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Murder She Wrote – Easter Monday

msw_s12e22_035It has taken a while but UK TV network ITV have finally got almost to the end of the Murder, She Wrote series.  The sister channel ITV got here last year but now the parent (I know, I’ve made this a complicated family :-) ) ITV1 has caught up.  This means HD is possible.

On Monday, that’s the 6th of April aka Easter Monday, ITV1/1HD will be showing episode 22 of the 12 season of Murder, She Wrote.  It’s titled What You Don’t Know Can Kill You and saw Kathryn in one of her earliest roles as Doreen the waitress.  There were only two more episodes of the show ever made, prior to the four TV movie specials.  Kathryn must have left an impression as four years later she had a lead role in one of them.  You can see more details on that here.  I expect it to come around again quite soon, look out for another classic KM UK Media Alert!

Those still recovering from Sunday’s chocolate induced coma will need to set their alarms for 9:25 on Monday morning.  Sorry.

If you can’t wait until then my 2009 spoiler laden review of this MSM episode can be seen here and there is plenty of coverage in the KM UK Gallery too.

Murder She Wrote – Sat/Sun ITV3

msw_s12e22_035Picture the scene: you’ve sat through enough football and tennis the past couple of weeks to bore even the most ardent fan of either sport.  England have proved incapable at football, again, and our tennis hero has been re-branded as Scottish.  It’s late on Saturday and you need a change of pace from the repeat showing of action films that have filled the evening schedules.  What can you do?  Fear no longer.  Help is at hand.

Murder, She Wrote is not normally late night TV viewing but the UK’s ITV3 channel has decided to try and goose its ratings at the midnight hour by putting on an episode.  The episode in question is one of the very last from the 12th and final season, has the title of What You Don’t Know Can Kill You, and sees Kathryn in a guest starring role.

So, if you find yourself up as Saturday becomes Sunday then tune into ITV3 for a bit of gentle sleuthing with Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) and the folks of Cabots Cove, which is clearly one of the most dangerous places in America.  England has its own equivalent in Midsomer from Midsomer Murders (one of the most watched shows in the world!) with a body count for the small county that must be past the century in the 100 episodes so far.

Or record it and watch it before the tennis on Sunday.

My detailed review (spoiler alert!) of this Murder, She Wrote episode can be seen in this post from back in 2009.  Of course there is also already comprehensive coverage of MSW: WYDKCKY in the KM UK Gallery.

It doesn’t happen often enough but here on KM UK we like to mention appearances of Kathryn’s work on the TV screens of Great Britain in our Media Alert posts.  If you spot something upcoming, preferably on channels available on the Freeview system that everyone has access to, then please let me know via the contact form.

Waitress, Another Slice Of Murder – ITV3 Tomorrow

msw_s12e22_094This is another of our occasional Media Alerts aimed at making our UK based readers aware of upcoming appearances of Kathryn on our TV screens.

Since taking over the broadcasting of the popular US TV series Murder, She Wrote here in the UK at some point in the last 18 months from the BBC, ITV have been getting through them at quite a rate.  This is one of the last ever episodes and there are over 260 episodes of them in total across 12 seasons.  Whether the commercial broadcaster has actually shown them all, and in order, we can’t be sure.

How ever they got here ITV3 is showing the episode titled “What You Don’t Know Can Kill You” tomorrow (Wednesday, 28th November 2012) at 3:20pm, with a repeat at 7pm the same day.  Those with access to the appropriate +1 channel could watch it four times in one day.  As they say: check local press for details.

This particular episode is of interest to us because Kathryn guest stars as Doreen The Waitress in one of her earlier TV roles.  The role might be quite small but Kathryn’s gets in some memorable moments.  The Southern accent and amazing smile both get a work-out.

Of course, Kathryn returned to MSW four years later with a more significant role in Murder, She Wrote: A Story To Die For, the second of four TV movies that were made after the series ended.

