Jaclyn Smith's performance in the true story of Bridget Michaels, who was accused of the murder of her basketball coach husband Ron (Timothy Carhart) in Longmont, Carolina, is all about her hair. Sometimes an actresses' narcissism can add to their characterisation, but here it only highlights Smith's limited skill. She can play anger and petulance and even sarcasm to a degree, and produces tears for the police re-enactement of Ron's accidental shooting, but her southern accent is nasal and she only displays a model's depth in repose. However, in one scene Smith is photographed unflatteringly to look puffy, and she gives an odd movement of her mouth at the conclusion. Although less beautiful than Smith and often overplaying sensitivity, at least Diana Scarwid as Ron's former wife acts simply and her anger is funny.
The teleplay presents Ron as a victim of Bridget's aspirations, though Cathcart's monotonously dull performance throws our empathy back on her, and the community's faith adds a few touches eg. When Bridget's employer discovers her fraud, he goes to his minister, they pray for guidance, and apparently God advises to tell Ron. Bridget is described to Ron as `She's either evil or she's crazy and either way she's gonna ruin you', and a laugh line is `They didn't send Kojak. They sent the voluntary fire department with a first aid kit'. A tape Ron dictates is used as evidence by the prosecutor though we don't know who Ron has made the tape for, and the trial jury are allowed to practice fire the murder weapon (!), to show how easy it would be for a woman to use.
Director Michael Scott inexplicably uses a lot of shots of Carhart's bottom, with cliched slow motion and tilted camera and a photocopier flash for an edit, he does provide suspense for the murder, with the music of composer Philip Giffin, and turns the dialogue down for a scene of exposition.
