CHRONOLOGY: 1946

APRIL: The Labours of Hercules

I expect this will be a somewhat controversial placement. The episode offers two impossible challenges. First, Countess Rossakoff mentions in her first conversation with Poirot that it's been twenty years since they last saw each other. Second, Rossakoff has apparently had a daughter in the intervening years, Alice Cunningham, who is now in her twenties.

Now, the last time Poirot and Countess Rossakoff met was in The Double Clue. I've placed that episode in 1934, mainly because Rossakoff mentions the new age of Stalin and Hitler (and Hitler didn't assume power until 1933). It's almost impossible to make the gap between this episode and The Labours of Hercules 20 years. Thankfully, a reader of the blog, Zaa, told me that the words "twenty" and "twelve" look and sound remarkably similar in the Russian language ('двенадцать' for twelve and 'двадцать' for twenty). According to him, it's perfectly possible that Rossakoff mixed up the two words in English and said twenty instead of twelve. Add to that the character's tendency to exaggerate, and it's conceivable that the mention of twenty years was either a word slip or an exaggeration, or both.  In any case, I like the idea of the Russian language as the reason behind the exaggeration. Russian was the solution to the cigarette case  in  The Double Clue, so it's neat to make Russian the answer here as well.

Since The Double Clue ideally should be set around 1933, the likely candidate for The Labours of Hercules would be 1946, immediately after the war. There's no mention of how much time has elapsed between this episode and the previous one in the chronology, The Big Four, so it's perfectly possible that the war has occurred in the intervening years. As biographer Anne Hart has established, Christie rarely mentioned the war in her war novels, so it's not unlikely that there are no references to it here; the actual collection of short stories was published in 1947, and there are no references to the war in it. Also, Dr Lutz is quick to establish that he is 'not a Nazi' in his conversation with Poirot. This could imply that he is anxious to distance himself from Germany's immediate past (suspicions towards Germans and Austrians in the immediate post-war years were not uncommon). In other words, there's a possible war reference here if you want to emphasise that.

The remaining issue is Rossakoff's daughter, Alice. She is definitely in her twenties, which wouldn't make sense given the setting for The Double Clue. In my opinion, the crucial point is Rossakoff's character. She is known as a compulsive liar, and she is very vague on both her own and Alice's origins. I think it's likely that Alice was born years before the Countess met Poirot. She might have been placed in an orphanage (which would account for SPOILER her evil nature later in life), or she has been cared for by Rossakoff's family members. It's not unlikely that Rossakoff omitted to mention her when she first met Poirot, because she knew she could use his infatuation to escape justice - just like she tries to persuade him SPOILER to let Alice escape justice in this episode.

Of course, neither of these decisions (placing the episode after the war, explaining Alice's background) are perfect, but I think this is the most reasonable explanation for an inexcusable error on scriptwriter Guy Andrews' account. 

CHRONOLOGY: 1939

MARCH/APRIL: The Big Four
I haven't seen this episode myself yet, but it has aired in Poland (October 2013). Thanks to a Polish fan, ueetba, I can place the episode in March/April 1939. In other words, this is as far as we can be certain the Poirot series has come. Ueetba has kindly provided the screencaps below. He also tells me there's no specific references to how long Hastings, Japp and Miss Lemon have been gone from the series, nor is there any explanation as to what they've been up to. Thankfully, this means that a 1939 setting, about two years since we last saw them (in chronology terms) would work.

 One of the first things we see in the episode is a letter received by Hastings in Argentina (see above). The post stamp clearly gives the date "20 APR 1939".

 After the initial prologue, which includes the letter to Hastings, a caption reads "Four weeks earlier", which leads us back to early March.

 Later in the episode, Flossie Monro receives a boquet of flowers. According to ueetba, this is in April. The action soon returns to the events of the prologue, which is set in April (as we established with Hastings' letter).

 Finally, a theatre that features prominently in the episode had it's last repertory season in 1924. Flossie Monro explains that this was "fifteen years ago". That gives us the year 1939.

MAY: The Clocks

Several things point towards a late-1930s setting for this episode. Colin Race and the Navy are turning the tunnels under Dover Castle “into a bomb proof HQ were things to come to a second war with Germany”. According to Wikipedia, the conversion of the tunnels took place just before the outbreak of the war in 1939, and they were used in military operations the following year. The Waterstones (the Jews) “came over in 1936 from Munich. They changed their name from Tuchmann”. Moreover, when arrested, Mr. Mabbutt says the following: “If Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement doesn’t hold and someone like Churchill (assumed office in May 1940) gets his hands on power, we will be dragged into a war a hundred times worse than the last one!”.

