O'Malley's Luck

Currently blowing through the complete MSW. While Angela is always missed in the non-Jessica episodes, they're usually still enjoyable. Not O'Malleys Luck. The combination of Pat Hingle's cloying accent and skeezy manner had me rooting for the murderer. Just terrible.

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.

Most of the bookend episodes, which only mostly sees Jessica introducing the episode and then make some concluding remarks before the mystery kicks in and we're introduced to leading characters that have varied in how compelling they are, 'Murder She Wrote' fans dislike for understandable reasons. Some are surprisingly good, such as "Murder According to Maggie" and (from memory) the Dennis Stanton bookend with Ricardo Montalban ("Murder in F Sharp" if memory serves correct?), some are average or just above and others such as "Good-Bye Charlie" and "The Szechuan Dragon" are mediocre and less.

"O'Malley's Luck" is one of the average bookend episodes. Not awful and not one of the worst bookends let alone the worst 'Murder She Wrote' episode ("The Szechuan Dragon" and the worst of Season 12 are stronger contenders for that title), but a long way from a 'Murder She Wrote' high-point.

It is made watchable by the terrific performance of Pat Hingle, O'Malley being one of the more compelling and best-acted non-recurring character lead in a bookend episode. As well as the delightful chemistry between him and Stacy Edwards, charming as his rookie cop niece, the episode being at its best when they're working together, butting heads and comparing notes. Nice to see professional and cohesive police work here.

Production values as ever are slick and stylish. 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. Some of the writing is light-hearted and thought-provoking.

Unfortunately, "O'Malley's Luck" is let down by the story, which suffers from a lacklustre pacing and too much going on. There are too many characters, some adding nothing to a completely superfluous degree (Grillo and Trent are a couple of few that actually contribute well or seem needed), and too many plot strands, some of which not developed anywhere near enough.

The mystery itself is uninvolving and is both at some points too easy to figure out (wasn't that surprised at the ending) and at other points too confused. It doesn't feel like an episode of 'Murder She Wrote' and doesn't work as a standalone, another example of a bookend that feels like a first episode to a planned series that didn't make it past the first episode.

A lot of the acting is not very good. Only Hingle and Edwards seem to be properly giving their all and are properly engaging, the rest go through the motions. The writing has moments but generally lacks spark and the pacing never really fires on all cylinders.

In conclusion, not awful, not great. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Angela Lansbury introduces this episode which looks like a pilot for a series that didn't get picked up. The characters in said series would have been an uncle and niece pair of cops, the uncle a veteran detective the niece fairly new on the job.

Pat Hingle is the uncle and the man has a brogue so thick you'd have to take an axe to it. Niece is Stacy Edwards and both are involved in the death of city mover and shaker Ron Liebman's wife who went over her penthouse balcony. Hingle thinks she had aid and assistance.

Did Liebman in fact do the deed? He has an alibi saying he was with associate Pamela Bowen on business. He does not want this incident investigated, but Hingle is a guy who made a career on stepping on toes.

This might have made a nice series.

During the run of "Murder, She Wrote", there were quite a few so-called 'bookend' episodes. These were shows that did NOT feature Anela Lansbury but starred other would-be detectives. Lansbury instead introduces and sometimes concludes with her...and perhaps these shows were mean to give the elderly actress a break...and in some cases you realize the shows were intended as pilots for a series that was never to be.

In "O'Malley's Luck" Pat Hingle very ably plays a police detective investigating a murder that looks like a suicide. However, he's saddled with a young actress who plays his niece...and her character is well underwritten. I kind of felt sorry for her having to utter the lines she was given. Overall, a decent story...with one very weak leading character.

Jessica's friend, police Lt. O'Malley, and his rookie niece solve the case of a businessman's wife's apparent suicide. An average episode which benefits from good characterisation and humour. The way O'Malley and his niece pins the killer to the crime is good.