Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) wasn't a writer until her nephew turned a manuscript of hers into a publisher who bought the rights. The book was published and became a hit, bringing Mrs. Fletcher to New York City to promote it. While she received a lot of attention, it wasn't the type of attention she wanted and she decides to head home. About to board the train back to Maine, she's stopped by her publisher and invited to spend a relaxing weekend in the country. When the man dressed as Sherlock Holmes is murdered at a dress-up party, Jessica starts snooping around for a motive, and eventually fingers the killer. This pilot movie would lead the way for a series which spanned 12 seasons, 263 episodes, and 4 TV movies. That's a lot of dead people!
This 3 disc set contains all 22 episodes from the second season. It's packaged in a similar way to season 1; double-sided discs in Amaray cases, with a slipcase that looks like a leather book.
Disc 1, Side A (3:13:33)
Widow, Weeo for Me (48:46)
Joshua Peabody Died Here...Possibly (48:13)
Murder in the Afternoon (48:17)
School for Scandal (48:17)
Disc 1, Side B (3:13:05)
Sing a Song of Murder (48:18)
Reflections of the Mind (48:16)
A Lady in the Lake (48:15)
Dead Heat (48:16)
Disc 2, Side A (3:13:36)
Jessica Behind Bars (48:43)
Stick and Stones (48:21)
Murder Digs Deep (48:15)
Murder by Appointment Only (48:17)
Disc 2, Side B (3:13:14)
Trial by Error (48:13)
Keep the Home Fries Burning (48:19)
Powder Keg (48:22)
Murder in the Electric Cathedral (48:20)
Disc 3, Side A (3:13:23)
One Good Bid Deserves Another (48:16)
If a Body Meet a Body (48:22)
Christopher Bundy - Died on Sunday (48:23)
Menace, Anyone? (48:22)
Disc 3, Side B (1:36:16)
The Perfect Foil (47:53)
If the Frame Fits (48:23)
Video
Ah! I'm a lot happier with the video quality of this set; it's an improvement over the first season. There's still some grain and dust in the picture, but less than in season 1. I found season 1 to be dark, but that's also been improved with season 2, except for a few night shots. Universal has placed a chapter after the opening; it allows you to skip the Universal opening, preview of the episode, and the opening to the show. Woohoo! There's a "play all" feature as well.
This set was replicated by Deluxe in Mexico, and contains flaws (like many of the other Universal titles replicated in Mexico). I had problems with a single episode, "A Lady in the Lake." The first 4:17 wouldn't play, and then it cleared up and I was able to continue the episode.
Audio
The audio for season 2 is about the same as season 1. It's still a little bit quiet, but the dialog is clear, and I didn't notice any hiss in the background. The first season had a warning that "Music may differ from televised version," but there's no warning on the back of season 2. There are English and French mono tracks, along with English and Spanish subtitles.
Deluxe needs to provide better quality control for their DVD-18s, or Universal needs to find a different replicator; I'm so sick of writing about episodes that won't play on a set, and I'm sure consumers are sick of returning sets that don't work.
Look for these stars in season 2: Howard Hesseman (Head of the Class), John Astin (The Addams Family), Chuck Connors (The Rifleman), Nicholas Hammond (The Amazing Spider-Man), Mackenzie Phillips (One Day at a Time), Roddy McDowall (Planet of the Apes), Patrick Macnee (The Avengers), Norman Fell (Three's Company), Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), Parker Stevenson (The Hardy Boys Mysteries), Robert Vaughn (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Robert Culp (I Spy), Vicki Lawrence (Mama's Family), Orson Bean (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), Alan Young (Mister Ed), Larry Wilcox (CHiPs), Art Hindle (E.N.G.), Dick Van Patten (Eight is Enough), Jerry Orbach (Law & Order), Robert Stack (The Untouchables), Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle), Linda Hamilton (Beauty and the Beast), Gordon Jump (WKRP in Cincinnati) and John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation).
If you love a good murder mystery then you need to pick up Murder, She Wrote season two.
Please note: This review was written back in December, 2005, but missed getting posted (oops!).
