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 there are some excellent previous episodes to Season 5 (especially "Mr Penroy's Vacation", "The Search for Peter Kerry", "A Little Night Work", "Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble" and "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel"), which generally is one of the better seasons, not all the episodes are great. The weirdest of the season "Truck Stop" is one of those.
Starting with the good things, some of the acting is good. Angela Lansbury is spot-on, can't fault her. Mike Connors and Elizabeth Ashley give a lot of charm and dignity to the proceedings (particularly Ashley who is wholly convincing as a femme fatale), while the most entertaining contributions come from Ken Swofford in atypically low-key and at times quietly sinister form and the brilliantly Roddy McDowell-esque Kristoffer Tabouri. Although one does question the point of the presence of the latter.
"Truck Stop" is one of the best-looking and visually interesting 'Murder She Wrote' episodes, the film noir look is beautifully striking and very atmospheric. 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 sometimes thought-provoking, light-hearted and amiable. Some of the story is intriguing and some of its interesting concept is done well.
Not all the acting works however. The worst offender is a very hammy Ron Karabatsos, while Peter Haskell makes a strange and not exactly necessary late appearance. The rest of the cast don't really stand out.
Despite some intriguing moments, the story is muddled, has a very odd tone and doesn't always make sense.
It's further let down by some of the plot twists being unsurprising and underdeveloped and the reveal feeling rushed, last-minute and random. The narration strives for grit but causes unintentional humour instead and comes over as heavy-handed.
On the whole, watchable but odd. 5/10 Bethany Cox