THE CROSSWORD MYSTERIES: TERMINAL DESCENT
Canada, 2021, 85 minutes, Colour.
Lacey Chabbert, Brennan Elliott, Barbara Niven, John Ellis, Lochlyn Munro.
Directed by Peter Benson.
The Crossword Mysteries are easy television entertainment, mystery, many clues, many suspects, undemanding.
Once again Lacey Chabert is Tess Harper, responsible for the crosswords in the New York Sentinel. Once again, she has all kinds of connections to the murder victim, employing her aunt Candace to help her in her investigations. And, once again, Brennan Elliott is Logan, the detective investigating the murder and discovering all the links with Tess, reluctantly giving her information, allowing her to pursue her own investigations. And, in the background is John Kapelos as the police chief, Logan’s father.
The setting this time it is big business, developments in technology, vying companies. Immediately the CEO of the company, Lochlyn Munro, dies when his voice directions on an elevator fail and he crashes. Then going back six hours to set the situation, the fact that Tess Harper is in the building, almost in the elevator with the CEO, noticing various clues, investigating, the usual clashes with Logan with the touch of romance. A range of characters including the deputy CEO, various women on the staff, the former wife of the CEO, as well as characters the police precinct and journalists at the Sentinel. And some domestic humour and concern with Logan and his father, including the help of Tess’s aunt.
Quite complicated, audiences identifying with Tess and her probings, dangers, less so with Logan and his stubbornness.
When all is said and done, the audiences may well have picked the villain early in the piece.
1. The title, expectations? Murder?
2. The title, expectations? Murder? The detectives and investigation? Tess Harper, her crossword expertise, clues, investigations, dangers?
3. The New York setting, affluent, newspapers, crossword departments, crime reporting, detective work? Art galleries? Social events? The crossword competition? The musical score?
4. Tess, her personality, skills, at the paper, her relationship with her aunt, setting her up as an intermediary between Logan and his father, the crossword competition, seen Tess’s skills, her friendship and working with Frank Lam, interviews and inquiries?
5. The CEO, his empire, clash with his former partner, the pickpocket woman, his death? Going back, the government contracts, Jessie and her objections, his death in the elevator, his ex-wife and her affair, the divorce, the revelation that Jessie was his daughter, the issue of the government contracts, changing his mind? His death, the hard drive, missing from the accident?
6. Tess, the clues of the CEO’s visit to the hospital, discovering his partner, illness, the conversation, the news of the reconciliation?
7. Investigating phone records, Jessie and her disappearance, the visit to the ex-wife, the visit to the head of the rival company, the identity of the pickpocket and her phone call?
8. Paul, his role in the company, supportive? The attack on the pickpocket and her death? Knocking Logan out? The further investigations, the interviews with Jessie, her arrest? Paul as the villain, the confrontation with Logan, Tess’s intervention?
9. Logan and his father, affection, restraint, his father as Commissioner, wanting to retire, involved in the case, the retirement party in the celebration?
