Episode Recap highlights: Angela Landsbury VO introduction! JF in an arcade! JF is a trendsetter yet again with driverless cars! Also, Ethan is back (her boyfriend on the sly)
We open on some beautiful crane shots of Cabot Cove. JF is on her bike and has a near miss with Daniel (Van Johnson!!). She invites/reminds him about the Founder's Day picnic and mentions that she will be giving a speech about the founder of Cabot Cove (a pirate who fought on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War). The beautiful community event (including the baseball game featuring Ethan, JF's main squeeze) is interrupted by a man fleeing an out of control car which is only stopped when it runs into the the backstop to the baseball diamond. Ethan tells Amos, the Sheriff of Cabot Cove (aka Tom Bosley, or the Bose, as I will now call him) that no one was driving the car! This is odd because after running into the fence, the driverless car legit backs up and drives away. Amos says that Ethan must have been drunk despite the multiple eye-witnesses. Amos goes to the hospital to talk to the victim, Charles Woodley, who is there to meet with Daniel. We learn in the opening scene that Dan is mechanically minded. And we are reminded of late 80s medical science when Charles has to be adjusted for proper traction. Daniel is an old employee and invited Charles and his partner to see something. And he nicely condescended to Amos how nice Cabot Cove is, for such a small town. Charles also backs-up Ethan's story, saying it looked like no one was driving the car.
JF heads over to Daniel's house (with pie) and we meet Daniel's guest Katie (June Allyson, reunited with her Too Young to Kiss co-star, Van Johnson). She is an old co-worker of Daniel's (and looking great). JF meets Daniel's nephew Tony and his fiancee Leslie. And we are immediately on Leslie's side because she is a fan of Jessica's work! There is a lot of information given about the engaged couple's whereabouts/logistics of their day. As someone who has watched TV before, this makes me think it will be important as alibi information for any crimes to come.
In Daniel's workshop, we learn that Tony and Leslie have only been dating for a month, that Katie is trying to get Daniel back into professional tinkering (in Memphis), and that Daniel didn't know that Charles was in town to see him. Katie, someone not from Cabot Cove (and that we didn't see her at the picnic), somehow knows about the driverless car incident. Daniel is apparently not a fan of Woodley or his partner, Merrill.
And speaking of Merrill, he rolls into town by boat and sasses Ethan. While he is walking to the hospital, Merrill passes the same station wagon that tried to run down Woodley. Isn't there a Chekov quote about a driverless car shown in the first act will eventually run down someone by the third act? And sure enough, the wagon starts, slowly stalks him (as cars do), and finally kills Merrill, pinning him on a rock formation.
Later, Ethan stops by JF's house to tell her that Merrill is dead. He also tells her that Merrill was from Boston, despite his southern accent. The most important thing we learn in this scene is that JF has multiple cookie jars, in case one is not full. Ethan tells JF that Amos needs help on this case, whether Amos admits it or not1 Amos has a "tell" - clearing his throat when he is confused and unsure what to do. Smashcut to Amos drinking coffee after clearing his throat! JF tries to subtlety guide Amos to the next step of interviewing Daniel as to how a driverless car might be operated (via remote control). Amos picks up the hints the JF is dropping and asks for her help outright (good move Amos; her clearance rate is 100%).
JF and Amos head over the hospital to talk with Woodley. He says that remote control car technology has been around for years and that Daniel had designed a similar system for Woodley already.
We head back over to Daniel's place, who shows himself to be quite the chef by toasting his hamburger buns (I am serious, toasted buns make a hamburger taste better). Katie and Daniel talk about how safe driverless cars can be, but the company never pursued the technology due to the cost. JF mentions to Daniel that Woodley insists that Daniel invited him to Cabot Cove.
JF bends the law by getting the phone logs from Daniel's phone and finding out that he called two numbers in Boston: one, to the bank where Tony works; two, to Woodley. Katie shows that she has an excellent memory by immediately recognizing both numbers, though really, at the time, everyone had to memorize phone numbers - cell phone were not a thing nor was speed-dialing buttons. Katie tells JF that Daniel was actually fired by Woodley because his ideas were impractical and expensive. Woodley tried to keep some of Daniel's plans and designs, so we know Daniel wasn't using patent laws. But Daniel had hired a lawyer, costing him his savings, and winning his case. Daniel then show offs an invention meant to use sound waves to drive off aphids, but it only succeeds in bringing all the dogs in town into his yard.
