Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) Tainted Lady (1991) User Reviews

Yikes that got dark....

[stevenjlowe82 · 8/10 · 30 August 2023]

I don't often leave reviews of singular episodes of a long running TV show as just too many episodes to sit and do individually.

However this episode has such a sinister undertone and that final scene in the jail cell between the sheriff and the accused was so shocking I just had too say something.

For me Murder She Wrote is the definition of cosy murder mysteries like the American equivalent of Miss Marple. Terrible things happen all the time in this show and it is littered with colourful nefarious characters but it's done in such a way it feels comfortable and non threatening. This episode was a whole other thing in my humble opinion.

The Sheriff was so unhinged with such real menace about him he was genuinely terrifying. He was straight up going to assault that women in the cell and I was honestly shocked to see Murder She Wrote take such a dark turn. He even said "you need loving from a real man".....holy cow that's messed up. Also when the female officer steps in and essentially saves this woman from being assaulted the sheriff barks "how many times have I told you not to disturb me when I'm in here" or something to that effect. How many women has this psycho assaulted??? It was even more disappointing that it was never addressed and the episode wrapped up in a rather cosy fashion which again was jarring due to the underlying tones of the episode.

Also the poor accused woman just seemed to be seen as nothing more than a play toy for men in that town. Literally almost every comment aimed at her by most of the men was a sleazy sexual innuendo. She was fighting them off left and right poor woman. Now granted I have not seen every episode of Murder She Wrote but this episode is definitely not of the norm in terms of this show.

Murder by arsenic

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 18 October 2017]

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 not one of the best episodes of Season 7 like "Who Killed J.B. Fletcher?", "The Return of Preston Giles", "Murder Plain and Simple", "A Body to Die For", "The Family Jewels" and "Thursday's Child", "Tainted Lady" is still a very good episode. What stops it from being great is the tension between Ellen and Hays, because of the cartoonishly unpleasant way Hays is written and how he behaves it was more out-of-place nastiness rather than tension and it did at times distract from what was actually one of the better mysteries of Season 7.

The mystery is clever and engaging, with a unique (for 'Murder She Wrote' up to this point in the show) murder method and how it was done. The ending was one of the show's greatest shocks in a good way, not only does the identity of the culprit floor you but one is equally shocked at the explanation for how the arsenic was administered.

Angela Lansbury plays Jessica without any problem whatsoever, and she gets terrific support from Dee Wallace as a very sympathetic suspect. Gary Lockwood does a very good job with what he has, he successfully brings out the creepy and oily factors, it's not his fault that his character is so unpleasant.

Production values as always are slick and stylish with some nostalgia induced. 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, cosy and light-hearted while taking itself seriously as well.

To conclude, very good episode if not quite a standout. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Brings her celebrity

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 21 August 2018]

For someone who wa tried and acquitted of murder back in Boston where none other than Jessica Fletcher was a witness for her and is now facing charges on two other murders in the southwest town she's now settled in, Dee Wallace Stone receives a lot of attention from the male of the species. Some of said attention definitely not what she's looking for.

Angela Lansbury is not in this town on a book tour or a vacation in which in most shows she's usually dragged into a murder case. She's there to be an amateur sleuth specifically to help her friend. As such she gets under the skin of the very hostile sheriff Gary Lockwood. He's a mean one and pretty frightening to all concerned.

It's thought that arsenic was administered by Stone to both victims. Arsenic it was, but not by her.

JB Fletcher pulls this solution from her gut with a lot of volunteer help.

Arsenic and Old Alibis

[WeatherViolet · 9/10 · 18 October 2009]

This episode marks one of the most recent appearances by Marshall Colt, who has since earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, to switch careers from acting into health and family counseling and life coaching. Nina Foch and Jack Kruschen have since passed.

When Doctor John Logan (Jack Kruschen) receives a late evening call to the residence of Jake Gerringer, to pronounce him dead of an undiagnosed heart ailment, Jake's eccentric daughter, Doris Gerringer (Laurie Prange), is told to get some rest. Initially, they seem to be addressed as Jake and Doris Simpson, but retain the name Gerringer for the duration.

The next day, after Doctor Logan's nurse, Laura Corman (Mary Crosby), sends samples of Jake Gerringer blood to be analyzed, against her employer's decision, evidence mounts that Jake has been poisoned by arsenic.

Meanwhile Laura's husband, Ross Corman (Marshall Colt), visits the diner recently purchased by, and operated by Ellen Wicker (Dee Wallace), who has returned to her native Dry Wells, California, from Boston, where Ross now tries to rekindle and old flame, to which Ellen politely objects, and to which Laura is well aware. The unrefined Edge Potter (Don Swayze) enters the diner to scoff at Ross' attention to Ellen, who sends Edge back to his motorcycle.

Sheriff Deloy Hays (Gary Lockwood) also has a past with Ellen, who rejected his advances fifteen years ago, and now insists upon searching her diner for traces of arsenic, as Jake Gerringer frequently patronized her restaurant. When she willingly leads him to a canister left by the previous owner for use as an insecticide, Sheriff Hays arrests Ellen on suspicion of murder.

