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.
While a long way from being one of the best 'Murder She Wrote' episodes, and it does pale in comparison to the show's other Parisian fashion-themed episode, the Season 4 opener "A Fashionable Way to Die", "Murder a la Mode" is still decent. The murder crime and investigation are done very well and the identity of the killer was not obvious.
Angela Lansbury is terrific, and she has good support from Natalija Nogulich, James Sutorious, Maureen Mueller and Yuji Okumoto. Francois Guetary is makes it easy to see why anybody would want to do away with him.
Production values are slick and stylish with a very atmospheric foggy setting in places. 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. The writing is thoughtful and amiable mostly.
Not all the cast is good. Ellia Thompson looks and sounds awkward and uninterested throughout. The rest are pretty forgettable.
The whole stuff with the smuggling could have done with more clarity and the crimes could have been introduced earlier and with less talk and setting building (not all of it interesting) before it.
Overall, decent episode. 6/10 Bethany Cox
