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Murder in Small Town X: A Fair Ending?
by Jeffrey Clinard
-- 07/10/2002
Murder in Small Town X is over, but was the ending fair? Did the evidence really point to William Lambert? Or was Frank Kovick really the more likely suspect?
Well, I picked my pony in Frank Kovick. I was wrong. Where did I go right, and where did I go wrong?
I would have loved for Murder in Small Town X to have lasted another week instead of having a two-part final episode. I was gratified with the story, a great ending, and one that I can respect. I honestly don't know if I could have processed the final clues into a case against William Lambert. In fact, I doubt it. I once named him as a strong suspect, second only to my pick of Frank Kovick.
Where did I go wrong? Upon a lot of reflection, a few places. The killer sent back those he had no use for. That was Carmen Flint and 2 fingers. He kept G.D. and Leita; a clear signal they were important to him somehow. Still, that was as much evidence against Frank as it was against William. Still, it was evidence the audience didn't have. Rusty confessed, but a killer does not contradict evidence; he clarifies it. I cleared him once he confessed. I had already dismissed Prudence Conner and Jimmy Flint as the killer. It left William and Frank. I bet on Frank, and I was wrong.
The evidence eliminated all but two people. What do you believe? Was it a boy of 4 years, or a boy of 16 years who could not understand the burnt man's secret? Both investigators targeted Frank. I would have as well. I would have lost. And I would have no problem with losing. I can't find a single piece of evidence that pointed to Lambert instead of Kovick.
I put Lambert as my second suspect in favor of Frank. As it all played out, I like the ending. Frank has a new love and a daughter he adores. He probably got his job back in the Sunrise Herald. Lambert, the evil businessman got his. Pru and Jimmy, well they got theirs, in the form of money or justice.
I admit my errors in the case, but can't find any reason to change my mind. Frank was such a strong suspect that not only I, but other commentators and all the investigators targeted him.
As to Lambert, well, he killed the innocent for a crime of the past. You can't hold all those families responsible for the crimes of their fathers. Yes, his family was a victim of a horrible crime. But his own father was sickened after he killed for revenge, and hung himself. Lambert didn't get sick from his own first murders; instead he made it a game.
The smart investigator would pick Frank. There is no definitive clue that said "pick Lambert." I would have done nothing differently, if I was an investigator. Well, I would have argued for the elimination of suspects earlier (see my past articles; I threw out a lot of suspects early on). As I said earlier, I wish the final two episodes were shown in two parts. The recreation of the 1940 photograph was a huge clue as to why the killer was picking certain victims. The killer returned what he did not need (Nate's fingers; Leita's hair). Still, the final episode put most of the clues together. I don't think the viewers or the investigators had any shot at a fair chance.
In the end, it was a crapshoot. Angel and Alan both picked Frank. Jeff, in his final will, picked Alan to win. Alan won Jeff's will, but lost the game in the end. Angel won by default. Well, he deserved it. He avoided being sent on the killer's game – the only person to do so. I don't think he deduced the whole theory of the case, but he had been leaning towards Lambert until the very end, when only the ages of the two remaining suspects changed his mind. Still, I'm kind of glad he won, no matter how. He realized the situation with Kristen, befriended her, and got lifeguard status. He lost in the final test, but he won by default.
In short, I liked the ending to the mystery, but I will complain that it was not fair. I don't think luck should be the reason a person wins a reality TV show.
Jeffrey Clinard is a graveyard shift computer expert working for two major Las Vegas resorts. He has a Master's degree in marketing, a job he could not be paid enough to return to. He makes use of both his intuition and logic in his occupation and in his hobbies of reading detective novels and analyzing reality TV shows.
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