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.
After a great pilot episode in "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes" and an interesting, decent if slightly bland at times "Deadly Lady", "Birds of a Feather" still shows the first season going strong, though there was still even more room to grow. Like "Deadly Lady" before it, "Birds of a Feather" certainly does its job in providing some light-hearted fun with a story with enough to keep one engrossed.
There are a couple of things that wasn't quite so good about "Birds of a Feather". Jeff Conaway is rather dull as Howard, with the character somewhat of an idiot at times too, and a couple of elements were a bit too predictable, especially who the victim would be (which was obvious in as early as the first scene) and how precisely the murder was committed.
Before one forgets, the very final scene was a little too corny for my tastes.
However, "Birds of a Feather" looks good. Very nicely shot with attractive locations and fashions, with the night club being both glitzy and seedy. The music 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 charmingly light-hearted, gently amiable and down to earth but provokes thought too. Barbara's "Lucrezia Borgia in furs" insult directed towards Candice was a hoot. Again some lovely character moments, like the conflicts of the performers and especially with Jessica, whether it's the scenes with Novack or how much she cares for Victoria and giving her dotty but sincere advice. Still admire that Jessica is more than your standard female detective.
The story, while formulaic and a little predictable in places, had a real cosy charm and has an engrossing mystery that is tied up neatly with everything explained, while the way it was committed was not a surprise the solution itself was clever and just about made sense.
Angela Lansbury is terrific in one of her best remembered roles (one of the roles that is most closely associated with me at any rate), while Genie James is charming, Harry Guardino conveys Novack's exasperation and annoyance very well and Martin Landau (though perhaps a little hammy but it may have been to do with the character) and Carol Lawrence clearly look as if they're enjoying themselves.
In summary, good episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox