Prismark10

Thanks to Betty Barnowsky. XIII becomes the Running Man.

Betty has sent people who she does not like or has crossed her to a prison. The prisoners are forced into gladiatorial contests which is televised and attracts gamblers.

Betty hopes this will curry favour with the evil XIII.

However XIII looks to escape and he needs to form an alliance with the other prisoners. One of them is the muscular prisoner known as the Brain, he has more than brawn.

It is a trashy episode with people like Amos turning up while the Brain is always working out.

In a small backwood town, two girls go missing. Sheriff Nelson calls in the CBI team.

One of the girl's body is under the car. Her friend Nicole is later found with the murder weapon, her body covered in blood but she has amnesia.

Nicole quickly becomes the prime suspect.

Patrick Jane thinks otherwise, convinced that someone in the original search party is the murderer. He needs Nicole to remember.

Another enjoyable episode, although one that shows up the misogyny in these rural places. Jane does like to bend the rules to get results.

The first of the episodes bookended by Jessica Fletcher. She narrates the story rather than appear in it.

Professor Tyler Stoneham is a college music professor and a noted composer.

Only he is nasty man who steals other people's work. Both musically and academically.

Student Mike Prentice is angry to find out that one of his compositions is being played in a bar and Stoneham has credited himself as the composer.

When Stoneham is found dead. Mike becomes the main suspect. He furiously confronted Stoneham.

Law student Chad Singer helps out Mike. He discovers that Stoneham had many enemies because of his plagiarism.

An unusual format, watchable but it does not feel like Murder, She Wrote.