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Home > "Sad Cypress" Is A Woman Scorned Who Becomes A Suspect In 2 Murders
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"Sad Cypress" Is a Woman Scorned Who Becomes a Suspect in 2 Murders by Ed Bagley
Hercule Poirot: Sad Cypress - 3 Stars (Good)
Sad Cypress presents a suspected "murderer" with so much incriminating evidence that it seems unlikely that she did not do it. Even Hercule Poirot (David Suchet) has cause to question the innocence of Elinor Carlisle (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh).
This clever whodunit begins with the engagement of Elinor to Roddy Winter (Rupert Penry-Jones), an unsettling jerk who Elinor actually loves, proving that not only does love many times lack judgment but that it can also be blind.
Elinor receives an anonymous letter alerting her that someone is trying to curry favor with her wealthy aunt, Laura Welman, from whom both Elinor and Roddy expect to inherit a sizable fortune. They visit their sick aunt to see if the claim has any merit and find Mary Gerrard (Kelly Reilly), the lodge keeper's daughter has in fact become a major interest of their aunt.
Laura Welman suffers a second stroke and seeks to change her will, presumably to give some of her money to the attractive young Mary, but dies intestate during the night. Elinor ends up with her entire estate as the only surviving blood relative and becomes a clear suspect in what is really a murder.
Roddy's wandering eye focuses on Mary, and he decides to break off his engagement to Elinor who is understandably crushed. Then Mary ends up murdered as Elinor is making her sandwiches for lunch, and Elinor becomes a suspect again as a woman scorned.
It turns out that both of the victims were administered morphine, apparently by Elinor, who could have easily taken the bottle of morphine that was missing from the nurse's bag. Elinor had the means, the motive and the opportunity to do them both in.
A trial finds Elinor guilty and facing death as punishment.
Enter Dr. Peter Lord (Paul McGann) who is in love with Elinor and certain of her innocence. He has asked Hercule Poirot to consider the seriousness of the original letter that points to young Mary as a possible victim before the wealthy Mrs. Welman is killed.
Poirot is as intelligent as he is studious. He wonders why Elinor would go to the gallows if she were innocent, yet Elinor is a woman who has lost the love of her life, is filled with hatred for Mary who had stolen her fiancee, and has little will to live.
In examining a torn pharmaceutical label that was supposed to have held the poison morphine hydrochloride Poirot discovers that it actually held apomorphine hydrochloride, an emetic that causes vomiting.
It is then that Poirot turns his attention to Nurse Hopkins (Phyllis Logan), who served tea when Mary ate her sandwich. Hopkins laced the tea with morphine and then she and Mary drank it. Hopkins then excused herself to administer a shot of the emetic to induce vomiting.
In the end, Poirot discovers-through Nurse Hopkins-that Mary is not the daughter of the lodge keeper, but rather Mrs. Welman's daughter which would have made Mary heiress to Mrs. Welman's estate since she was a closer relative than Elinor. Mary was the love child of a tryst with Sir Lewis Rycroft.
Nurse Hopkins had encouraged Mary to write a will before her death, and had Mary name her aunt Mary Riley from New Zealand as the beneficiary.
When Nurse Hopkins learns that Poirot is on to her case, she attempts to share her morphine-laced tea with him, but Poirot fakes being ill and thankfully the authorities stop her short of attacking Poirot with a needle as well.
When you learn that Mary Riley married (and then later killed) a man called Draper, and that Mary Draper is none other than Nurse Hopkins then you understand why Nurse Hopkins killed both Mrs. Welman and Mary.
The story ends with Dr. Peter Lord and Elinor likely headed toward marriage, so the sad cypress Elinor who was a symbol of mourning is about to blossom where she is planted with Dr. Peter Lord on her arm and in her heart.
Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley
About the Author
Ed Bagley is the Author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he Publishes Daily with Fresh, Original Articles on Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, Movie Reviews, Sports and Recreation, and Internet Marketing intended to Delight, Inform, Educate and Motivate Readers. He also operates an upscale resume writing service for executives and professionals that is part of his Blog. Visit Ed at . . .
http://www.edbagleyblog.com,
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLifeArticles.html
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