was made up and argued with her hot-tempered husband as much as anyone else). Astwell reveals she and Victor love each other and alludes to having seen something behind a curtain before being maneuvered out of the room by her husband.
• After spotting Lily at their hotel, dropping off a package for someone named Mr. Naylor, Hastings and Poirot follow her by car to a college in London where she reveals her last name is Naylor and she had been helping her brother get evidence that Astwell Chemicals were using his research for their new synthetic rubber, astroprene.
• The motive for Mr. Trefusis is partly sheer panic at getting caught and partly anger over his boss not honoring a contract that would have made him wealthy. No one disagrees that the man killed was a bully, a liar, and a swindler though Harold Trefusis does not seem to fit the long-suffering underdog moniker nearly as well as his short story counterpart, Owen Trefusis.
• The episode ends with Miss Lemon half jokingly hypnotizing Captain Hastings into making a hole in one. While Lily is seemingly romantically attached to Charles, talking about her brother's deal under Victor Astwell, Hastings does manage to sink the golf ball quite a far distance into the hole, all in one shot. The Underdog (Agatha Christie's Poirot episode)

Pilot Pirx (talk) 23:52, 26 February 2026 (UTC)