New Agatha Christie drama Seven Dials is a lacklustre whodunit

Murder mystery Seven Dials, an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1929 novel The Seven Dials Mystery, debuted on Netflix’s on Jan. 15.Simon Ridgway/Netflix

You’d be forgiven if you never want to see a clock again after streaming Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Netflix’s latest not-so-cozy murder mystery. The three-parter debuted on Jan. 15 with plenty of marketing buzz but very little substance to back up the anticipation.

The project is an adaptation of Christie’s 1929 novel, a sequel to The Secret of Chimneys. The Seven Dials Mystery was largely panned by critics at the time for the author’s shift to a spy-thriller format and a weak ending, making it an unlikely candidate for Netflix’s first Christie adaptation.

Still, on paper, the series has the makings of a hit. Martin Freeman stars as Superintendent Battle, the man investigating the case; My Lady Jane’s Edward Bluemel plays the charming socialite Jimmy Thesiger; and Helena Bonham Carter is Lady Caterham, a female version of the book’s Lord Caterham. Each gives strong performances and does their best to bring the characters’ idiosyncrasies to life, despite the clunky dialogue and less-than-thrilling coincidences that string this mystery together.

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Helena Bonham Carter stars as Lady Caterham in the three-part series.Simon Ridgway/Netflix

The show kicks off at a 1925-set house masquerade party at the home of Lady Caterham. Her daughter, Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent (Mia McKenna-Bruce), has a grand old time dancing and entertaining a near-proposal from pal Gerry Wade (Corey Mylchreest) until the next morning, when she finds him dead in bed. Seven of the dials, or alarm clocks, that his friends had hidden around his bedroom as a practical joke have been stacked on the mantel. While everyone else believes the man to have died from a sleeping aid, Bundle thinks he was murdered and sets off to solve the case, using the dials as the starting point.

From there, a secret society emerges, more people wind up dead and Bundle’s backstory proves more relevant than it may have been in the book. Yet somehow this series just feels like someone wrote out all of the important moments on cue cards then strung them together with convenient arcs, forgetting to build suspense or take the time to invest in these characters.

While there are moments of wit that add charm to the often dull conversations that ensue, they are few and far between and not nearly enough to hold interest over the three long episodes. The biggest impact comes right at the beginning, when a character played by Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen is gored by a bull.

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Mia McKenna-Bruce plays Lady Caterham’s daughter, Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent.Simon Ridgway/Netflix

The rest of the project takes place from Bundle’s perspective, and while McKenna-Bruce is a watchable lead, her privilege and connections result in easy access to clues and situations that instantly lower the stakes. If everything is at your fingertips and there’s nothing to work for, the payoff isn’t rewarding.

Visually, the sets and scenery add even more lavishness to the production, but they fall flat in comparison with similar series like Downton Abbey or Bridgerton, where lavishness is embraced as part of the world building. Creator Chris Chibnall, whose expertise with series such as Broadchurch and Doctor Who made him a promising man to helm a Christie experience, fails to capture the author’s endearing tone and pace, which is essential to this type of series. Without it, you fail to establish the rules, atmosphere and stakes that engage an audience, rendering the experience akin to another round of Clue.

By the time the series lands on Episode 3 the pace begins to pick up, but by then it’s too late. As Seven Dials culminates with a twist on a train that most will see coming, it’s tough not to feel disappointed. The result is a lackluster addition to Netflix’s growing library of whodunnits, which includes worthier choices such as the Knives Out movies or the binge-worthy Thursday Murder Club.

Viewers looking to escape with an intriguing murder mystery would do better to head over to BritBox or Acorn TV, both of which have vast libraries of such content, or check out Netflix series such as Inside Man, Lost Girls or The Residence.