The episode is probably supposed to take place in spring 1938, as Chamberlain did not sign the Munich Agreement until September 1938. When this failed, he began to prepare for war. So it could take place in spring 1939 as well. A matter of choice, I guess. Since the conversion of the tunnels was completed by the end of 1939 (according to Wikipedia), I’ve chosen to place it in May 1939.

CHRONOLOGY: 1938

JANUARY: Murder in Mesopotamia

Frederick Bosner's execution is reported in a newspaper dated November 1918, and that was "nearly twenty years ago".  Captain Hastings says he's been married "a few years", which is pushing it a bit considering when the production crew decided to set Murder on the Links, but it might reasonably be 1938.  So this could be the latest pre-2004 adaptation in chronological terms.  Moreover, in Christie’s novel, Nurse Leatheran mentions that “M. Poirot went back to Syria, and about a week later he went home on the Orient Express and got himself mixed up in another murder”, so the episode should (and could, incredibly enough) be placed directly preceding Murder on the Orient Express. So I would say the case itself is set at some point in late December 1937 and early January 1938.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY: Murder on the Orient Express

I’ll lean on a comment from one of the excellent users of the forums at the Agatha Christie page, shantysleuth, who put my sentiments on this episode to the point:

“I think there is an error in MOTOE. It's definitely set in 1938, but the actual month is either September or January. Poirot receives a telegram from London while at the hotel in Istanbul, and it is clearly dated 26/9/38. However, a closeup of Ratchett's note telling him to drop the ransom money off at Calais reads January. I think January is correct, but how the filmmakers could be so careless as to show a closeup of an incorrectly-dated telegram is beyond me.”

In other words, I choose to set MOTOE in January/February 1938, directly after Murder in Mesopotamia.

FEBRUARY: Elephants Can Remember
The episodes opens with a caption reading "1925". Then, the action shifts, and the caption reads "Thirteen years later" (see temporary screencaps below - will upload higher quality when the DVD/Bluray set is released). As a result, the episode is quite clearly set in 1938. I am delighted to see that they 've kept going with the (conscious) move to 1938 that began with MOTOE (see above). May the remaining (as of June 2013) four episodes continue in that fashion!

JUNE: Dead Man's Folly
No references. Mrs Oliver eats apples, a habit we know she stopped in Hallowe'en Party (the novel), set in October this year. The friendship between Poirot and Mrs Oliver is well developed here, so you would assume that they have cooperated on a couple of cases already.

 

JULY/AUGUST: Three Act Tragedy

No references. George is present, so it must be after Taken at the Flood. There are also several hints to a placement after 1936. Le Train Bleu is used to Monte Carlo (my guess would be after Mystery of the Blue Train), and most of the people don’t know who Poirot is; Charles Cartwright introduces Poirot to Miss Wills as a detective (“a real one?”), making it reasonable to believe that his fame is declining (possibly as a result of his semi-retirement). The story takes place over at least two months, as a card between the first murder (Babbington) and the second murder (Strange) reads “one month later”. It looks like summer.

© ITV

SEPTEMBER: Cat Among the Pigeons

No specific references. A football game between Arsenal and Sheffield United is mentioned, but that took place in APRIL 1936, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain.  This episode is supposed to be set at the beginning of the school term (September?). George is mentioned (helping Poirot by telephone, packing case etc.), so once again this has to be placed after Taken at the Flood. Julia Upjohn, the girl, mentions one of Poirot’s cases where someone has their head smashed in. This could be Mrs. McGinty, but I’m guessing Enoc Arden/Charles in Taken at the Flood. In this episode, Spence and Poirot speculate on suicide, but regard it as unlikely to be “smashing in the back of one’s head”. Ramat (the Middle East country mentioned) does not exist. I choose September 1938.

© ITV

SEPTEMBER: The Hollow

The dinner invitation Lady Angkatell sends Poirot is dated 'Saturday 17th September'. 1938 fits this date. Lady Ankatell also mentions Poirot’s case in Baghdad (something about him being ”talked about all over Baghdad” when "Henry was High Commissioner"). This somewhat fits with Murder in Mesopotamia in January 1938, if we assume Henry has just retired. Unlikely, but possible. No mention of George or the new apartment (we don’t even see Whitehaven Mansions). So it could theoretically be set before or after Cards on the Table and Taken at the Flood. Based on the evidence of the date, however, I choose to place it in September 1938.

