Murder She Wrote

Many in my life have taken advantage of recent material for jabs in my new found love of Murder She Wrote.  It's been off of the air for more than a decade, but the Hallmark Channel has resurrected this classic for the insomniac crowd.  While I'm generally not up in the middle of the night these days, my DVR has allowed me to enjoy the nightly episodes at my leisure.  The general result is that I spend occasional evenings enjoying a MSW marathon. (Contrary to popular belief, I do not knit while I watch and I don't even own a house coat.)

What I find fascinating, is that when others call into question your love of something, it prompts you to do the same.  I don't tend to analyze the reasons I enjoy particular shows, but given the typically geriatric audience of this particular series I was driven to explore.  At first, I explained it away with my thirst for mystery and my recent exposure to Agatha Christie who's books have become a favorite junk read.  It wasn't until the other day when I was watching a particularly involving episode, that it struck me.  I suddenly understood the allure of Jessica Fletcher and her world.

It turns out that the mystery is a side story for me.  What I'm really watching, and fascinated by, is a woman who is alone in the world yet is never without companionship.  She is in high demand at every moment and in a number of different ways.

To give a bit of background, the character of Jessica Fletcher is a woman in her latter years who has retired from teaching high school English.  Her loving husband has passed and she lives alone in the small town of Cabot Cove, Maine.  She discovers a talent for fiction writing and quickly (and unexpectedly) becomes a best selling author of mystery novels by the name of J. B. Fletcher.  She has suffered some losses but has discovered a second wind late in life and become independent and successful.  Jessica seems to need no one; it's clear she can take care of herself.  In fact, she often turns down interactions in order to care for herself.  As someone who needs a lot of alone time, I can appreciate keeping to oneself.  Though I'm not nearly so good at turning down interactions.  I suppose this is mostly because I fear I will have missed an opportunity.  Jessica, on the other hand, is certain that many more will present themselves.

With her  success comes a busy schedule of book signings, conferences, and interviews (let alone the actual writing).  This calendar brings her all over the country and the world, ultimately requiring her to get an apartment in New York.  In every location is a long lost friend or relative.  With only a handful of recurring characters, Jessica must have an address book the size of the Detroit Phone book.  Whether the story takes place in Cabot Cove, New York, or any one of a hundred other locations, Jessica Fletcher meets up with people for whom she is central.  She is always welcomed and seems to bring along with her immense comfort and happiness.  These people not only welcome her, but they confide in her and lean on her through whatever murderous ordeal they find themselves in.

Having lived in a few different places, I've added to my address book considerably.  In almost every state and a few different countries, I can find a friendly face and a potential place to crash.  What is different about my experience, Is that I don't become the focus for the people I visit.  We enjoy our time together, but with a few notable exceptions, they don't confide deeply in me or look to me for strength.  Those the Jessica visits seem to have been waiting for her visit and want nothing more than to fill her in on every detail of their lives.  They tell her their secrets and bring her in to their world.  No one ever seems uncomfortable with Jessica.

You know, I really can't blame them.  She always knows what to say.  (I'm sure the writers help!)  Jessica balances support with the truth.  She skillfully manages even the most difficult of conversations.  She knows when to push or stand up for herself, and when to remain silent or acquiesce to others.  She expresses herself clearly and gets to the point (when she's ready for you to hear it, that is).

So, it turns out that I'm not a complete murder fiend, or a closet geriatric.  I simply find engrossingly admirable a character to is utterly alone in the world, yet manages to be in the inner circle of so many; finding home wherever her successes take her.