Also in the back-story, Ellen Wicker had married in Boston, but lost her husband to murder, for which she had been arrested and may have been convicted save for her "writer friend," who proved Ellen's innocence. Ellen again sends for her "writer friend," Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), who immediately flies to Barstow, to be chauffeured from the airport and along CA Interstate 40, in San Bernardino County, California, by Ellen's concerned defender, Attorney Herb Apple (Sam Freed). (Note: this is clearly not one of the episodes set in Texas, as some may suggest.)

Jessica investigates the case in spite of Sheriff Hays' strong objections. Deputy Ray Gomez (Javi Mulero) and Deputy Mary Jo Rush (Karen Hensel), however, stand upon the side of upholding the law, and not misusing their positions for power and corruption.

Jessica requests documents concerning the old Dry Wells Tannery of Katie Emhardt (Nina Foch), whose late husband, Wilbur, had managed it before the central California earthquake, which put most of Dry Wells out of business. When Sheriff Hays demands that Wilbur Emhardt's body be exhumed for testing, it is determined that he, too, was poisoned by arsenic.

But when a third victim suddenly perishes, Sheriff Hays again arrests Ellen, and Jessica and Herb Apple now must try to trace the trail of the arsenic. Herb tells Jessica that Deloy Hays was smart to arrest Ellen late at night because now Herb won't be able to ask the county judge for a release order, but they somehow manage to summon volunteers from across the nation to dig the grounds around the old Tannery by morning's light and a television crew to broadcast the event before the judge can be told about Ellen's latest arrest.

So, Jessica now has the proof which she needs to lift the curse of the "Tainted Lady" but must act hastily to expose the culprit of murder.

The cast is rounded out by Young Man (Peter Gregory) and Waiter (Alan Baltes), as well as a host of reporters and Neer-do-wells causing a commotion around the sheriff's office, plus the volunteers from around the country who somehow appear at a moment's notice.

An average case for Jessica.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 4 November 2022]

A coffee shop owner is accused of poisoning her customers, only Jessica seems to be on her side.

Series seven has been so consistent, arguably one of, if not the best series of the show, every episode has offered something. This has been the only one I would call distinctly average.

It's very slow to get going, and I'd argue that the first half is pretty boring, fortunately it does improve, and ends well. It just lacks the usual tension, compared to every other episode from this series, it's just lacking something.

I really did like The Sheriff here, Hays way more serious than the norm, he actually had some real presence. Doris, no words for her. Don Swayze was interesting here, I'm not sure it was his finest ever performance.

Not a bad watch, just a bit average, 6/10.

Not quite as many murders as it seems

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 31 January 2023]

Dee Wallace stars as a woman who was once tried for a murder long ago but was acquitted. Not surprisingly, she's also one of Jessica's friends...as nearly EVERY friend and family member eventually seems to be accused of murder! And, surprise, surprise, she's accused now of using arsenic to kill several folks in town! But, of course, there's some other explanation...and it all comes down to science!

While I never thought this was a great episode (plus the sheriff was WAY too grumpy to be realistic), it is different and the conclusion Jessica comes to is really original. Because of that, I do think it's well worth seeing.

Too many irrelevant characters

[christopher-m-collins · 4/10 · 24 September 2021]

This episode should come with a trigger warning. There are a lot of really lecherous men in it. The main problem with this episode is that there are many characters that have nothing to do with the story. It seems like a lot of filler and the character behavior doesn't make much sense.

*spoilers* The arsenic in the water supply premise is stupid. Where did all those volunteers come from on short notice? Why did the water supply contamination only affect two individuals to the point where they would die but other people didn't even feel sick at all? It's just nonsense.

A town called malice

[feindlicheubernahme · 3/10 · 19 October 2023]

Had to write in to say how much I agree with one of the preceding reviews with regards to how dark this episode of Murder, She Wrote was. Too dark and too mean.

I think it was just in my last review, a few episodes back, that I complained about the MSW writers using the same tropes over and over again, to the point where viewers who'd watched a certain number of episodes would often know the identity of the murderer before getting to the 30-minute mark. I was hoping we'd see some new ideas and different methods of keeping the viewers alert as we got into the later seasons.

What I certainly wasn't hoping for was to spend an entire episode watching a woman being terrorized, sexually assaulted and narrowly avoiding being raped. There are and have always been other police/detective shows for that kind of grim realism - I've watched many of them. But it just doesn't fit into a cosy, easy-viewing murder mystery. I wonder if Tainted Lady is even included in most reruns. I can't really imagine it being broadcast on the BBC on a weekday afternoon, which has traditionally been Murder, She Wrote's terrestrial TV slot over here in the UK. Grannies would be choking on their tea and biscuits all across the land if they saw that!

Three "I appreciate you made an effort, but you took it way too far" stars.

Tainted lady

[coltras35 · 5/10 · 29 May 2022]

The owner of a diner is accused of poisoning her customers. Jessica, who helped prove she didn't kill her first husband, returns to help her again, however the town is a one-horse-Hick town full of dodgy men, closed minds and a Pervy sheriff. It's an average episode, a bit dullish and slow in the first half, though it picks up in the second half, becoming a little interesting.