Hercule Poirot is ailing, and close to death. He travels to the estate Styles to convalesce and invites his old friend Hastings to join him. Styles has a nostalgic significance to Poirot as it was the location for the first case that Poirot and Hastings solved together. Poirot's reasons for calling Hastings down are not all about nostalgia or farewells - he believes a murder is going to be committed and, being unable to walk, he needs Hastings to be his eyes and ears. Hastings has another interest in being there - his daughter, Judith works there, as an assistant to chemist Dr Franklin. Sure enough, within a few days, Dr Franklin's wife dies, poisoned. The inquest calls it suicide, but to Hastings and Poirot it looks like murder. Problem is, the prime suspect is Hastings' daughter...The final Poirot, and probably the worst of all the Poirots, plot- wise. Poirot is completely out of character here. Always the one for high-mindedness, idealism, obeying Christian values and justice through the courts, here he becomes a vigilante and murderer. Even worse, his target is not a murderer, but merely a master-manipulator. The other issue with this is the notion that you're not responsible for your own actions. If you murder someone but someone subtly manipulated you into doing it, it's their fault, not yours. What nonsense! (Though consistent with the sort of bs the media and many Facebook warriors trundle out regularly).The only thing keeping this from being a very unsatisfactory end to the series is the emotional value. Quite sad to see Poirot in the state he's in. Nostalgic to see him reunited with Hastings, especially in the same place they first worked together. The introduction of Hastings' daughter also adds an element of generational change and the passing of time.Overall: Not terrible but Poirot deserves a better send-off than this.

I am someone who has enjoyed many of Poirots episodes. The calm tone, good acting and decent dialogue had made it something that I was looking forward to watching. The final episode does not do any justice to the series. The lighting and decor appear to be purposefully bleak and depressing (unlike most other episodes where the color interplay always involves some strong nice colors as well). The plot and ultimate ending are simply unbelievable. Moreover, in my opinion this episode possibly casts a shadow over the morality of both Poirot and Hastings. There is other stuff too going on in this episode that is hardly worth mentioning simply because none of the characters seemed to have any particularly redeeming qualities. They were all kind of bland like the lightning and decor. All in all, very disappointed...

There are two things I appreciated most about "Curtain": 1) Although its major importance in the Agatha Christie canon is that it's "Poirot's Last Case", it is also a great mystery on its own - one full of shocks, surprises, and the kind of little twists (the revolving table....) that Christie was a master of; 2) Although it deals with Hercule Poirot's death, it is not particularly morbid or melodramatic. It treats this event with dignity, and allows Poirot to play the kind of mind games he always loved so much even from beyond the grave! This episode also functions as a worthy farewell for Captain Hastings, who is in some ways the star of the show; Hugh Fraser's contributions to this series should never be underestimated. The (justified) praise for David Suchet has become almost redundant by this point, so I would like to say that Alice Orr-Ewing has a bright future ahead of her if her Judith Hastings is any indication, and Aidan McArdle is simply brilliant - probably one of the best performances in the history of the series. This episode is smoothly directed by Hettie MacDonald, who also made the very underrated "Mystery Of The Blue Train". *** out of 4.

It's difficult, perhaps nearly impossible, to write an objective, clear- eyed review of Curtain at this point. Those of us who enjoyed Suchet's definitive portrayal are filled with a mix of emotions. So I won't even try to be objective.The setting was drab and dark, yes, but that, I think, was part of the point. A sumptuous, beautiful setting, like that seen in Five Little Pigs, would've seemed out of place. Styles is a decayed, dying home, a shadow of itself -- and so, it seems, is Poirot.Closer observers of UK television and movies might recognize members of the cast and comment on their ability to carry off their roles. I can only say that I thought all the actors did, at minimum, competent jobs. Hugh Fraser and Aidan McArdie deserve particular commendation for turning in wonderful performances. It nearly goes without saying that David Suchet proves, yet again, why he is the definitive Poirot.The expectations for this episode were tremendous. I'd say that the production did an excellent job satisfying Christie purists, an easier task given that she wrote this at the height of her powers. A wonderful way to close out a wonderful series, n'est pas?