Teresa Reviews Winter Nights Serial Murders (2022)

Teresa reviews Winter Nights Serial Murders, the story from the Chinese Checkmate series based on Three Act Tragedy

(c)2023 by Teresa Peschel

Source: Ebay listing

Fidelity to text: 3 poisoned cocktails

I think. It was like a highlights reel of the novel with plot twists added and important details missing so you couldn’t put them into context.

Quality of movie: 2½ poisoned cocktails

Inadequate subtitles coupled with far too many nearly identical names and having the story actually start in episode 4 of Checkmate (this section began in episode 21) made for major confusion.

Read more of Teresa’s Agatha Christie movie reviews at Peschel Press.

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I’m going to have to watch this again, not because it was spectacular but because it was confusing.

Over the course of its 24 episodes, Checkmate has made it clear there’s something bigger going on. Unlike, say, Les Petits Meurtres d’Agatha Christie. The French series — both seasons! — hinted at an overall story arc and then never delivered.

Checkmate has given us hints all along, and they’re finally piling up enough to get an idea of who’s behind the nefarious plot to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of China.

It’s the Japanese. Probably. With possible help from Russia. I include Russia because the murderous Ma Shiying (the villain in the Orient Express sequence) got diplomatic immunity from Russia, rescuing him from execution. Watching the Japanese consul get kidnapped in the last sequence to promote a war between China and Japan, after Situ Yan and Luo Shaochuan learned of a secret Japanese spy organization called Oracle, makes me virtually certain it’s the Japanese. Except that there’s probably Chinese warlords involved who want to become the next emperor. They stopped the train in the opening Orient Express sequence when Ma Shiying was murdered onboard.

You’re welcome for the clarity. It was hard won!

Which is why transforming the death of Situ Yan’s mentor way back at the beginning of episode 4 into the dress-rehearsal murder in Three Act Tragedy (he took the role of Reverend Babbington) was almost incomprehensible. That was so long ago in TV time, I’d forgotten what few details we got.

It sort of fits. No one at the time thought it was murder. Lawyer Shen had heart trouble and — it’s slowly revealed — troubles at home with Madame Shen over the death of their only son. It was a surprise when Lawyer Shen keeled over at a party celebrating a new legal organization dedicated to sovereign rights for the Republic of China but it was easily explained. No one wanted to murder him. He was old, had heart trouble, and grieved over the death of his only child. Sick, sad old men die all the time.

How did Situ Yan make this gigantic mental leap between Lawyer Shen’s sudden death and the kidnapping of the Japanese consul? I dunno. I’ll blame inadequate subtitles instead of poor writing. But! Situ Yan has been concerned about sovereignty and foreign interference since his case against Ma Shiying was tossed out of court on very suspicious grounds, leading directly to his exile to Harbin and returning to Lawyer Shen’s household.

Lawyer Shen, Luo Shaochuan’s father, and several other characters who’ve popped over the last 20 episodes, were all at that fatal banquet launching the new legal organization.

In this episode, our dynamic duo split up to investigate.

Luo Shaochuan and our eager cub reporter, Jin Qiming, head off to interview Dr. Fang, Harbin’s head of pathology. He lives in a suitably dramatic castle in the mountains outside of Harbin, accessible only via a narrow suspension footbridge.

To Luo Shaochuan’s shock, he discovers his aunt and his cousin, Zou Jingxuan, are visiting Dr. Fang. There’s a houseful of guests, including a much older actor, Du Heng, who’s openly interested in young, pretty Zou Jingxuan. It turns out Zou Jingxuan and Du Heng have been doing some investigating in Beijing into the much larger, hidden story arc. Luo Shaochuan feels the first stirrings of jealousy seeing his erstwhile fiancée being courted by some has-been actor old enough to be her father.

Meanwhile, Situ Yan and Zhou Mowan return to Madame Shen’s where he insists on revisiting her husband’s death. Madame Shen dramatically claims it was all her fault. During the interview, Jin Qiming arrives with disturbing news. Dr. Fang, who was also at that fateful legal association banquet with Lawyer Shen, has just been poisoned in front of a tableful of dinner guests. Could the two incidents be connected?

Of course they could. Dr. Fang’s guests are all Harbin VIPs and they were all present at that same, fateful legal banquet when Lawyer Shen had his fatal heart attack. This includes the drunk, Dai Luming (Captain Dacres) unhappily married to Zheng Bai (Cynthia Dacres), and the writer, Dong Cixin (Miss Wills) who knows Du Heng, former actor, oh very well indeed.

Situ Yan and Zhou Mowan arrive at Dr. Fang’s castle and commence investigating. Sergeant Bao of the Harbin police department arrives. Events move very quickly, considering how long this sort of thing normally takes. Lawyer Shen’s body is exhumed to see if he’d been poisoned. He had, and by the same method as Dr. Fang (Dr. Strange), as revealed by his quickie autopsy. Was it ricin, as has been used so many times before? No, this time, it’s nicotine.

All very recognizable if you’re familiar with Agatha’s novel. The first murder was the trial run, setting up and camouflaging the second murder. The third murder (by poisoned chocolates) takes place offscreen and it’s another red herring, diverting attention from the murder that matters, Dr. Fang. The murder method — by poisoned cocktails — follows the text exactly. So does the missing butler and his fake blackmailing letters.

But then things go off the rails. It’s odd enough to watch Zou Jingxuan assume the role of Egg in this mini-arc, like she embodied Flora Ackroyd previously. Luo Shaochuan takes the role of Oliver Manders, even to the point of crashing the dinner party although it’s not because he had a secret invitation from the doctor.

But learning that Zheng Bai (Cynthia Dacres) was planning suicide because of the misery of her marriage and Dr. Fang wouldn’t prescribe the painless death pills she wanted? I think? Bad subtitles made it confusing.

Far weirder was learning the hidden relationship between Zou Jingxuan and Du Heng. Yes, he’s a former actor with a wife he doesn’t discuss. Why? Because his wife was Zou Jingxuan’s mother. When she died, Bai Shanshan (Luo Shauchuan’s aunt) adopted the baby girl and raised her as her own daughter.

I can only imagine what Zou Jingxuan will think when she learns the nice, older actor who’s been so friendly to her is actually her father. We don’t get that scene, not yet anyway.

Weirdest of all was learning why Du Heng had to murder Dr. Fang, Lawyer Shen, an unlucky woman with poisoned chocolates, and — I think! — one or two other people. It wasn’t because he was crazy and wanted to marry the sweet young damsel or that he wanted to marry the sweet young damsel, despite the presence of his crazy wife locked up in the loony bin. No, it’s because he’s an agent of Oracle, the Japanese spy ring. If he wants to escape them (and protect Zou Jingxuan), he must murder everyone who knows his secret.

I think. There was so much going on, with wildly inadequate subtitles, that I really can’t be sure. But it makes sense that a Japanese spy ring would want to undermine the legitimacy of the Chinese government, prior to invading. We’ve already seen several suspects die of ricin poisoning under suspicious circumstances during the series. I’m including the suicides of Bai Lu and Lawyer Li Yuanpu because by now, I don’t trust anyone’s death on Checkmate. Were those deaths part of Du Heng’s plot? Or Oracle’s?

This story arc ends abruptly, with the survivors trapped by bad weather in Dr. Fang’s castle and surrounded by unanswered questions. So, I guess we’ll find out when Checkmate adapts Curtain. It may be Situ Yan’s last case.