On Monday afternoon ITV3 start the whole shebang from the beginning again with season 1, episode 1.  At this rate it will be more than a year before we get Kathryn back so get her while she’s hot, so to speak :-)

There are already screencaps and a couple of small video clips from MSW: WYDKCKY in the KM UK Gallery.

Waitress, A Slice Of Cutie Pie Please

titleI really hope that the fictional books that Jessica Fletcher writes are better murder mysteries than this one.

There was nothing fundamentally wrong with this episode of Murder, She Wrote (S12E22 – What You Don’t Know Can Kill You).  It had all the right elements: good guy that ends up dead, doting girlfriend, bad guy, possibly jealous ex-girlfriend, token loony side-plot that my be connected, the sleuth getting the clues.  Despite all that it just didn’t work very well as a piece of drama.  The “reveal” just sort of happened, it wasn’t shocking despite the fact that I did not know who’d dunnit.  Even people very close to the victim that were right there as the truth came out didn’t react much.  You’d think they’d be a little angry.

Yes, yes, murder, solving etc.  But what, I hear you ask, about the reason we’re here?  Kathryn.

Do you really think I’m going to forget about her?  Not likely!

Kathryn (as Doreen The Waitress) effectively had 5 scenes in the episode, which was actually far more than I had expected,  All are in the first half of the show.  And she’s not just standing around in the background either.

msw_s12e22_014Scene 1.  Doreen is in the diner, she is a waitress after all, delivering food to a table occupied by our local ruffian gang made up of chief thug, his girl and two sidekicks.  Ruffians #2 and #3 harass Doreen.  Obviously such behaviour is unacceptable, even if I can’t entirely disagree with the sentiment.  Tasty indeed!  She puts them down with little effort.

msw_s12e22_039The second scene is a continuation of the first.  Still in the diner, Doreen chats with our soon-to-be-dead nice guy and his girlfriend as she takes their orders.  Doreen proves how good her memory is by listing exactly what the girl’s uncle had eaten there earlier that day.  We get the full Southern accent and dazzling smile treatment from Kathryn.  What could be better?

msw_s12e22_083Number 3 sees Doreen alone in the diner except for ruffians #2 and #3 (these two are together a lot, perhaps they share a brain cell), she’s clearing tables.  Doting girlfriend comes in to ask “the brain trust” about nice guy’s death.  They don’t take too kindly to the questions and get rough with her.  Doreen goes for the phone to call for help but is also threatened.  Ruffian #1 arrives with his moll and breaks it up.  Now Doreen gets all bold and tells #1 to get out and take his lackeys with him.  You go girl!

msw_s12e22_091The local lawyer and his early(ish) demise in the diner makes up scene 4.  Doreen needs to get some new filters for the machine from the back-room to make him a cup of coffee.  As we watch her moving boxes and reaching for the filters from a high shelf, Mr Lawyer, oddly quietly, finds himself on the wrong end of a knife.  Coming back into the diner Doreen, distracted by Ms. Fletcher arriving, fails to notice dead-guy-at-the-counter until our sleuth spots him.

msw_s12e22_133For our final scene with Doreen we finally get to see her out of the diner, and in the police station.  She’s gone over there with Jessica to explain what happened prior to them finding the lawyer with a knife in his back.

I can’t say I was impressed by this episode.  It was not a great piece of television.  Perhaps after 12 seasons the show was showing signs of age.  However, it was really good to finally see Kathryn in this early TV appearance.  It was a more significant role, with more air time, than I could have hoped for and she was, as usual, a pleasure to watch.

We got the smile, the accent and another addition to the KM hair-do collection.  What’s not to like.  In summary: adorable.

There are, of course, screencaps and a couple of small video clips to be found in the Gallery.

Murder, She Wrote – Reminder

Just a quick reminder.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, 15th July).  3pm.  BBC2.

Episode is titled “What You Don’t Know Can Kill You”.

Details on the BBC’s website HERE.

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