Season 5 finds Murder, She Wrote's intrepid Jessica Fletcher in fine sleuthing form, and venturing farther afield from Cabot Cove--a good thing, since at the rate the murders have been happening, that town would be nearly cleaned out. Some of the best episodes take place in more exotic locales like New York (dead man on the street, wearing just one shoe), Montana (a publishing convention gone horribly wrong) and West Virginia (two whistle-blowers at a coal company found gruesomely murdered). Angela Lansbury sparkles with determination and bonhomie, hitting her stride and then some. Jessica's own life backstory is even filled out tantalizingly, especially in the episode "The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel," in which an investigation is launched into a mysterious cargo plane that is linked, she learns to her horror, to her late husband. The series' other delight is watching for cameos by stars of a certain age, and this season doesn't disappoint, with appearances by Roddy McDowall, Shelley Fabares, and Dinah Shore--but also some up-and-comers like Megan Mullally (proof positive that the Will & Grace whine was a put-on) and future satirist Bill Maher.
民国年间，富家少爷樊傻儿不喜读书，只爱舞枪弄棒吃喝玩乐，即使娶了贤惠的玉贞依旧顽劣不改，伙同大师兄等人抢叔公家粮食接济百姓。抢粮东窗事发，叔公在众乡绅胁迫下以通匪罪将傻儿活埋，佣人樊宝刨土相救。樊傻儿流落异乡尝尽艰辛，在玄机子指点下做了土匪。他凭着一股傻气和义气，深得刀疤等弟兄敬重，杀死强奸民女的恶老大崔一洞，稀里糊涂当上匪首。后来，樊傻儿被国民党收编，土匪变团长，依旧傻性不改，一路歪打正着屡立战功，很快荣升师长，却遭遇叔公上吊、玉贞改嫁等一系列打击而一蹶不振。日军侵华，樊傻儿放下个人得失加紧操练，但队内赌博成风屡禁不住。他请大师兄吃麻将大餐，全面禁赌震慑军队。队伍开拔抗日，樊傻儿带领面貌一新的队伍奔赴抗日前线。
该剧以一场发生在虚构城市“班佧”的诈骗绑架案事件为背景，讲述两位母亲汪慧君（舒淇 饰）和赵静（李心洁 饰）因仇恨而结盟，为女儿所遭受的苦难展开复仇，却发现救赎遥不可及的悬疑故事。在充斥着欺骗与操控的危险世界里，她们不仅要面对各自内心的阴影，还必须做出撕裂人心的抉择。为了替挚爱的女儿报仇，在一名神女的协助下，她们将凶手张士凯（傅孟柏 饰）复活、施以酷刑，甚至勒索凶手的母亲索取赎金。然而，无论对凶手施加多少痛苦，愤怒始终无法平息。一位复仇的母亲，究竟能为女儿走到多远？而当关于事件真相的黑暗秘密逐渐浮现，她们的友谊也被推向极限，迫使她们正视并挑战自己道德的界线。