OCTOBER: Mrs. McGinty’s Dead
Poirot tells Mrs. Carpenter that the murder “occurred last November, the 22^nd.” Mr. Upward states “but surely, that’s all over now”. Mrs. Carpenter can’t remember Mrs. McGinty’s name, even though “she worked for you here in this house?”, as Poirot points out. She answers that “She didn’t. I wasn’t living here then. Mr. Carpenter and I were only married three months ago”. Furthermore, Mrs. Summerhayes says she bought the sugar hammer at Christmas, while Mrs. Rendell claims it happened at the harvest festival in late September (a matter of importance, because it could then have been used as the murder weapon). 

In other words, everything points to Poirot investigating the crime almost a year after it actually took place. The newspaper Mrs. McGinty reads is dated "Sunday, November 19", and the murder took place on Wednesday 22^nd. The only year to fit the dates is 1939. Furthermore, the newspaper with the verdict (shortly before Spt. Spence's visit to Poirot) is dated "Sunday, September 29". The year 1940 fits the date. This means the investigation would have to take place in 1940, which might be seen as rather unlikely. On the other hand, Poirot’s moustache looks thinner, and hardly anyone remembers him or his name. So his fame is declining. In other words, perhaps a 1940-setting could fit. As for no mentioning of the war; Anne Hart states on p. 81-82 in her book that there is hardly any evidence of wartime in either Poirot or Marple stories:


”(...) where in this decade, one may very well ask, is Poirot and the Second World War? There had, after all, been forebodings of events to come in several of the cases of the late 1930s (…) As is the case with Miss Marple in wartime, we are told practically nothing of Poirot’s activities. (…) Whether as a smokescreen or not, Poirot remained in his flat in London and continued accepting cases. Those recorded for posterity have nothing to do with the war.”


I leave it up to you to decide whether you will lean on these dates and place the episode in 1940 or ignore them and place it in 1938 (or 1939, for that matter). I've decided on 1938, because that works better with the other Ariadne Oliver stories.

Now, someone in the comment section pointed out, as I am already aware, that a) Mrs. Oliver (or rather Mr. Upward) is planning a stage version of one of her Sven Hjerson novels, and we see a Sven Hjerson play in the opening of The Clocks, set in 1938 or 1939, and b) Mrs. Oliver still eats apples in this episode, but in Christie's novel Hallowe'en Party, she is so traumatized by the brutal murder of Joyce that she promises never to eat an apple again (this is not in the adaptation of the novel, probably set in 1938, so TV-Ariadne and Book-Ariadne could easily have different sentiments on this particular fact). These two facts might suggest that the story is supposed to be set in 1938 (which, in any case, is the most likely option, even if the dates don't match). However, after the trauma of trying to adapt a novel into a play with Mr. Upward (who SPOILER! even turns out to be the killer), the play we are witnessing in The Clocks is certainly not Upward's Hjerson play, and probably not anyone elses either, really. (Unless Mrs. Oliver was tricked into it in one of her more scatterbrained moments!). Also, as to the apples, we still haven't seen her dislike of apples on screen. We'll have to wait and see, but somehow I doubt that fact will be included, since it wasn't mentioned in the adaptation of Hallowe'en Party. Still, I do think a 1938 setting is much more sensible than 1940, so unless the entire chronology is ruined by the final five adaptations of Series 13, I am inclined to make a final placement of it here. 

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Hallow’een Party

No references. Both Mrs. Oliver and George are present, so it has to be set after Taken at the Flood and Cards on the Table. And for once, we actually know how long the case lasts: The murder of Joyce is on October 31^st. The day before the last day is Guy Fawkes Night (scene between Michael and Mrs. Drake), November 5^th. Then there is one more day for investigation and denouement. I find a late 1938 setting likely, since 1937 is filled up with Mrs. Oliver’s cases already.

EDIT: As you can see in the comments section, the next to last day is not Guy Fawkes Night (Michael says "Guy Fawkes Night is almost upon us"), but the adaptation is still reasonably set within one week.

© ITV

CHRONOLOGY: 1937

JANUARY: Appointment With Death
 
The on-screen caption reads "Syria 1937". My guess would be January, simply because Death on the Nile was placed in January 1936 (and I find it likely that Poirot would escape the English winter for a warmer climate, e.g. because of his obsession with central heating, see Hercule Poirot's Christmas).

MAY: The Mystery of the Blue Train

Mirelle Milesi’s ticket for The Blue Train is dated “17 MAY 1936”.  It has to precede Murder on the Orient Express, because the following exchange takes place between Katherine Grey and Poirot:

Katherine Grey: I’m going to go to Vienna, I’m picking up the Orient Express. The idea thrills me. But I expect you’ve been on it millions of times.

