Deadly Lady - Jessica Fletcher Swoons Over a Hobo

Deadly Lady

Season One, Episode Two
Aired: October 7th, 1984
Rating:

Synopsis:

After a terrible storm in Cabot Cove, Stephen Earl's four daughters tell Sheriff Tupper that their father died while they were out on the boat. Jessica is only midly intrigued; she finds Ralph, the older gentleman who has offered to work for food, much more intriguing, especially since it is obvious he comes from money. The womens' stories about what happened on the boat change constantly, but once Ralph is found dead and later found to be Stephen Earl, Jessica has to help Amos wage through the inconsistencies in the four Earl daughters storylines to determine who killed their father and why.
From tv.com

Impressions:

Spike: Well, that was a dreadful episode.

Ginger: I hated this episode. It made me mad.

Spike: Mad? What about it made you mad?

Ginger: I thought the father's family's acting was poor. And they looked like they were bored. Except Nan. I liked Nan because she put excitement and depression into her character when it was needed.

Spike: I liked the hometown characters, though. There was some good dialog between them, but like you, I could live without the snooty family members.

I think that the show started off wrong right from the beginning. Jessica Fletcher finds a strange man in her garden, he offers to do odds & ends, she invites him inside, feeds him, and all the while she knew he was lying to her. Then she leaves him in charge of the house. Really?

Ginger: Yeah, I didn't get that part. I mean, if I was Jessica I would make him leave the house then lock the door before I left. I would have to know him more before I trusted him with my house. And I also didn't get why she offered to leave her door unlocked for him while she was asleep. What type of moron would do that? I mean really?

Spike: And I loved how she handed him her deceased husband's pipe after knowing him for a day, complete with tears. Angela Lansbury made that scene work, yet it didn't feel right. The problem with the episode was that the script was poor, but it held together because the actors played along. So there was emotion, but the motivations weren't believable.

Ginger: I thought Jessica and Nan were the only believable actors, but sometimes they weren't.

Spike: So, was it a good murder?

Ginger: No, it was kind of boring.

Spike: Did you spot the killer?

Ginger: Not really. I knew it was one of his daughters, but not Nan.

Spike: Has this episode scared you off from seeing any more? This is almost as bad as the show can get. Amazing that they hit this nadir with the second episode then went on another twelve years. There are better episodes to come. Hang in there with me?

Ginger: You bet I will. I wouldn't be surprised if you dropped out first.

Spike: Ha!