After Beverly Gareth is electrocuted in her bath, Cabot Cove is flooded with poison pen letters, which prove hard for the town to handle as Amos prepares to hand the reins over to a new sheriff, Harry Pierce. Jessica has her hands full with a travel writer who has come to stay with her for a time to put Cabot Cove on the map.

Season 2, Episode 10: Sticks and Stones (December 15, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Cabot Cove is flooded with negativity, which proves rough for the town to handle as Amos prepares to retire.

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

John Astin is back as Harry Pierce, now going from real estate man to perhaps sheriff. This is the last of three appearances by him as this character; he also played Ross Hayley in season 1’s “Hooray for Homicide” and will return as Fritz Randall in season 11.

Spoiler, but this isn’t the last appearance of Tom Bosely as Sherrif Amos. He’d be on the show until season 4, when he left to be the lead on Father Dowling Mysteries.

Friedrich Hoffman is played by Paul Benedict, who you may know best as Harry Bentley from The Jeffersons. He was also in Mandingo, Smile, A Mighty Wind and This is Spinal Tap. He had acromegaly, the same birth defect as Andre the Giant and Rondo Hatton. Still, it was recognized by an endocrinologist whose intervention allowed him to live a much longer life.

George Knapp is played by Joseph Campanella, the voice actor behind the cartoon version of Spider-Man’s enemy, The Lizard. He was also in tons of films like Dead Girls Don’t Tango, Body Chemistry, Hangar 18 and Earthbound.

Larry Burns is played by John David Carson, the son of cowboy actor Kit Carson. He was also in The Fifth Floor, Empire of the Ants and Creature from Black Lake.

Elvira Tree is Marsha Hunt, who was Joe’s mother in Johnny Got His Gun.

Edna is Evelyn Keyes, who was in everything from Gone With the Wind and The Seven Year Itch to Wicked Stepmother, A Return to Salem’s Lot and Hell’s Half Acre. She was married to Artie Shaw.

Nils Anderson is Denny Miller, who played Tarzan in Tarzan, the Ape Man (in 1959, not with Bo Derek) and had henchman roles on numerous TV shows.

Lila Norris is Betsey Palmer, and man, you probably know that I’m obsessed with her.

Michael Digby is played by Parker Stevenson, one of the Hardy Boys.

Adam Frobisher is Christopher Stone, who was in Cujo and The Howling. He was once married to Dee Wallace.

Dr. Seth Hazlitt is back, played by William Windom as always.

Bart Nelson is played by Howard Witt. He was Mr. Boogedy!

Smaller roles include Phillip Brown as Deputy Willard and background roles for Ceil Cabot, Ken Sasnsom, Bob Tzudiker, Garnett Smith, Kristy Syverson and Danny McCoy, Jr.

What happens?

Sheriff Amos has retired for all of a minute when a series of mean letters — ala Needful Things but three years before that came out, but they’re both ripping off the Agatha Christie story The Moving Finger — bring him back in to work with Jessica, as new lawman Harry Pierce is pretty much the worst. Everyone is losing their minds because of these letters, as evidenced by a lady named Edna, who thinks Jessica is sleeping with her husband, so she smacks her in the head.

These letters are being sent because a woman named Beverly planned for letters to be sent out when she dies, as she is convinced that she will be killed. She is — death in the bathtub, my favorite — and she’s not the last, as a suicide soon follows.

Who could have turned the town on itself? Why is Cabot Cove so mean?

Who did it?

In an amazing misdirect — and one I would hope was planned from his first appearance — Harry Pierce shows that he’s more than a bad real estate developer. He’s also a killer and someone who burned down his own buildings for insurance settlements. He even pulls a gun on Jessica and says that he was friends with her and Frank, but now she has to die.

Who made it?

This episode was directed by Seymour Robbie and written by Jackson Gillis, Linda Shank and Mark Giles.

Does Jessica get some?

She’s lucky she didn’t get killed.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

This is a deadly serious episode, even if one woman thinks Jessica was in bed with her spouse.

Was it any good?

Yes! When I first saw this, Gomez Addams being the killer was a shock.

Any trivia?

This is the first time in the series that one person from Cabot Cove murders someone else from the town. Until now, it’s all been crimes involving outsiders.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Sheriff Amos Tupper: Well, one thing’s for sure. This has got accident written all over it. Frayed cord, bathroom door locked from the inside. Even Mrs. Fletcher couldn’t make a murder out of this one.

What’s next?

