Agatha Christie fans are left baffled by a VERY confusing supernatural twist at the end to BBC adaptation of The Pale Horse – and claim the author would be ‘turning in her grave’
- WARNING: SPOILERS
- Last night’s finale of the BBC adaptation of The Pale Horse left viewers confused
- Episode ended with Mark (Rufus Sewell) reading about his death in the paper
- Fans were left divided over who had killed him and what had transpired
- Furious fans said Agatha Christie would be ‘turning in her grave’ over the show
BBC drama The Pale Horse left viewers confused as it came to a bizarre end last night.
The two-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery answered some questions – including revealing who was behind the killings – but failed to address others.
It also introduced a major supernatural plot twist in the final moments of the episode that dramatically altered the ending from Christie’s original.
The revelation left viewers at home reeling – and prompted hundreds to take to Twitter in search of an explanation.
The two-part adaptation of Agatha Christie’s supernatural-infused murder mystery answered some questions – including who was responsible for the killings – but failed to address others. Pictured, Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) in the final moments of last night’s finale
The episode introduced a major plot twist in the final moments of the episode that left viewers at home reeling – and taking to Twitter in search of an explanation, pictured
One tweeted: ‘When you turn to Twitter to find out wtf the ending in #Palehorse meant but no-one else knows either.’
Another posted: ‘If you review twitter #palehorse no one understands the ending. I mean no one. Complete failure in storytelling. AC [Agatha Christie] would be turning in her grave. At the very least she explained everything at the end.’
A third wrote: ‘Just watched the conclusion of #PaleHorse. Can anyone tell me what was going on? I am completely lost.’
Others criticised screenwriter Sarah Phelps for diverging too far from Christie’s original plot, with one pointing out that she killed off the heroine early into the show.
The episode left viewers utterly baffled, with dozens taking to Twitter to share their confusion
Last week’s episode also faced criticism after viewers pointed out it was littered with ‘offensive’ swear words that did not feature in the original text.
The intrigue surrounding Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) came to a head last night with the revelation that pharmacist Zachariah Osborne (Bertie Carvel) was behind the wave of recent killings.
It emerged that Osborne had worked with Jessie (Madeleine Bowyer) as a contract killer, discreetly poisoning people who were seen as ‘obstacles’ to happiness.
Potential clients who wanted to enlist his services were directed to have their fortunes told by the witches of The Pale Horse in Much Deeping. The ‘clients’ believe it’s the witches carrying out the killings but in reality the three women are oblivious to the plans.
However Jessie would be on hand to listen to the conversation, note the name of the ‘obstacle’ and pass on the name to Osborne, who would then poison the victim with thallium.
Mark killed Osborne with a single blow but when he returned home, he picked up the day’s newspaper to see news of his own death on the front page, pictured
Mark’s late first wife Delphine then emerged from the shadows and strolled into the bathroom, as seen above, where he killed her in a jealous rage, prompting him to plead: ‘Not again’
Viewers were baffled and noted that no one understood the episode’s ending
After realising that Jessie was wavering – and after she accused him of having ‘jobs on the side – Osborne poisoned his assistant, but not before she wrote out the list of past and future victims.
Easterbrook’s name ended up on Jessie’s list because his late first wife Delphine (Georgina Campbell) had gone to the pub to have her fortune told, not realising that her mentioning her husband would land him in danger.
Osborne decided to poison Mark, as well as his two obstacles: his second wife Hermia (Kaya Scodelario) and Detective Inspector Stanley Lejeune (Detective Inspector Stanley Lejeune), who was suspicious of Delphine’s apparently accidental death.
Mark eventually pieced together the clues and determined Osborne was not an apparent victim, as he had claimed to be, but was in fact the killer. The pair faced off in Osborne’s workroom and Mark killed the murderer with a single blow to the head.
The intrigue surrounding Mark Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) came to a head last night with the revelation that pharmacist Zachariah Osborne (Bertie Carvel), pictured, was behind the killings
Osborne failed to kill Hermia and she woke in hospital with the three witches by her side, pictured. The suggestion was the witches had put a curse on Easterbrooke
Meanwhile Hermia ‘woke up’ in hospital to find the three witches by her bedside, Osborne’s poison apparently having failed to work, and asked ‘what happens to Mark?’
At the same time Easterbrooke returned home and picked up the paper to find his own death reported on the front page.
His late first wife Delphine then emerged from the shadows and strolled into the bathroom, where he had killed her in a jealous rage, prompting him to plead: ‘Not again’.
Viewers and critics were divided over what exactly the ending meant, with some suggesting Osborne had actually killed Mark, while others claimed the witches, or even Hermia was behind his death.
However most agreed that Mark had been doomed to relive the murder of his wife and Osborne’s torment in his final days.
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