Poirot: Not once. But I must!

This certainly points towards a 1936-setting. The problem is, though, that FIVE other episodes should ideally be placed in the exact same month/week/day (see this post)! In an attempt to solve this intricate problem, I’ve decided to move the adaptation one year forward, because the episode fits better in with the post-Hastings time period of Poirot’s life – and the post-1936 chronology of the new producers.In any case, I would put this error down to the production designers rather than the script writers, as this ticket is the only evidence of an intended 1936 setting

JUNE: Five Little Pigs

I can't see the year on Lucy Crale's letter to Poirot, but it's dated '7th June' which gives us a time of year to work with. The murder is said to have happened 14 years earlier, and the archive newspaper Poirot looks at is dated "Thursday, May 3". If we start by assuming another late 1930s setting for "the present day", we find that the best fit for Thursday 3rd May is 1923.  So I reckon the story itself is set in June 1937.

JUNE/JULY: Lord Edgware Dies
 
Carlotta Adams’ letter is dated June 29^th 1936, and Hastings says of a date on a box (November 10th): "that's seven months ago!". We see Miss Lemon’s case files being returned to the apartment, and Poirot stating “Have the final cases arrived?”. Yes, I know this sounds like they’re moving in again (see The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), but this is never actually mentioned explicitly. I choose to imagine that the files have just been stored up somewhere while Poirot's office has been rented out during his six month semi-retirement (see 'Hercule Poirot Timeline'). Poirot cooks dinner and tells Miss Lemon it’s “a dish that I discovered during my retirement”. This can quite as easily be several years ago, as I have chosen in my chronology (see 1933 post), or possibly on one of his journeys abroad in semi-retirement that year (see 'Hercule Poirot Timeline').

The Hastings Storyline: Hastings returns to Britian having lost the farm in Argentina (bad investment in a railway company).  Hastings explains: “poor Bella stayed behind to sell the ranch. I’ve come here to find somewhere for us to live … if I can afford London prices”. At the end of the episode, Hastings receives a cheque from the Duke of Merton (judging by the look on his face, it's a substantial amount of money):

Hastings: But shouldn’t this be made out to you?
Poirot: Oh, non, non, non. It was you who provided the clue that was vital.
Poirot (after some time): It should be sufficient, mon ami, for you to purchase an apartment in London
Hastings (after being fooled by Poirot, Japp and Miss Lemon): You know, I think I’ll put this in the bank.

In my chronology, this fits with Hastings having returned in 1937. He uses the money from the Duke of Merton – either to buy back the farm in Argentina, or to buy back his Argentinean restaurant in London (see Evil under the Sun), depending on how large the amount of money was. Personally I would go for the former option, leaving Poirot alone from July 1937 onwards. (see 'Hastings Storyline').

CHRONOLOGY: 1936 (July-December)

JULY: Murder on the Links
 
A poster is advertising the 1936 Deauville cycling contest and a calendar in Giraud’s office reads “Mercredi 18 Mai”. “Mercredi 18 Mai” is actually inaccurate, because Mercredi (Wednesday) was not the 18^th of May in 1936. 1932 is the closest fit. On the other hand, the Deauville cycling contest is in 1936, so we have to ignore one of them. My suggestion is to skip the date and keep the year, since May 1936 is already crowded (see this post). By moving Hastings's meeting with Bella forward a couple of months, we also solve some of the quirks in the 'Hastings Storyline'.

JULY: After the Funeral

The crucial evidence here is the painting of the Polflexan Pier. According to Susannah Henderson (the missionary), Cora copied:

“I’m sure aunt Cora did copy. I didn’t want to press it with Ms. Gilchrist here. –And why are you sure, mademoiselle? –Well, her paintings are mostly seaside scenes, and there is one of Polflexan, the lighthouse and the pier. But that pier burnt down five years ago. I remember reading about it, and her painting is dated last year. Oh yes, and then in her bedroom I found a postcard of Polflexan, with the pier still in place”.

Later in the episode, Cora’s picture is clearly dated ‘1935’.

Neither George nor the new apartment is mentioned, so the adaptation could be placed in 1936 (before Poirot changes apartments).

AUGUST: Evil Under the Sun

Captain Hastings’s invitation to his Argentinean restaurant (see 'Hastings Storyline') gives the date as “Saturday the 3^rd of August 1936”; he and Poirot then spend a couple of weeks at the health resort waiting for Poirot’s medical results to come through.

