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.
With such an exotic setting, the likes of Hurd Hatfield and John Rhys Davies and a pretty decent idea for a story, you'd think that "Night of the Tarantula" would have been more compelling than it turned out to be. While a long way from a show low point, to me it is a lesser episode of Season 6 and a strong contender for the weirdest Season 6 episode.
Let's start with the good things first. The production values as ever are slick and stylish, with the Jamaican setting being colourful and wonderfully exotic and as always it's complemented by very professional looking photography. The theme tune is hard to resist, for me it's one of the catchiest television theme tunes of the 80s, and there are times where the music is energetic and unobtrusive. The script has moments where it's thoughtful and likeably light-hearted.
Some of the cast come off well. Angela Lansbury demonstrates as ever why this is one of her best-remembered roles. John Rhys Davies and Nancy Valen make a valiant effort in bringing dignity to the episode and less than juicy material and Hurd Hatfield's last 'Murder She Wrote' performance is memorable in a good way. Shani Wallis is lovely as ever and gives some charm.
However, the rest of the cast seem stranded and as unfamiliar with their material as the viewer is. Only the above rise above the material, the others didn't seem to be able to do anything with it. Which is not a surprise, because while there were moments the overblown and stilted dialogue (almost like there wasn't much of a script) would be beneath anybody.
As with the story, which starts off dull due to taking too long to get going and gets duller. The mystery becomes more muddled and even more poorly thought out, and the weird goings on become weirder and more over-the-top that it goes from intriguing to oddly melodramatic to plain ridiculousness quite quickly, crawling up to a very random-feeling denouement. Too much of the music is intensely over-bearing here as well.
In conclusion, despite the beautiful setting and the brave performances of Lansbury, Davies, Valen, Wallis and Hatfield this was a dull, excessively weird and not very well thought out episode. 5/10 Bethany Cox
