7/10 - one of the more predictable Mystery Woman mysteries, but still good fun

I don't know why I watch "Mystery Woman." I hadn't seen it in years, but I noticed it on Hallmark Channel and taped some episodes I missed. I love Kellie Martin, and I guess I keep hoping the series shaped up as it went along.

It didn't, but this one, "Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery" does provide some fun for baby boomers who grew up with all the westerns we did. Bruce Boxleitner, looking the same except for gray hair, plays an old-time western TV star named Clint who has a few enemies in the wild west show he does on the circuit. After he's injured in a fall off of his horse (which he engineered for publicity),he has his replacement Dogie (Joe Stevens) go on for him. Dogie winds up dead.

Clint is arrested, since he seems he's the only one who knew he wouldn't be on the horse, but mystery bookstore owner Samantha and her assistant, former secret agent Philby, start nosing around. Suspects include members of the show: "Annie Oakley" (Barbara Niven) who lost her TV show thanks to Clint; Zeke (Charles Dierkop),and my favorite -- Strother Elam -- an homage to those two great western character men, Strother Martin and Jack Elam - played by Wings Hauser; and Jeb Fletcher (Jason Brooks).

Despite the change in atmosphere, this is still a slow-moving, boring series that moves at a molasses-like pace.

Finally, just to show how badly written this particular episode is, Philby is a former secret agent, a man with a mysterious past, who can do just about anything - hack into any computer, get anyone's financial records, find out anyone's criminal record - what can't he do? I'll tell you what he can't do. He can't find out who owns a cell phone number. At the end of the show, Samantha, while she's with Philby, finds the victim's cell phone and notes the last number he called. With Philby at her side, at the victim's funeral, she calls the number. Why didn't Philby just look up who owned it? I don't know. I just know that the lovely Martin is so much better than this.

I tune into these, at the moment, currently because watching the impeachment hearings is just NOT an option or even a choice! Thank goodness for Hallmark! But I just love Clarence Williams III! He doesn't do much but he doesn't need to. He's just cool. And when he starts laughing, it's golden! But since MOD SQUAD was part of my life, it's heartbreaking that less than a year ago, Peggy Lipton passed away. I do like Kelly Martin too, though. But all of these Hallmark stories, whether they are the romantic ones or the mysteries, are easy to watch and just have on in the background. And I would imagine Bruce Boxlietner needed the work. Also, I read the mystery stories. Sick to death of the annoying love stories. So in the words of Phoebe Buffet AFTER someone said, this is the one where there's some kind of misunderstanding. Phoebe picks up the remote, says, "Then I've seen this one!" And she shuts the TV off.