When a phone call from Francesca’s supposedly dead first husband precedes a fatal incident, Jessica must unravel the truth from hysteria to find a killer.

Season 2, Episode 6: Reflections of the Mind (November 3, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica comes to stay with an old college friend, Francesca Lodge, after everyone thinks that she is suffering from a mental breakdown and claims that her first husband’s ghost is haunting her. And when her second husband dies in a car wreck, she loses it all the way.

Who’s in it, outside of Angela Lansbury, and were they in any exploitation movies?

Francesca is played by Ann Blyth (Mildred Pierce) in her last acting role.

Carl is played by Wings Hauser, one of my all-time favorites. Man! Wings on Murder, She Wrote!

Dr. Victor March is played by Steven Keats from Death Wish and The Ivory Ape.

Martin Milner is Sheriff Bodine. This is the first of five appearances on the show for him.

Ben Murphy is Scott Lodge.

Stacey Nelkin is in this, too, as Cheryl Lodge. She’s in Halloween 3.

Esther Rolle is Margaret. She was on Maude and Good Times.

Janet DeMay is Brooke Evans.

Franny Parrish is a nurse.

What happens?

This starts with one of my favorite things: a publicity photo being used as an actual photo, with Ann Blyth and Angela Lansbury showing up in an old image to set up how long they’ve been friends. Francesca is reading Jessica’s new book, The Umbrella Murders. Is it a Giallo? Anyways, she gets scared by her husband and stabs him in the hand, which is enough to get sent to the nut house.

Jessica’s friends are all rich and insane and often, dead. Or soon dead. This one has a haunted music box that her husband’s spirit takes charge of and makes it play when it shouldn’t! Plus, she has Wings Hauser, of all people, as a landscaper! That’s a bad idea, and I’m not a fictional wealthy lady and know that! Come on!

She’s also the kind of rich woman whose husband is cheating on her and then drives off a cliff. There’s also a black gloved killer. There’s also a Giallo killer! What!?! Plus, Wings Hauser’s character is a blue-eyed soul singer named Hot Silk!

Who did it?

Hot Silk and Ann Blyth’s daughter killed the stepdad and two canaries.

Who made it?

It was directed by Seymour Robbie and written by Robert E. Swanson.

Does Jessica get some?

No. She also doesn’t do the next one.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

We need her to act drunk soon.

Was it any good?

It’s a Giallo. You know I liked it.

Any trivia?

This episode was filmed at Greystone Mansion, where The Big Lebowski, Death Becomes Her, The Witches of Eastwick, Nothing But Trouble, Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Phantom of the Paradise, the original version of Flowers In the Attic and many more movies were made.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Jessica Fletcher: I don’t want to alarm you, but something very sinister is going on here.

What’s next?

Jessica goes on vacation and a woman drowns.