Murder, She Wrote: Deadly Lady
August 19, 2014 10:38 AM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe
It was a dark and stormy night, the perfect sort of night to get swept overboard off your yacht, leaving your four daughters to split your wealth. But was it foul play? And who is this supposed hobo who happened to come by and ask Jessica for work?
The boat captain was a great character - I can't find out why he got written out in the second season, although I have much love for Dr Hazlitt who replaced him as Jessica's side-kick.
The episode didn't work for me because the four daughters were so clearly not mourning their father, and yet he was a sympathetic man with Jessica. One horrible daughter can be understood, but four seems to suggest that the father must have been rather terrible to them, or something else to have alienate them from him.
Usually there's a sort of implicit moral balance in MSW, where someone is hated for fairly rational reasons, although the murder is never justified. In this case, it felt like a scene was missing to explain why the four daughters were willing to cover for their father's death - he was controlling, it's implied but not cruel.
posted by viggorlijah at 6:11 AM on August 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
The episode didn't work for me because the four daughters were so clearly not mourning their father, and yet he was a sympathetic man with Jessica. One horrible daughter can be understood, but four seems to suggest that the father must have been rather terrible to them, or something else to have alienate them from him.
Usually there's a sort of implicit moral balance in MSW, where someone is hated for fairly rational reasons, although the murder is never justified. In this case, it felt like a scene was missing to explain why the four daughters were willing to cover for their father's death - he was controlling, it's implied but not cruel.
posted by viggorlijah at 6:11 AM on August 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
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- The four sisters had the most scripted story. Did they think they fooled anyone?
- It was fun to see Jessica show off her deductive reasoning with the faux-hobo.
- Oh, the 1980s, when smoking was more accepted - "better you smoke that pipe than let it sit there, collecting dust"
- Who carries their purse while walking on a private yacht?
- "I may have confessed to killing him, but I didn't kill him." Oh, my apologies, I was confused.
- Oh, comically shady Mr. Shelby.
- The grim reaper's harbinger rides a bicycle, everywhere! Good on you, Miss Jess!
- "I love her very much, and nothing can get between her and me," except a lot of money, then I'll happily leave without saying goodbye.
- The fakest of fake accents, and the least subtle sharing of confidential information.
- Jess was a jerk to the Sheriff. Did she not trust him to keep a secret?
I'll post the next episode, "Birds of a Feather," on Saturday.posted by filthy light thief at 10:55 AM on August 19, 2014