Murder a la Mode

While I love the Cabot Cove episodes with the Dr. and the sheriff, It is fun to see Jessica get out and about to exotic locations. Set in the world of French fashion, it is harder to guess the murderer than some other episodes.

Jessica's excursion into the world of the fashion elite in Paris leads to murder, sweatshops and smugglers. There's plenty of double crossing, secrets and twists and turns in this really good episode. It's a standout in season 11, which, overall, has a mixed bag of episodes.

Like many episodes of "Murder, She Wrote", this one is set abroad...though it was actually filmed in California. And, like many of these 'traveling' episodes, the accents of some of the locals seem to come and go...particularly with the police inspector.

Jessica is in Paris for some book tour and she just happens to have a friend who is there because she's a top fashion model. Not surprisingly, someone soon is murdered...and Jessica decides to investigate.

This is a decent episode despite few in the cast having French accents as well as those who did, it seemed to come and go. The mystery itself is decent and the show is mildly interesting.

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

While a long way from being one of the best 'Murder She Wrote' episodes, and it does pale in comparison to the show's other Parisian fashion-themed episode, the Season 4 opener "A Fashionable Way to Die", "Murder a la Mode" is still decent. The murder crime and investigation are done very well and the identity of the killer was not obvious.

Angela Lansbury is terrific, and she has good support from Natalija Nogulich, James Sutorious, Maureen Mueller and Yuji Okumoto. Francois Guetary is makes it easy to see why anybody would want to do away with him.

Production values are slick and stylish with a very atmospheric foggy setting in places. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The writing is thoughtful and amiable mostly.

Not all the cast is good. Ellia Thompson looks and sounds awkward and uninterested throughout. The rest are pretty forgettable.

The whole stuff with the smuggling could have done with more clarity and the crimes could have been introduced earlier and with less talk and setting building (not all of it interesting) before it.

Overall, decent episode. 6/10 Bethany Cox

I love MSW, and this review does not reflect my usual adoration for the star, Dame Lansbury.

As a younger person, I never took interest in this show; thanks to syndication, I really enjoy watching and trying to pay close attention to the subtle clues of each murder.

As much as I wanted to love this episode, it was just not very captivating. The motive of the murder was not very clear, and it was an implausible clue (why I titled my review 'ridiculous') that preceded the solution of the murder.

In addition, Elia Thompson exuded annoyance and a smug expression the entire episode. Also, she was a poor choice for a high-fashion runway model, and the whole runway portion was a little embarrassing to watch.

The inclusion of the smuggling, and Huan's character, made it all seem like too much to squeeze into one episode. There was enough potential material within the "fashion" triangle of characters, as I saw it.

The unlikable characters were too many for me to enjoy watching this episode, in addition to the silly plot and embarrassing fashion details. 4 Stars are for our mystery heroine, who never fails to deliver.