TV Show Review: Murder, She Wrote - Season 3

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong mysteries, Jessica

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

Many mysteries

Jessica on hand to solve

Still clever and fun

“Aunts are Very Neglected These Days.”  “Not This One.”

When it comes to nice, friendly murders, few TV shows can top Murder, She Wrote.  I regularly use it as a comparison for the types of books I love to read since so many people are familiar with it.  And the show was still going strong in season three.

Very little in this show ever changed over the course of its run, which means that fans can jump in here and feel right at home while new comers don’t need much introduction either.  The series revolves around Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), a widowed English teacher who has reinvented herself as a best-selling mystery writer.  Unfortunately, she seems to find herself getting involved in real life murder mysteries no matter where she goes, usually with a good friend or a family member involved somehow.  In season 3, she solves 20 baffling new cases, including the season opening two-parter set in a traveling circus.  A former student finds himself being haunted by the headless horseman.  Jessica’s on hand when a bodyguard is murdered on a plane trip to London.  And Jessica clears the name of a parolee who claims he didn’t commit the murder he was convicted of 30 years ago.

The mysteries on this show continue to be strong.  Occasionally, I remember who done it or I have an inkling where things are going, but when I don’t remember, I still can’t figure it out.  Yet the clues are there, and when Jessica confronts the killer (usually with backup just outside the room), she recounts just what gave them away.  I’m still amazed at the things I miss while watching this show, but it’s one reason I love to revisit these episodes.

The other reason, of course, is to spend time with Jessica.  Angela Lansbury is absolutely delightful in this role.  She brings a warmth and concern to the character that makes her feel like everyone’s favorite aunt.  And, considering how many nieces and nephews she has, that’s saying something.  Yet, when working on a case, she can get hard nosed when people ignore her, and she has no shame in playing any part needed to get the information to clear a family member or friend.

I mentioned earlier that Jessica solves 20 cases this season, yet the show had the typical 22 episodes.  The season opened with the two-parter I mentioned earlier set in a traveling circus in the south.  Meanwhile, another episode is devoted to Jessica retelling us the plot of her latest bestselling novel.  It’s fun to see what one of her books looks like – no surprise in many ways it could be an episode from her very active life solving crime.

This season also had one extra long episode, almost long enough to be a two-parter.  “Death Takes a Dive” features Boston PI Harry McGraw (Jerry Orbach) quite heavily and was the backdoor pilot to the short-lived spin off The Law and Harry McGraw.

This season also featured the crossover with Magnum, P.I.  The story for this episode started on Magnum P.I. and concluded a few nights later on Murder, She Wrote with “Magnum on Ice.”  We actually get both episodes here, although the Magnum episode is on disc six instead of being a special feature on the disc where the second half is featured.  Also, they included the Magnum as edited for syndication, which wraps things up and doesn’t give us the cliffhanger that would propel us into the second half on Murder, She Wrote.  I’ve seen the Magnum episode before, and I’ve only ever scene the syndication ending.  I’d love to see how it is supposed to end with the cliffhanger some time.

And, of course, there are the Cabot Cove episodes.  For those unfamiliar with the show, Cabot Cove, Maine, is Jessica’s hometown, and the show is often mocked because of how many murders supposedly take place in this small town.  I think people remember these episodes the best since it is one of the few places where we get recurring characters in Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) and Dr. Seth Hazlett (William Windom).  I know I always loved these episodes, so I am happy when I see their names pop up in the guest star list.

However, I still maintain that there aren’t as many episodes in that small town as people remembered.  In this season, we only get four episodes in Cabot Cove, with a fifth being set near enough that Amos and Seth are included.  Of those four episodes, one involves a team diving for treasure off the coast and one involves the team of a news show coming to town to profile the home town of best-selling author J. B. Fletcher.  All the characters truly involved in these plots are from out of town.  On the other hand, when the phone lines get crossed in a storm, Jessica overhears a murder plot.  Then an artist in town is killed in his studio.  Both of these definitely feature residents of the town.  I’m keeping a running total as I rewatch the series, and of the 64 murders that Jessica has solved in the series so far, 10 and a half have been in Cabot Cove, and of those, only 5 have involved residents of the town, while the other 5 and a half have involved groups of people visiting town.  That may still be high for a small town, but over three years, it isn’t nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be, right?

Another thing the show is famous for is the guest stars.  Angela Lansbury had been in Hollywood for a number of years, and she got many of her friends guest starring roles on the show over the years.  While I don’t recognize many of those names, I do enjoy looking for names and faces I recognize.  This season, we get to see the likes of Courtney Cox, Adam West, LaVar Burton, John Amos, Erin Moran, Hayley Mills, David Ogden Stiers, Marcia Wallce, Leslie Neilsen, Ken Olin (creator of current hit This is Us), Barry Williams, Kate Mulgrew, Shaun Cassidy, George Takei, George Clooney, and Bud Hackett.  Quite a list, right?

Fans of the series will be interested to note that this season has the first appearance of Richard Paul as Cabot Cove Mayor Sam Booth.  Eagle eyed fans will note appearances by both Ron Masak, who would become the Sheriff in Cabot Cove later in the series run, and Debbie Zip, who would play nephew Grady’s love interest in later seasons.  And yes, while I haven’t mentioned Grady, he does show up a couple of times.  He’s another recurring character I love to see.

One final casting note – modern day cozy mystery fans are familiar with the profilic writing of Daryl Wood Gerber, author of the Cookbook Nook mysteries, the French Bistro mysteries, and, as Avery Aames, the Cheese Shop mysteries.  Well, before she was a writer, she was an actress, and she shows up as Daryl Wood in one of the episodes here.  She’s in one scene of her episode, but it is still extremely fun to spot her.

Clearly, I can talk about this show for a long time.  I’m a big fan of the show, and rewatching it is a great chance to catch up with old friends.  If you are a fan of Murder, She Wrote, you’ll enjoy revisiting season three.  And if you have missed this mystery classic, jump in anywhere and find out why it continues to have so many fans.