If the Shoe Fits

From what we learn about Bruce Glover nobody is likely to mourn for him when he's killed. The guy was a bully, a skinflint, and a womanizer not necessarily in that order. But someone kills him and puts him in his car and tries to make it look like an accident.

Suspicion falls on Season Hubley who skipped town and left her son Jonathan Brandis abandoned. This is where Jessica Fletcher comes in as she and Dr. Hazlett intervene.

When the perpetrator is finally identified and apprehended we actually that the poor soul gets a good lawyer to get him off. The victim had been begging for this for years.

Nice scenes with Angela Lansbury, William Windom and the late and tragic Jonathan Brandis. Jessica Fletcher even becomes a temporary foster mother.

This may be my most favorite episode of MSW in existence. Rather than breaking down the entire plot as others have already done, I will focus on why this episode is great.

The show can often have pretty in-depth plot points; in my opinion, this series has always made the viewer work a little harder to understand the final conclusions. This episode is markedly easier to follow, with no complicated plot lines.

The main characters in the storyline are so endearing; Mrs. Bryce is capably believable in her love and protection of her son, in spite of her life challenges. Jonathan Brandis plays son Kevin, who is absolutely perfect in his role; he is endearingly earnest, while also being a normal (not oddly prodigal) pre-teen. He is truly the young man you may know in your own life, if you are fortunate.

The best aspect is the love and kindness Jessica has for Kevin; she treats him like her own son, and you can feel the safety that she pours out for him. It's like having 45 minutes of respite from a world that is nothing like this bubble of safety at Cabot Cove.

The culture of the early 90s was still able to convincingly depict the ideals of a safe community. In that sense, this episode is a little dated, but it's truly a joy to watch.

In terms of the plot, very little focus is given to the unsavory victim and his behaviors, but it is clear that he exploits his power and treats women poorly. This episode definitely implores the viewer to side with the perpetrator of the murder.

Thematically, it shows the power of community when others are in trouble.

It is hard to accept the loss of some excellent actors, including Jonathan Brandis, but he truly maximized his part in this role.

In "If the Show Fits", Jessica is a very nice lady and befriends a poor kid and his mother. And, when the mother disappears, she contacts Children's Services and gets them to agree to let her keep the boy until his mother returns. Imagine their surprised when she does disappear....and is soon jailed for murder! Does she get to keep him even when the reasons change?

This episode really emphasizes what a nice person Jessica is...as well as being a crime-solving genius. Not a bad episode at all, but a bit tough to believe that a tough, uncaring bureaucracy would just let Jessica take in a boy in need of a home.

A factory worker, struggling to make ends meet for herself and her son, becomes a prime suspect when her lecherous landlord is killed. Jessica is at her most compassionate here, not just giving the boy some odd-end jobs at her house, but helping to prove that his mother didn't kill the landlord, who happens to be most vilest characters. It's a good episode with a little more emotion and heart than usual.

A bully of a landlord makes himself unpopular by upping rent and forcing his unwanted attentions on the local women, he gets his comeuppance.

It's a very good episode, with a well crafted mystery, and a good set of characters. I'd argue this has been the best Cabot Cove set episode so far in this sixth series, the main regulars are all put to good use. It's an episode where the victim is signposted, but the killer's identity comes as a surprise.

Jessica's talents are once again vast and varied, this time coming to the aid of a kid in need of foster care.

I think the young Jonathan Brandis is actually really good here, so often it was the case that young actors wouldn't exact perform well, he did a great, believable job.

Very good, 8/10.