An archaeological dig, potentially the site of Coronado’s City of Gold, does not please everyone as a new corpse is discovered.

Jessica visits a women’s prison and is held captive when an uprising occurs because of abuse and murder at the facility.

Season 2, Episode 9: Jessica Behind Bars (December 1, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica teaches a class for a women’s prison on the day it locks down, and the staff doctor gets killed. She becomes the negotiator between the inmates and the police, trying to solve the crime before the cops arrive.

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

Dixie is played by Margaret Avery, who sure was in The Color Purple, but I’d tell you she’s from Terror House.

Kathryn is Adrienne Barbeau, and if you don’t know her, what are we even doing?

Barbara Baxley is Amanda Debs, also known as Lady Pearl from Nashville.

Miss Springer is Yvonne De Carlo, Lily Munster!

Linda Kelsey plays Mary Stamm. She was in two more episodes of the show and also on Lou Grant.

Janet MacLachlan is Dr. Irene Matthews. She was also in Heart and Souls.

Vera Miles from Psycho and The Searchers is Elizabeth Gates.

Susan Oliver, who played Vina, the green slave girl in Star Trek, is Louise.

Eve Plumb, Jan from The Brady Bunch, is Tug.

Mary Woronov! Yes! She’s Brady.

In smaller roles, Bertha is played by Susan Peretz, Donna Ponterotto is Jamie, Diana Bellamy is the Head Guard, Gay Hagen is the First Guard, Faith Minton is the Second Guard, Jan Stratton is the Gate Guard, and Darlene Conley is Mims. Prisoners are played by Mary Albee, Linda Carlin, Jadie David, Betty Jeanne Glennie, Marilyn Horn, Lorraine Keeling, Kym Washington Longino, Marti Reese and Ilona Wilson, while Reena Bartlett and Cis Rundle play guard.

What happens?

Before Jessica arrived at the prison — and for the 20 years — Amanda Debs has turned being the deputy warden of the West Barrington Institute for Women into a means to accumulate wealth and influence, running a ring of corruption within the prison that includes Dr. Irene Matthews and grocery delivery driver Mrs. Mims. She’s been growing in her power as Warden Elizabeth Gates has been running for state senate.

A new nurse catches on, and Dr. Matthews kills herself — her suicide note says, “I have been thinking about killing myself for some time. I will all my worldly possessions to all the lesbian inmates in this prison.” — and Debs makes it look like a murder, locking everything down, trapping Jessica with her students.

Working with Kathryn, she turns the lights out and also kills Mrs. Mims, then plans to escape before the cops come in. However, Jessica is able to figure that out and saves the day before the cops come in, shooting everyone.

Who did it?

Amanda.

Who made it?

This episode was directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and written by Carleton Eastlake, who mostly wrote for science fiction shows.

Does Jessica get some?

No. I would like to make a sapphic fanfic of this episode, however.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

No. I mean, come on, Jessica.

Was it any good?

Yes. This is a tense one that changes the format.

Any trivia?

The jail is located in The Square of Warriors, also known as Spartacus Square, at Universal Studios Hollywood. Other movies filmed there include Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Blues Brothers, History of the World, Part I, Cloak and Dagger, The Shadow, and The Scorpion King.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Jessica Fletcher: Well, I particularly liked the way the gas station bandit was caught. You know, having the getaway driver accidentally shift into reverse and crash into the police car… Now, that showed a great deal of imagination.

Tug: Not exactly. That’s the way it happened.

What’s next?

Cabot Cove is flooded with poison pen letters, which proves hard for the town to handle as Amos prepares to hand the reins over to a new sheriff. Jason’s mom shows up!

Jessica goes to the races to watch her niece ride the winning horse, but then the horse’s disagreeable owner is murdered after a dispute.

Season 2, Episode 8: Dead Heat (November 24, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica has the difficult task of proving that her niece was framed for the murder of a horse breeder. We can all relate to that kind of rich people’s life, right?

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

Vicky Gallagos is played by Priscilla Barnes, who replaced Suzanne Somers on Three’s Company and also shows up in The Devil’s Rejects. She was also in Lords of the Deep, Stepfather 3 and Tintorera. Her husband, Carlos, is played by Bert Rosario.

Ramon Bieri played Pat Phillips, the first of three times he’d be on this show.

Jack Cart,– the mayor from Alligat,— is Cliff Carpenter. Playing his wife Christine is Carole Cook, a student of Lucille Ball.

Jack Bowen is played by Lonny Chapman from The Birds, The Witch Who Came from the Sea and plenty of TV.

Vince Shackman is Norman Fell, and I wonder if he and Priscilla Barnes gossiped between takes.

Jessica’s niece, Tracy, is played by Linda Grovenor, and in the same year she made this episode, she was in Wheels of Fire. Life’s crazy.

Is that Clu Gulager? Yep. You know it. He was in three episodes of this show.

Roy Thinnes, who was on The Invaders and The Norliss Tapes, plays Lt. Ted Misko.

Im smaller roles, Cookie Milford is Derrel Maury, Erine is Tom Dreesen, Mr. P is Robert Ellenstein, Alex Rebar plays a gunman, Freddye Chapman is a nurse, Don Matheson is the chief steward, Stu Gilliam is a cab driver, Tony Ballen and Richard Paradise (those sound like porn names) are bookies, Faith Burton, George Sasaki, Walter Spear and Ken Clayton are watches the horse races, Mel Gold is a trainer and Joe Faust is a guard.

What happens?

Jessica goes to watch her niece, Tracy, race on the very day she gets promoted to ride Jack Bowen’s prize horse, Anchors Away. For some reason, everyone is betting on this race, from the wife of its jockey — who had to go to the emergency room — Viky, some mob guys and a husband and wife who are at the track every day. Tracy wins, the owner is killed, and the cops appear to arrest Tracy on suspicion of fixing the race.

Good thing Jessica showed up.

Another good reason is that Tracy is the suspect in the murder of the owner, which is fantastic to be able to get promoted, win a race and kill your boss all in the same day. Tracy’s LinkedIn has to be incredible.

What follows is the mob wanting to know what happened, Jessica using a carrot to test a horse, a horse nearly trampling Jessica and finally, a second fake Anchors Away.

Who did it?

The wife of the jockey, Vicky.

Who made it?

This episode was directed by Peter Crane and written by J. Miyoko and Steven Hensley, who also scripted the TV Movies Finder of Lost Loves, Can You Feel Me Dancing?, Remo Williams: The Prophecy and episodes of Magnum, P.I.

Does Jessica get some?

No.

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

No.

Was it any good?

It’d be better if Jessica dressed silly and got some dick.

Any trivia?

This is one of the few episodes to mention Jessica’s brother, Martin.

Jessica says that she’s a Pisces, so her birthday is between February 19 and March 20. In real life, Angela Lansbury was a Libra, born on October 16, 1925.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Bookie #1: Separately, it’s peanuts, Vince. Put it together, and we’re chokin’.

Bookie #2: How did we know Mike Gann was bettin’ all over town?

Vince Shackman: I can add.

What’s next?

Jessica visits a women’s prison and is held captive when an uprising occurs because of abuse and murder at the facility. This episode is a Sam dream cast: Eve Plumb, Vera Miles, Yvonna De Carlo, Adrienne Barbeau and Mary Woronov.

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.

Jessica is left in shock by the news of her cousin Emma’s untimely passing. However, her world is turned upside down when she discovers that Emma’s death was a ruse, a clever ploy to escape the clutches of a dangerous threat.

Season 2, Episode 5: Sing a Song of Murder (October 27, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica receives a call about the death of her cousin Emma. When she gets to London, she learns that she has inherited the Mayhew Theater and that her cousin is alive. 

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

Violet Weems is Sarah Douglas, who kicked off my fascination with bad girls when she was Ursa in the Superman movies.

Olivia Hussey — from Black Christmas! — is Kitty Trumbull

Barrie Ingham from Dr. Who and the Daleks is Inspector Roger Crimmins.

Bridget O’Hara is played by Glynis Johns, Mrs. Banks from Mary Poppins.

Patrick Macnee is Oliver Trumbull. Yes, from The Avengers and tons of horror movies.

Danny Briggs is played by Gregory Paul Martin.

Don Siegel’s son, Kristoffer Tabori, is Ernest Fielding.

More minor roles include Kenneth Danziger as Acrhie Weems; Gillian Eaton as a landlady; Terrence Scammell as a director; Richard Davies and Neal Hunt as toughs, John Straightley; David Grant Hayward and Ron Southart as police officers; Larry Carr, Farrell Mayer, Tony Regan, Walter Spear, William Ward and Kathryn Janssen as theater audience members, Freeman Love as a bartender and Paul LeClair as a theatre executive.

What happens?

Emma, who faked her own death, is revealed to be none other than Angela Lansbury herself. This unexpected twist adds a whole new layer of intrigue to the episode, especially when she takes on a new persona and performs a musical number. And you know how much I love when Lansbury gets to do an accent, sing or dress like a moron.

