Cabot Cove residents gather for a funeral, only to be shocked by the discovery that the coffin contains the wrong body. The mystery deepens: where is Henry Veron, who is the dead mystery man, and was it murder?

Season 2, Episode 18: If a Body Meet a Body (March 9, 1986)

Jessica is attending the funeral of Henry Vernon when an ex-lover claims he was murdered.

Who’s in it, outside of Angela Lansbury?

Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) is back. Is this the time he gets some JBP? Or will Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom)?

Silas Pike is played by Robert Donner, the caddy from Leslie Nielsen’s Stupid Little Golf Video.

Agnes Shipley plays Anne Jeffreys. She was Tess Truehart in the original Dick Tracy.

Audrey Landers, who was Afrton Cooper on Dallas, is Phyllis Walter.

Christy Olson is played by Lori Lethin. She was in Bloody Birthday.

Monte Markham, who directed Neon City, plays Ned Olson.

Rex Smith, TV’s Street Hawk, is Stew Bennett.

Carrie Snodgrass (Murphy’s Law) is Connie Vernon.

Richard Stahl plays Rev. Matthews.

This is the last role of Robert Sterling, who plays Ben Shipley.

Smaller roles are played by Joe Maross as the dead Henry Vernon, Scott Palmer as a deputy, and the townspeople are played by Ellaraino (whose real name is Ella Raino Edwards), Sonia Kara, Timothy Jecko, George Golden, Dorothy Hack and Walter Smith.

What happens?

Henry’s mistress, Phyllis, has come to the funeral and claims that his wife, Connie, killed him. Sheriff Amos tries to settle her down; she shoves him, and the coffin falls, revealing… not Henry. Who can solve this? Amos wants to do it, but we all know JB will handle it. I mean, he should worry more about trying to solve how to finally get her bra off.

Henry’s old partner, Ned, is a mess. Phyliss comes to Jessica’s late at night to ask for help, and Jessica just wants to write her book. But the biggest shock comes when it’s revealed that Henry Vernon is still alive. So who is the John Doe in his coffin?

Maybe Jessica has some problems now that Connie is trying to get Amos to stay over to watch a John Wayne movie, which is a euphemism I’m going to start using for dry rub sex. And then Henry Vernon’s body shows up again.

Connie claims that her husband picked up a hitchhiker who had a heart attack in the backseat and came up with the plan to collect the insurance money. Meanwhile, Ned’s new business is screwed up already, which means an angry mob has gathered. Whew, Cabot Cove is a rough spot.

Who did it?

Sweet, sweet Connie a doin’ her act, as Grand Funk Railroad sang.

Who made it?

This episode was directed by Walter Grauman and written by Steve Stoliar.

Does Jessica get some?

No. I bet she’s happy Connie went to jail, because she needs two dicks in a glass, Sheriff Lobo and Dr. Seth.

Was it any good?

Of course. As you may know, I’m obsessed with how JB is surrounded constantly by friends who die.

Any trivia?

The needlepoint being worked on by Connie is the same one featured in the Columbo episode “The Conspirators” by Jeanette Nolan.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Dr. Seth Hazlitt: Amos, someday you’re gonna break an ankle jumping to a conclusion.

What’s next?

Jessica must find out the truth when the ruthless owner of a periodical is murdered.