Trip TV: Murder
in Small Town X
You have
probably heard of "Murder Mystery" trains or theaters, where some
sort of murder or crime occurs during the course of the night and guests are
challenged to solve it by finding clues and interviewing a variety of actors.
Now welcome to
Murder Mystery Town.
Such is the
premise of Murder in Small Town X
(Tues. @ 9p.m. EST, FOX), the latest in a mind-numbing wave of
"reality" shows. The sleepy town of Sunrise, Maine has been rocked by
a brutal triple homicide. An entire family dead, ten "investigators"
must gather clues and evidence to find the killer. At first it sounds just like
another campy theater mystery, but Murder
in Small Town X strives to be as real and frightening an experience as
possible for its players. The entire town is truly involved in the mystery and
show, populated fully by improv actors who seamlessly interact with the players
as well as each other. Events in the town will also help or impede the progress
of the investigation. It's pretty impressive.
The killer his
or herself is also a very prominent interactive factor in the game. Being the
nice and co-operative little chap that all murderers in these things seem to
be, he or she sends the players self-produced films that showcase the murder,
gives a list of fifteen suspects that he/she can be, and just generally
threaten and scare the crap out of the players, among other clues.
All of the
players are stationed at a headquarters from which they run their
investigation. One is chosen as the "lifeguard"--the weenie who gets
to stay at headquarters and be safe from the killer--while the others head out
to fulfill certain objectives such as searching a scene or interviewing
suspects. The fifteen suspects, by the way, include such townspeople as the next-door
neighbor, police chief, reporter, reverend, female garage owner, science
teacher, and the mayor himself! Every three days, the killer sends a question
to the investigators. If they answer correctly, one suspect is cleared. Thanks,
killer!
But also every
three days, the killer's "game" must be played. Two players are
selected--one by the lifeguard, the other by maority vote--to head off to two
locations selected by the killer. One site contains a helpful clue. The other contains a one-way ticket out of
the game from the killer. And of course
they have to head out in the middle of the night, wearing cameras that provide
a Blair Witch-esque view of their
faces. While it is exciting waiting to see which poor sap will be the next
victim, it doesn't really seem like a fair way to go. For something so
intellectually challenging, I would have expected players to have to play the
"game" by failing some sort of test such as on The Mole, not because some of the other players don't like the way
they dress. Still, it does seem kind of fun to say, "Bye! Hope you get
axed!"
Overall, Murder in Small Town X proves to be one
of the more intriguing and mentally stimulating reality shows out there and
works quite beautifully in creating an environment where one can feel part of
the action. The only disheartening aspect of the show is the bickering and
backstabbing that the investigators must be required to display by reality show
rules. Strange to think that in an entirely fabricated town, the fakest things
in it are the players.
Murder in Small Town X
Think: CSI + Survivor
Reccomended for:
Mystery Buffs, Reality Show Junkies, Blair
Witch fans, Players-at-Home
Not Reccomended
for: People Who Can't Keep Track, Anyone Who Has Ever Snorted a
"Clue" Piece up Their Nose
