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.
"A Death in Hong Kong" is a decent start for Season 10 and indicative of Season 10 being a better one than Season 9, which on the most part it is. Much better than last season's season opener "Murder in Milan" (one of my least favourite 'Murder She Wrote' episodes and the weakest of the season openers). It's far from a 'Murder She Wrote' high-point and there's far better in the season, but it is a long way from being one of the show's worst episodes and there's worse in the season too.
The episode has a few points are deducted for the less than great (some of it is pretty bad actually) dialogue, the kidnapping subplot feeling under-explored compared to the other story elements and some of the support acting barely rising above the forgettable in sketchy roles (can't remember Soon Tek-Oh's character that much).
On the other hand, Angela Lansbury is terrific as always, while she gets very reliable support from Teri Austin, David Warner, Barrie Ingham, France Nuyen and Vivian Wu.
Production values are slick and stylish and the setting and scenery looks beautiful. 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.
Mystery-wise, "A Death in Hong Kong" is decent without being exceptional. It's not a dull one and it's neither simplistic or confusing, silly at times and some parts are better explored than others. However the corporate intrigue is intriguing, the murder is a clever one and the solution is surprising and plausible, although the motive could have been given a little more thought to.
In summation, not bad at all but not great at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox
"A Death in Hong Kong" is a decent start for Season 10 and indicative of Season 10 being a better one than Season 9, which on the most part it is. Much better than last season's season opener "Murder in Milan" (one of my least favourite 'Murder She Wrote' episodes and the weakest of the season openers). It's far from a 'Murder She Wrote' high-point and there's far better in the season, but it is a long way from being one of the show's worst episodes and there's worse in the season too.
The episode has a few points are deducted for the less than great (some of it is pretty bad actually) dialogue, the kidnapping subplot feeling under-explored compared to the other story elements and some of the support acting barely rising above the forgettable in sketchy roles (can't remember Soon Tek-Oh's character that much).
On the other hand, Angela Lansbury is terrific as always, while she gets very reliable support from Teri Austin, David Warner, Barrie Ingham, France Nuyen and Vivian Wu.
Production values are slick and stylish and the setting and scenery looks beautiful. 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.
Mystery-wise, "A Death in Hong Kong" is decent without being exceptional. It's not a dull one and it's neither simplistic or confusing, silly at times and some parts are better explored than others. However the corporate intrigue is intriguing, the murder is a clever one and the solution is surprising and plausible, although the motive could have been given a little more thought to.
In summation, not bad at all but not great at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox