Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series) A Time to Die (1988) User Reviews

Fatal Attraction

[safenoe · 7/10 · 15 November 2016]

In this second last episode of Tales of the Unexpected, Yves Drouard (David "Inspector Poirot" Suchet) has an affair with Violette Charbonneau, played by Jemma Redgrave who later starred in Judge John Deed.

It turns out Violette announces to Yves that she's pregnant, and she expects him to leave his wife Marthe. This reminds me of Fatal Attraction, which was released a year earlier, where things get really emotional when Alex (Glenn Close) tells Dan he will be a father again. Anyway, in this episode, Violette is concerned Yves has cold feet, and threatens to have an abortion.

This episode was released the year after Thatcher leading the Conservatives to a historic third term in 1987, and fancy clothes, tuxedos, flowers and tablecloths, fine silver, and wine and all that abound. The ending of this episode was was quite explosive.

Decent Tales of the Unexpected episode.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 7 May 2007]

Tales of the Unexpected: A Time to Die is set in France where wealthy industrialist Yves Drouard (David Suchet) has women problems, for a start his adulterous wife Marthe (Nina Van Pallandt) can't give him the child that he wants & they don't particularly like each other that much anymore. Then there's Yves mistress Violette (Jemma Redgrave) who is both young & attractive & when she becomes pregnant with his child, the child he has always wanted, Yves decides he has to do something about Marthe...

This Tales of the Unexpected story was episode 9 from season 9 which ended up being the penultimate episode of this show & originally aired here in the UK during May 1988, the third of three Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by Paul Annett this is a better than usual effort for this show. The story by Aileen Wheeler was dramatised by Robin Chapman & as was common in the show's latter series A Time to Die is a crime thriller drama as opposed to the horror or supernatural themed episodes that Tales of the Unexpected are remembered for, this has a neat enough premise of a complicated seemingly fool-proof elaborate plot to murder someone & makes for a decent enough 30 odd minutes worth of TV & it actually has a nice ironic twist ending which rounds things off in a satisfying way unlike many episodes from this show. It's nothing spectacular or outstanding but it provides a certain amount of entertainment & is watchable if nothing else.

Being one of the latter episodes, the second to last in fact, A Time to Die hasn't dated as badly as many stories from this series, it still looks a bit cheap & there's no way on Earth this convinced me it was set in France. The acting is good from yet another fine British cast including the always watchable David Suchet who would go on to star in ITV's excellent Poirot (1989 - ????) adaptations starting the following year & Jemma Redgrave appears in this as well.

A Time to Die is a decent enough little crime thriller with a nice twist that's worth a watch if you've got nothing better to do, a perfectly watchable time waster if nothing else.

C'est magnifique.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 22 February 2016]

Yves Drouard is a wealthy and successful businessman, owning among other things a construction company, living in a gloriously ostentatious apartment in Paris. In a stale and loveless marriage to wife Marthe, he's been having an affair with the beautiful young Violette Charbonneau. Yves claims he can smell gas, calling in the gas men, he's definitely plotting something, especially in light of Violette's news, she's pregnant.

This is one of the best episodes in my humble opinion, I really like 'A time to die,' the French links are a little tenuous I guess, only a little oui and monsieur here and there. Wonderfully clever idea, beautifully written, stylish, wonderfully acted with a cracking twist.

The cast certainly look the part, Suchet is perfect in the role as Yves , brilliant as the conniving and devious husband. Only just before Suchet would take up the famous role of Poirot. Nina van Pallandt looks perfect in the role as his wife, such a stylish woman. Jemma Redgrave was so beautiful, such a classy looking beauty.

Super stylish, one of the best.

9/10

Another divorced based story

[bmesser · 4/10 · 27 January 2022]

Q. You don't like your wife and can't get a divorce from her? A. Walk out on her and make off with your teenage girlfriend. The trouble in this story he has to blow her up with a half kilo of Semtex under the gas meter.