Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero Review

The following is a spoiler-free review of Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero. All three episodes premiere on consecutive days beginning April 16th on BritBox

When it comes to murder mystery thrillers, there is arguably no bigger name than Agatha Christie. One of the most well known novelists of all time, her many, many works have seen countless adaptations across all media as her stories have continued to captivate generations and generations of fans and murder mystery buffs alike. The latest of those, Towards Zero, based on the book of the same name, is a quick, 3-episode limited series that offers viewers a different format to the usual murder mystery. Featuring plenty of the twists and turns viewers have come to expect from a Christie adaptation, this series takes a more character-centric approach with its mystery. In many cases, murder mysteries begin with a murder (or murders) and then the investigator (or investigators) go back with their investigation to try and figure out what happened and solve the case. However, in this case, it follows its characters over the course of a summer getaway to explore their various relationships with one another, as well as their respective insecurities and quirks as it relates to the murder to come, giving audiences the opportunity to better understand the who and the why as the getaway took a turn for the worst once their simmering issues slowly crawled to the surface.

As mentioned, Towards Zero takes place in 1936 England in Gull’s Point, an ageing coastal estate and the childhood home of British tennis star Nevile Strange (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and his ex-wife Audrey (Ella Lily Hyland) whose recent divorce made all the headlines. In spite of the remaining tension between them, the former childhood sweethearts agreed to spend the summer together at the estate, with Nevile bringing along his new wife Kay (Mimi Keene). That unfinished business between them was yet one of many ongoing storylines plaguing the estate and the cast of characters currently being hosted there by Nevile’s aunt, Lady Tressilian (Anjelica Huston). Rounding out the characters are Lady Tressilian’s companion Mary (Anjana Vasan), Mac (Adam Hugill), Nevile’s mysterious new valet, Thomas (Jack Farthing), the black sheep of the family, Mr. Treves (Clarke Peters), the family lawyer, Sylvia (Grace Doherty), an orphan in his care, and Louis (Khalil Ben Gharbia), a French con man. With all of them now under the same roof, it was only a matter of time until something would happen. Presenting so many different avenues for the story to go, the writing and directing balance them all as pieces of a larger puzzle. And that puzzle would be up to Inspector Leach (Matthew Rhys) to solve.

A troubled detective in his own right, combing through the evidence and untangling a complicated web of jealousy, resentment, and dysfunction proved to be a challenge for Leach. Dealing with his own demons, that part of the character was mostly set aside in favor of his investigation. Watching the devolving dynamic between the other characters play out over the three episodes, the series definitely skimp on the drama as each brought their own dysfunction to the table. What was supposed to be a simple vacation was clearly never going to be the case for them as their emotions found a way to get the best of them. Following the murder of Lady Tressilian, tension was at an all-time high. Now, it was up to Leach to dive even deeper to try and makes sense of it all to catch the killer. While the character drama was fun to watch, when Leach officially took over, Towards Zero was ultimately at its best. Packed with an estate full of suspects, all with motive, he went where the evidence took him and that was a journey in and of itself. Ultimately, one Leach put the pieces together, it was admittedly satisfying. However, lacking in overall character development, the impact of that final outcome just wasn’t there. Marginally better than mere means to an end, they worked in the context of the story as a whole.

A period piece, Towards Zero does an admirable job at bringing Gull’s Point and 1936 London to life. From the costume and production design, to the cinematography, the series holds true to its source material and is beautiful to look at, with the view out of Lady Tressilian’s window being the highlight. Gull’s Point essentially acted as another character in the story as everything revolved around the elaborate estate. But, in the end, the best part of the series is its great performances. Boasting a strong cast, their chemistry makes the proceedings much more bearable to watch. Knowing their roles and doing their best with what little they had, they were fun to watch in creating a dysfunctional dynamic serving as a foil to Rhys’ Leach. Rhys’ effortless charm as Leach added yet another level to the series’ best character. Also an ensemble piece above all else, some of the individual nuances of the characters are lost for the purpose of the whole.

At the end of the day, Towards Zero delivers an entertaining murder mystery series whose disruptive format and perspective make for an interesting take that Agatha Christie and/or murder mystery fans will undoubtedly appreciate.

Score: 75/100

still courtesy of BritBox

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.