What does the ‘Seven Dials’ signify in the new Agatha Christie adaptation?
Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials on Netflix has got the audience talking once again, and we understand why. After all, it was just really supposed to be a prank.
The whodunit picks up pace when Gerry Wade’s Foreign Office buddies set eight alarm clocks by his bedside as part of a practical joke to teach a lesson to the late sleeper. But the next morning, when the alarms begin ringing simultaneously, and the cacophony fails to wake Gerry up, everyone’s taken aback to discover that he is actually dead and there’s actually one clock missing.
This is the central mystery of Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, based on the Queen of Crime’s 1929 novel, The Seven Dials Mystery. The adaptation follows the subsequent investigation by Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, despite warnings from all around.
Now, coming to the mystery surrounding the “seven dials,” in Netflix’s adaptation, it has several meanings. Firstly, with one alarm clock missing, there are seven alarm clocks left on the mantlepiece of the victim, Gerry Wade.
Secondly, when fellow Foreign Office employee Ronnie Devereux is shot, “seven dials” is the last word he utters. Lastly, in an unfinished letter penned by Gerry, he talks about a mysterious society housed in a club of the same name, also located in a neighbourhood called Seven Dials. And all of these are eventually uncovered by Bundle herself as she searches for answers surrounding Gerry and Ronnie’s murders.
The journey on which Bundle embarks to search for the truth comes with its fair share of warnings and challenges. But she isn’t someone to take the backseat so easily. So, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that she refuses the speculation of Gerry taking his own life. Gerry served in the Great War with Bundle’s late brother, Tommy, and if you see them when the series kicks off, you’d observe that romantic spark too.
Moreover, Gerry hinted at proposing to Bundle at the dinner party. And that is not really a very suicidal tip.
That said, returning to the Seven Dials Club, although it seems initially like the members are hatching a plan to steal Dr Matip’s formula, they’re actually trying to protect it. But when Bundle demands Number Seven to reveal himself, and Superintendent Battle shows up, he finally reveals to her the truth about the Seven Dials Club.
“The Seven Dials Society is not a malign organisation, far from it,” he tells Bundle. And that’s when the offer caves in for Bundle to join the group. It’s also revealed that her father was Number Three of the Seven Dials, who died on his mission to recover Matip’s formula, and Battle would like her to take his place in the club. But in case you still feel out of place, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is currently streaming on Netflix. Don’t miss it.