Jessica Behind Bars

Has a lot of similarities to Prisoner Cell Block H as has all female cast and similar prison uniforms and a Bea Smith character

Another stellar cast of actors could not help the overacting in this episode of MSW. With Adrienne Barbeau, Yvonne de Carlo, Linda Kelsey, Vera Miles, Susan Oliver, Eve Plumb, and many other familiar faces among the cast, I thought this is gonna be a good one. Once again, I was laughing out loud at the stereotypical tropes of this supposed women behind bars drama.

Like most MSW episodes viewers are asked to suspend reality and belief that a regular person can walk into a crime scene and outwit trained law enforcement officers based solely on the fact that said person is a writer of mystery novels.

Every episode I check my brain at the door and watch to see how much Jessica can get away with without anyone ever challenging her. This particular truncated episode was even more bizarre than most with Jessica filling in as a substitute guest lecturer at a women's prison.

Even if this was a minimum-security penal institution, the lack of security was laughable.

For some reason, the local station that airs this program thought it was okay to cut away in the middle of the prison revolt and began airing a completely different program. I was a little upset that I never got to see how this episode ended but since all the shows are formulaic, it ended just as I would have expected.

When I saw this was a 'women in prison' episode of "Murder, She Wrote", I assumed (wrongly) that it would be filled with 1001 stereotypes and would be predictable. Instead, it was intelligently written and different.

Jessica is filling in for a teacher at the women's prison. However, the timing sucks! This is because in the middle of her class, a riot takes place...and a murder! Jessica is worried the prisoners will run amok and go on a killing spree, so she tries hard to solve the crime AND keep the prisoners from letting their emotions get the best of them.

The story has a lot of neat twists. It also avoids many of the stereotypes you see in women in prison films...and for the good. Overall, an interesting show with a most unusual murder!

This episode of Murder She Wrote has Jessica Fletcher being a guest creative writer lecturer in a women's prison. She says several of the prisoners show some promise. But then a riot takes place after Janet MacLachlan the prison doctor's body is found led by the toughest woman in the joint Adrienne Barbeau.

There's a new warden Vera Miles who's trying to make some changes and she has opposition from staff and cons. Another death in the place and it looks like possibly we will have a distaff version of Attica.

Angela Lansbury has to get answers if nothing less than for her own life being caught up in the mayhem.

A few familiar faces from old and new Hollywood and some types as there were in the great classic Caged. The grandma of all women's prison pictures.

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.

Personally liked "Jessica Behind Bars" much more than the previous reviewers. In fact, it's always been a standout episode of Season 2 from personal opinion, and as far as 'Murder She Wrote' in general too it's up there. Didn't really buy how everything was resolved so patly at the end, and Jessica seemed almost too calm and collected in moments of great tension.

Otherwise, "Jessica Behind Bars" is a great episode, and a fairly unique one too. Having an all female cast was a first in 'Murder She Wrote' and even after the show ended in 1996 it's still a unique distinction.

Even in a confined setting, a prison this time, "Jessica Behind Bars" is well shot and suits the tension of the episode well. It is kind of a hoot as well seeing all those 80s hairdos. 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.

"Jessica Behind Bars" is very thoughtfully scripted too when it could easily have been trashy, instead it touches upon heavy themes like power, corruption, fight for survival and the nature of crime, debating it in an intelligent way. The story is compelling with a final solution that is quite shocking (for both deaths) and a quite suspenseful climax (so much so it was a shame that the episode ended on a pat note).

Angela Lansbury is terrific, while there are insane performances (in the best of ways) from Margaret Avery and Adrienne Barbeau and classy support from Vera Miles and Linda Kelsey. Even Yvonne De Carlo appears as a cook. As well as its unique distinction as a 'Murder She Wrote' episode with a all-female cast, "Jessica Behind Bars" is worth seeing for the cast alone.

In conclusion, great fun and quite thrilling. 9/10 Bethany Cox