The difficulty here is that a telegram to Arlena Stuart during her stay at the hotel is clearly shown on the screen and is dated 12/08/36. The telegram is read by Hastings during the first day of investigation (the same day as the murder took place). He explains that the telegram is "dated two days ago", meaning that the murder supposedly took place on the 14^th. Counting the number of days of this case tells us that Evil Under the Sun takes place between August 3^rd and (possibly) August 18^th. However, Hastings supposedly returns from a trip to the Amazon in The ABC Murders on August 22^nd, and he has been away for about six months. If we are to take the references in both episodes seriously, he'll have had about four days to travel back and forth, and that is completely impossible (consider the journey from Europe to South America).


My solution is to ignore the year of The ABC Murders and move that particular episode to August 1933, thus solving any time issue in this episode.

CHRONOLOGY: 1936 (January-June)

JANUARY: Death on the Nile

January 1936 is clearly shown on Pennington’s travel ticket for the SS ‘Normandie’.

FEBRUARY: The Dream

No definite references, but Mr. Farley states “In 1935, we sold more pies than ever in our history”, so the story has to take place the following year. Looks like early spring, could be February.

MARCH: Dead Man’s Mirror 
 
The date of the second will says '23^rd March, 1936' (the first will is dated 25th of April, 1935).

APRIL: Hickory Dickory Dock

Mrs. Hubbard puts up a notice advertising Poirot’s lecture that says “Thursday 5^th April”. The closest fit is 1934, but the Jarrow March (mentioned in the episode) took place in 1936, admittedly in October. Since the producers have clearly attempted to set the episode in 1936, even if they've made a major mistake by keeping the date from the novel (I presume), I suggest the date could be April 1936 instead, thus keeping the important 1936 Jarrow March  reference almost in place. Another possibility would be to ignore the Jarrow March setting and place it in April 1934, I guess, but since the Jarrow March is so well known as a 1936 event, I think the date is more likely to be an error than the march itself.

MAY: The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

First of all, Hastings and Miss Lemon mention the case of The Lost Mine, set in 1935:

Miss Lemon: Mr. Poirot had some problems with his bank last year. Its chairman was arrested.
Hastings: Yes, I remember. It was Poirot who put the man behind bars.

Secondly, the Queen Mary (ocean liner) is mentioned. Hastings reads aloud from an article in the Times about the “maiden voyage”, and Poirot and Hastings both take the boat in the same episode. Wikipedia says this maiden voyage was the 27^th of May 1936, which gives us a date. That would give us a problem with Murder on the Links (18^th of May 1936) and The Mystery of the Blue Train (17^th of May 1936), see this post. Also, Hastings fancies one of the culprits, so he can’t have met Bella Duveen yet… My solution (see July 1936) is to keep this episode in May and ignore the date and month in Murder on the Links. As earlier mentioned, The Mystery of the Blue Train has already been moved (see 1937 post).

CHRONOLOGY: 1935

MAY: How Does Your Garden Grow?

A ticket says “Chelsea Show 1935, Vincent Square London SW1”, with the dates Wed 22^nd, Th 23^rd, Fr 24^th of May. Also, a banner outside the Chelsea Show states "The Chelsea Flower Show 1935". In other words: May 1935.

JUNE/JULY: Death in the Clouds

Poirot hands Japp a paper dated ‘Vendredi 5 Juillet 1935’. The same date is shown in the calendar of Inspector Fournier's office.

JULY: The Adventure of the Clapham Cook

The date July 11^th 1935 is given on the cheque from Mr. Ernest Todd. 

JULY: The Veiled Lady

The housekeeper of Mr. Lavington mentions that Fred Perry won again last year. That means it could be placed either in 1935 or 1936 (according to Wikipedia). I choose 1935 for chronology reasons. Month: July. Hastings states that “anyone might have used the fire”, to which Poirot answers: “In July? I don’t think so”.

AUGUST: The Lost Mine

The man pretending to be Mr. Wu Ling writes the date in the reception book (8/2/35). There is also a cheque dated "27th July 1935" (see below).

I had previously placed this in February, but as Michael very rightly points out in a comment to this post, the date is in August. I take the liberty of quoting him here:

The man checking into the hotel pretending to be Wu Ling uses the American format of placing the month first. This is clear from the date above which is written as '2nd Aug'. Poirot later comments on this, as the date format lets him know that the man checking-in had an American accent (he goes on to say Americans are a "very backward people"). So the episode takes place in August, which makes the cheque at the end of the episode dated 27 July 1935 consistent (Miss Lemon confirms it should have been paid in to Poirot's account 'ten days ago').

How I managed to overlook this I really don't know. But I am very grateful for being made aware of the mistake!