Original Airdate: 22 January 1989 Written by: Clive Exton Directed by: Renny Rye Recurring cast: Captain Hastings, Inspector Japp, Miss Lemon
Tropes
Adaptation Deviation: In the original story, Poirot was only called in to investigate Johnnie's kidnapping after it occurred. Here, Poirot is brought in to prevent said kidnapping.
Miss Lemon: Abduction. Addiction. Adultery, see also under "marriage". Bigamy, see also under "marriage". Bombs.
Poirot: See also under "marriage"?
Clock Tampering: The culprit leaves a note saying that Johnnie will be kidnapped at 12:00. To facilitate this, they set the clock in the study back 10 minutes, then have a tramp come up to the house holding suspicious items. While everyone's attention is on him the real kidnapper enters the house and leaves with the kid.
For Want Of A Nail: Poirot and Hastings' decision to get breakfast in town would have had little to no impact on the plan to foil the kidnapping had Hastings' car not run out of gas.
Kansas City Shuffle: Poirot is called in to prevent a kidnapping after the intended victim's parents receive notes from someone aiming to abduct their son. Poirot takes measures to that effect, with the police called in to secure the perimeter. Just as a tramp approaches Waverly Manor, assumed to be the likely kidnapper, young Johnnie is abducted while everyone was distracted by the tramp — nobody, not even Poirot, realized the kidnapper was within the house until it was too late.
Lighter and Softer: Compared to most Poirot stories. Nobody dies, and the kidnap victim was actually held by his own father, intending on getting the ransom from his wife's fortune.
Nobility Marries Money: Marcus Waverly, a scion of one of England's oldest families, married Ada, the daughter of a self-made steel magnate. Deconstructed, in that Marcus' Impoverished Patrician status combined with Ada being rather miserly causes the kidnapping of their son, Johnnie.
The Scrooge: While Mrs. Waverly could be sympathized with for not wanting to pay for repairs to her husband's money pit of a manor house, she is evidently stingy to the point of serving meagre meals to houseguests.
Poirot is so sure of his plan to protect Johnnie from being kidnapped that he and Hastings decide to drive to the nearby town to have a proper English breakfast. This lapse in judgement allows the kidnapper to outwit Poirot.
Waverly is so determined to get his family home restored that he's willing to poison his wife and arrange a fake kidnapping of his own son in order to pay himself the ransom to cover the costs.
Tempting Fate: Poirot is so sure of his measures taken to prevent little Johnnie's kidnapping that he and Hastings decide to celebrate with a proper English breakfast at the nearby town. Surely enough, this leads to Johnnie getting kidnapped.
You Can't Thwart Stage One: Poirot is brought in to prevent the kidnapping of young Johnnie Waverly after his parents receive threatening notes to that effect. While Poirot takes the necessary precautions, he becomes overconfident and Johnnie gets kidnapped while he and Hastings prematurely celebrate with an English breakfast at the nearby town.