Jessica finds Bridget going through Emma’s house to steal something. She gets her fur coat and wears it, only to be hit by a car that is out to kill Emma. She’s just in the way, or more to the point, they don’t know who they killed. It all seems like Oliver has to be the person who is trying to kill Emma and who killed Bridget.

Who did it?

Oliver’s lover, Kitty, felt that Emma was holding him back from being the star that he deserved to be.

Who made it?

It was directed by TV movie master John Llewellyn Moxey and written by series creator Peter S. Fischer.

Does Jessica get some?

This is one of only three episodes where Jessica gets an on-the-lips kiss with one of her male guest stars. This time, it’s Oliver Trumbull, the boyfriend of her cousin Emma, and it’s a case of mistaken identity. This rare occurrence adds a layer of complexity to the plot and Jessica’s character. She also gets kissed in S1, E0, “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes“, and S3, E6, “Dead Man’s Gold.”

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

It starts with Emma — close enough, it’s still Angela — singing  “Good-bye, Little Yellow Bird,” the same song she sang in The Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Was it any good?

Good cast, not a bad episode.

Any trivia?

Angela Lansbury and Olivia Hussey were mother and daughter in Death on the Nile. 

The last name MacGill is used several times for Jessica Fletcher’s ancestors or relatives. It’s taken from her real-life mother’s stage name, Moyna MacGill.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Bridget O’Hara: Danny Briggs! As poor an excuse of a human being as God ever made! This quote captures the intense emotions and drama of the episode, highlighting the tension between the characters.

What’s next?

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. Wings Hauser is in it!

A mother and daughter become involved in a murder. Jessica must look between the lines to discover the truth and the murderer.

Season 2, Episode 3: Murder In the Afternoon (October 13, 1985)

Tonight on Murder, She Wrote…

Jessica accepts an offer to deliver the commencement ceremony at a university graduation, but as you can imagine, moments after she arrives, someone dies.

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

Polly Bergen is Dr. Jocelyn Laird. She was in the original Cape Fear and Cry-Baby.

Darleen Carr is Trish Mercer. She appeared in The Beguiled and has done numerous voiceover projects.

Jack Kehoe plays Chief James Griffin. He was in Serpico.

June Lockhart shows up as Beryl Hayward. She was on Lost In Space and also in She-Wolf of London.

Dr. Alger Kenyon is Roddy McDowall. Do I have to tell you who he is?

Mary Kate McGeehan is Daphne Clover. She was Linda Caproni on Falcon Crest.

Morgan Stevens is Nick Fulton. He was Mr. Reardon on Fame.

James Sutorius is Ron Mercer. He mainly has worked in theater.

John Vernon! Man, the Animal House and Killer Klowns from Outer Space actor has been in so many movies and here he is as Dr. Henry Hayward.

More minor roles include Gary Bisig as Will Small, John C. Bechnet as a station master, Dean Dittman and Grace Simmons as teachers, Larry Carr as a party guest, Bob Harks as a detective, Paul LeClair as a photographer and Ron Asher, Kerry Noonan, Bill Baker and James Marshall (James Hurley from Twin Peaks) as students.

What happens?

Professor Jocelyn Laird, head of the English department, throws a party and Jessica attends. Then, her wild child, Daphne, and her boyfriend, Nick Fulton, show up and swim naked; the next day, Nick is dead.

What no one knew is that Daphne, a writer of trashy novels, is merely the front for her mother’s writing. After all, being a teacher, she could never also write smut. Nick has been blackmailing her, which makes it seem like she could be the killer. Maybe Daphne is the killer. Nick did slap her around. Jocelyn and Daphne both confess, thinking that they’re saving one another. Neither did it.

Who did it?

Dr. Alger Kenyon, PHD, has been in love with Jocelyn for years. He suspected her daughter was involved in the crime, so he set her up.

Who made it?

It’s directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and written by Robert E. Swanson.

Does Jessica get some?

No! Come on!

Does Jessica dress up and act stupid?

She finds the dead body while jogging, so I should add that as a question. Does Jessica find a body while out for a casual walk? But yes, the outfit she wears to the party is… beyond ridiculous.

Was it any good?

Good cast, not a bad episode.

Any trivia?

Lansbury and McDowall were in Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

Give me a reasonable quote:

Daphne Clover: You want the story on Nick? I’ll sum it up in one word… Stud.

What’s next?

Jessica’s cousin Emma dies…or does she?