by Vi Burgess, executive editor
“Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; one choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little soldier boys stayed up late; one overslept himself and then there were eight…..”
The BBC miniseries “And Then There Were None”, based on Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name, is quite frankly a masterpiece. Loosely based on the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Soldiers”, ten strangers are invited to an island off the Devon coast on different pretexts–to visit an old friend, to become a secretary, to have a house party. Soon after arrival, a mysterious recording accuses them each of gruesome murders and promises vengeance.
Told mainly from the eyes of Vera Claythorne (Maeve Dermody), who is accused of murdering a child in her care, the ten are left alone on the island with no way of escape. Vera quickly realizes that each of them is being murdered, one by one, as according to the nursery rhyme; as the others realize, it quickly destroys any facet of social order. All eventually conclude that the murderer must be on the island, leading to the question as to whether the person sitting next to them is the hunter or the hunted.
Part of the excellence of the miniseries is the combination of intriguing mystery and nightmarish psychological thriller. Though the plot deviates slightly from the plot of the novel, the unique twists and cruelly ironic puns still create an almost horrifyingly predictable outcome. However, fans of “Sherlock” will find themselves at home with not only the murder mystery but also the cinematography style, which almost echoes the latter show with a stunning Wes Anderson-like color scheme throughout the series.
The acting, especially on the parts of Vera Claythorne, Lawrence Walgrave, and Phillip Lombard (Maeve Dermody, Charles Dance, and Aidan Turner) is also superb. The panic and mania that lead to desperation seem completely real, further drawing you into the puzzle. In addition, the flawlessly inserted flashbacks that provide insights into the accused murders’ characters are well thought out and very well executed, leading the watcher from sympathy at their impending death to almost condemnation at their former actions and the moral question as to whether they deserve their upcoming demise.
Be forewarned, though: as a psychological murder mystery, the incorporation of some graphic elements was inevitable. The miniseries features extreme violence and cruelty, alcohol and drug usage, and some (not graphic) intimacy. However, these are treated as part of the mystery and are not put in for their own sake, and the overall effect, as well as the entire series, is shockingly phenomenal.
