Midway through this week’s episode of Women’s Murder Club, I came to two realizations: First, it’s earned itself "series recording" status on my DVR — yeah, I’m tragic like that — and second, it feels like a throwback to old-school crime-solving series like Murder, She Wrote.
Seriously, remember how on MSW, Jessica Fletcher was like the Angel of Death? Similarly, on WMC, once an investigation kicks off, suspects and witnesses start dropping like flies. Take this week’s episode, set at a retirement community where elderly residents were being used as drug mules to transport heroin from Mexico: We started out with an elderly retiree’s death, followed by the murder of an innocent nurse, and then the suspicious overdose by an ex-addict ex-boyfriend of Jill (Laura Harris, second from left, with Aubrey Dollar, Paula Newsome, and Angie Harmon), and finally a murder attempt on the lothario grandpa.
What’s more, instead of the interrogation-room confessions favored by crime series like CSI and Law & Order, WMC isn’t afraid to corner its bad guys in a back alleys and use undercover gang members to scare up taped confessions, or maybe show at a perp’s place of work for the ultimate "gotcha!" moment. Sure, I knew how it was all going to end long before the nursing-home administrator (Robert Picardo) whipped out his gun, used a little old lady as a shield, and fired pell-mell at the cops, but it didn’t make it any less satisfying when skinny Lindsay Boxer (Harmon) subdued him in a pond. And while you wouldn’t be wrong to mock WMC for being clunky, campy, and completely implausible, is it really any more embarrassing than Cynthia Nixon and her multiple-personalies on SVU, or even worse, Horatio Caine going to Rio? Yeah, I didn’t think so. (p.s. Gifts for fans of the genre, after the jump!)
I want to watch this show Online, but can’t find it at ABC.com. Any suggestions? No, I don’t have a DVR.
Watching the clip: like Angie Harmon has touched a carb in years much less carmel carbs. And of course a daughter could calmly talk about her mom while standing over her dead body in the morgue. Not gonna happen. But I do like the show. The chars are good. It’s nice seeing smart, no-nonsense women at work & home. But there are some very lame things that happen that ruin the crediblity. But as you pointed out, no more incredible or over the top than most other crime shows these days.
im sorry ..this show sucks ass…its too damn dry…the writers were trying to hard….i guess its a good thing they are on strike now
Grey’s Anatomy set in a police station. The tonal shifts are jarring.
Just forget this show and watch Moonlight–it gets better every week and Alex O’Loughlin is the best thing to happen to TV in a long time.
I’m happy to see EW mention this show! I really like it. I mean, yeah, it’s campy but…remember watching TV to just have fun? I like the strong relationships between the women and the humour. The tension between Boxer and Tom — Booth/Bones worthy! I hope this doesn’t get canceled!
I love this show. Sure, it’s campy and totally implausible, but I love a big heaping helping of cheese after a long week at work!
I agree with sam, watch Moolight!! Waaaaayyyyy better than WMC. Alex O’Loughlin IS the best thing that happened to television in a LONG TIME.
I agree with sam, watch Moolight!! Waaaaayyyyy better than WMC. Alex O’Loughlin IS the best thing that happened to television in a LONG TIME.
I am really enjoying WMC – and yeah, it IS kind of a throwback to the “old style” murder-mystery shows, but that’s part of what makes it fun. I love the grittiness of the L&Os, CSIs and so on, but having a show where the cases are mainly an excuse to put the characters together is a nice change of pace.
I do have to agree, though, Moonlight is a WONDERFUL show. I end up taping both it and WMC because there’s no way I can choose between them. I hope they both find a way to survive – its nice to have a fun Friday night on TV again.
Oh – and if you can handle *2* vamp/PI shows, don’t forget to check out “Blood Ties” on Friday’s on Lifetime. Yeah, and it and Moonlight have a lot in common, but each is worthy on it’s own.
Well, I think a major difference between WMC and Murder She Wrote is that the 4 gals on WMC are involved in a lot of death, etc., because they of their jobs: detective, DA, crime reporter and coroner. Whereas Jessica Fletcher was a true angel of death – she’d go to her neice’s wedding, someone gets killed, she goes to a book conference, someone gets killed, she goes on a cruise, someone gets killed…. She brought death with her everywhere she went! Not to mention that little old Cabot Cove must have had a higher crime rate than NYC!
I really like WMC – it’s definitely a throwback, but the amount of gruesome violence on some of the other procedurals is really turning me off. And I like the banter between the gals. Maybe it’s a cliche, but anytime I’ve worked with other women, we eventually all start talking about boyfriends, husbands, etc. So that part works for me.
Well, I think a major difference between WMC and Murder She Wrote is that the 4 gals on WMC are involved in a lot of death, etc., because of their jobs: detective, DA, crime reporter and coroner. Whereas Jessica Fletcher was a true angel of death – she’d go to her neice’s wedding, someone gets killed, she goes to a book conference, someone gets killed, she goes on a cruise, someone gets killed…. She brought death with her everywhere she went! Not to mention that little old Cabot Cove must have had a higher crime rate than NYC!
I really like WMC – it’s definitely a throwback, but the amount of gruesome violence on some of the other procedurals is really turning me off. And I like the banter between the gals. Maybe it’s a cliche, but anytime I’ve worked with other women, we eventually all start talking about boyfriends, husbands, etc. So that part works for me.
Well, I’m just glad that someone at EW finally wrote something…anything…evenifitisnotarecap…about this show. It’s EXCELLENT!!!
I really like this show too, its a relaxing change of pace because of its cheesiness. Since fans of WMC seem to be fans of Moonlight i’ll have to check that out too.
Oh and i love the blond one’s haircut.