A lying TV consumer advocate is killed and suspicion lands on one of the clients whose products he maligned.A lying TV consumer advocate is killed and suspicion lands on one of the clients whose products he maligned.A lying TV consumer advocate is killed and suspicion lands on one of the clients whose products he maligned.
Photos
Mark C. Phelan
- Uniformed Cop
- (as Mark Phelan)
Robert Buckingham
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first episode directed by Anthony Pullen Shaw, Angela Lansbury's son.
- GoofsWhen Jessica is traveling to the crime scene with Jayne Honig, they are on what appears to be a highway with two lanes going in their direction. A vehicle behind them speeds up and starts to pass. Within 1-2 seconds, Jayne's car slows to a stop at the crime scene at the end of a street that is blocked off by police, and the passing vehicle has disappeared.
- Quotes
Jessica Fletcher: [to the murderer] Is that your solution? To kill me?
- SoundtracksMurder She Wrote Theme
Written by John Addison
Featured review
Murder is the bottom line
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.
"The Bottom Line is Murder" is not, if we are talking about the previous episodes for a moment, one of the best episodes of Season 3 like "Death Stalks the Big Top" (both parts), "One White Rose for Death" and "The Corpse Flew First Class". It is however much better than "Night of the Headless Horseman", "Dead Man's Gold" and the previous episode "Murder in a Minor Key".
My main criticism of "The Bottom Line is Murder" is that to me it didn't quite come together at the end. The solution was a big surprise and nothing is what it seems (which should sound like a good thing), but that the truth was the complete opposite of what one believes for most of the episode and then sprung upon us very later on leaves the viewer's head in a whirl.
On top of that, the whole convoluted business involving a chair complicated things further, meaning that the explanation didn't quite make sense and considering the amount of conflict one sees for most of the episode the murderer's motives seemed rather trivial to me.
Conversely, the production values are slick and stylish. 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.
Dialogue is typically thought-provoking and amiable, knowing what tone to take and not trying to do anything more than that, while it was easy to have a lot of fun with the episode and the story, which is why it was personally so frustrating that things weren't clearer at the end.
Angela Lansbury is terrific as always, and there is a strong supporting cast. Of which the highlight is Adrienne Barbeau, who is a hoot and her interchange with Lansbury is just priceless.
In summation, pretty good, could have been better, being fun stuff that didn't quite come together. 7/10 Bethany Cox
"The Bottom Line is Murder" is not, if we are talking about the previous episodes for a moment, one of the best episodes of Season 3 like "Death Stalks the Big Top" (both parts), "One White Rose for Death" and "The Corpse Flew First Class". It is however much better than "Night of the Headless Horseman", "Dead Man's Gold" and the previous episode "Murder in a Minor Key".
My main criticism of "The Bottom Line is Murder" is that to me it didn't quite come together at the end. The solution was a big surprise and nothing is what it seems (which should sound like a good thing), but that the truth was the complete opposite of what one believes for most of the episode and then sprung upon us very later on leaves the viewer's head in a whirl.
On top of that, the whole convoluted business involving a chair complicated things further, meaning that the explanation didn't quite make sense and considering the amount of conflict one sees for most of the episode the murderer's motives seemed rather trivial to me.
Conversely, the production values are slick and stylish. 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.
Dialogue is typically thought-provoking and amiable, knowing what tone to take and not trying to do anything more than that, while it was easy to have a lot of fun with the episode and the story, which is why it was personally so frustrating that things weren't clearer at the end.
Angela Lansbury is terrific as always, and there is a strong supporting cast. Of which the highlight is Adrienne Barbeau, who is a hoot and her interchange with Lansbury is just priceless.
In summation, pretty good, could have been better, being fun stuff that didn't quite come together. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 6, 2017
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- 13726 Oxnard St. Valley Glen, California, USA(Hoppe's Old Heidelberg German Restaurant, interior and exterior shots)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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