- Release year: 2026
- Director: Chris Sweeney.
- Producers: Joanna Crow and Rebecca Roughan.
- Screenplay by: Chris Chibnall.
- Cinematography by: Luke Bryant.
- Music by: Anne Nikitin.
Synopsis: a young man dies during a party at an old British castle. The daughter of the castle’s owner suspects foul play and investigates.
Shotgun Commentary: promising, cosy, and tragic.
Review
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is Netflix’s latest mystery series. It looks, smells, and feels like a miniseries, but Netflix has not yet decided whether it wants to keep milking the 20s whodunnit cow or not. So there’s a chance you will get further mysteries from this product in the future.
A good ol’ murder setting
The mystery begins right away, with a seemingly inconsequential death. It is followed by a lavish party where old and new money celebrate absolutely nothing while trying to make connections to perpetuate their status and shape the future of the country. The party takes place in Lady Caterham’s (Helena Bonham Carter) castle.
Lady Caterham is the mother of the protagonist, Bundle (Mia McKenna-Bruce), who is in love with the future victim. Or as in love as a British young woman in high society can be, which is not much, but enough to want to solve a murder, apparently. After the death of the young man who looked at her for two seconds longer than normal—which is posh British for loving ardently—she resolves to solve what she thinks is his murder, despite the police ruling it as a suicide.
Bits and bobs
Following the style of series like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024–), Bundle will investigate the murder mostly on her own. Her investigation is sprinkled with sidekick-ish interventions from other characters. Still, she mostly just has to put up with condescending comments and ominous warnings to get her to stop investigating. Not all mystery shows need a couple to solve them. Not all Sherlocks need a Watson—although, technically, Bundle does have Martin Freeman by her side playing Superintendent Battle, but that’s not the point. Additionally, the fact that the main victim of the story is Bundle’s love interest allows for a much smoother narrative since it isn’t constantly paused or slowed down by pointless romantic storylines.
Speaking of, a personal recommendation if you are going to give this show a try would be to not get attached to any characters just yet. The series begins with a strong body count of three characters in total. All bets are off as to who is going to drop or when. Suffice to say, there is more than enough murder to balance the wholesome vibes of the show perfectly.
Final thoughts
Last but not least, the cast is fantastic. Naturally, seasoned actors like Bonham Carter and Freeman are expected to deliver great performances, which they do. However, the younger actors featured in this series aren’t left far behind. There isn’t a single character out of place or performance out of style. This makes the actoral talent one of the strongest aspects of the show.
All in all, “Bundle of Love”, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials’ first episode, is charming and engaging, with barely any pause in its rhythm and gorgeous cinematography. Granted, the mystery itself is pretty easily solved. The clues are insanely easy to spot from the very beginning, and, as long as you don’t get distracted by nonsense, you will be able to figure out the ending fairly easily. Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the series is a nice ride, so it is worth the watch regardless of the simplicity of the case.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Never take anyone for granted when a killer is on the loose.
- Always enjoy a party in case it is your last one.
- Lack of money won’t keep people from looking at you over the shoulder if they are deluded enough.
What’s your take? Have you watched Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message on my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