JF and Ethan (her boyfriend) play host to Tony and Leslie. Ethan regales JF with tales of trying to find the driverless car (also Ethan calls JF "Jessie", which I find adorable and endearing). In her usual manner, JF knows of several places that they didn't check where a station wagon (the driverless car) could be hidden. She promises Ethan she will talk to Amos about these hiding places (Amos think that the killer car is in a moving van and miles away). Cut to Amos telling JF that he won't waste taxpayers' money searching for this car any longer (so it's fine to search for it in places that Amos thinks of, but not JF's ideas, a proven detective). JF points out that two dudes coming to Cabot Cove from Boston and both having run-ins with the same driverless car cannot be a coincidence. Amos then drives the final nail in his coffin by thinking that he is right in telling JF to go ahead and look for the car on her own and be sure to tell him when she doesn't find anything. It is like Amos has never been in an episode of Murder, She Wrote before (he was; the Bose was in a total of 19 episodes throughout the series).
Next, JF is biking through the woods and spots someone signalling with a mirror. She goes to investigate and BAM! she finds there is the station wagon! While examining the car, she fails to see a van creeping towards her in the woods (creeping is an accurate verb; the van has tinted windows like a creep). Then JF does something really stupid by getting into the station wagon. Dun, dun, dun! The creepy vans contains the controls for the driverless station wagon and off it goes with JF inside, followed by CV (creepy van). Both vehicles go speeding down the highway. Now Ethan proves what a good boyfriend he is by speeding after JF in an attempt to save her (Are 3 cars enough for a convoy? If so JF, Ethan, and CV are one!). The vehicles go racing toward the edge of a cliff but CV stops the station wagon before it goes over the edge. CV makes its getaway while Ethan helps JF from the station wagon. They don't kiss, unfortunately.
Back at the police station, Ethan calms JF with a mug a water while Amos tells her that Daniel is high on his list of suspects. He wants Daniel to provide a copy of his design for a driverless car. Tony proves that he should not be privy to any kind of sensitive conversations when he reveals to JF that he mentioned to Katie and Daniel that JF think she knows where the car was hidden. After some searching, Daniel is able to find his designs. He is promptly escorted to the Sheriff's office when the plans match the device found in the station wagon. Later that night, Leslie and Tony have a discussion about Daniel's mental state. I am immediately suspicious of her motives because twice she has said how much she loves Tony and Daniel.
Katie and JF are out for a walk, talking about Woodley's electronics company. Daniel is talked about as if he were the Steve Jobs/Elon Musk of his day. Katie provides more insight to the company's partnership, saying Merrill was the bank and Woodley ran the business. With Merrill dead, the whole company goes to Woodley, though considering the company's financial difficulties, it might not be such a prize. Katie mentions that they recently landed a contract that would help the company (I am assuming it is a Department of Defense contract).
JF goes to visit Daniel in his cell. I guess he was under arrest, even though Amos just said he needed to come done to the station for questioning. Where's the warrant, Amos!? Daniel starts to question his sanity, telling JF that he was in a sanitarium. JF reminds him that was years ago - clearly long enough ago that it was still called a sanitarium. The lawyer, hired by Tony, wants Daniel to have a psych eval. to lay the groundwork for a plea. Daniel tells JF that Katie thought he would be home by dinner and JF reminds him that Katie believes in him. Daniel get a wistful expression on his face as he seems to remember that Katie has always been the wind beneath his wings.
Tony stops JF on her way home (on her bike, of course - we are reminded several times that JF does not drive). Tony offers her a lift home after she tells him of her flat tire. She tells him that Daniel is not crazy. Tony reassures JF that the psych eval is just a precaution and doesn't mean anything. When Tony stops to get gas, JF asks Tony about Daniel's estate, specifically his designs. Tony says that it will go to the University of Maine. The gas station attendant tells Tony that the total for the gas (he filled up the tank) was $7.08. JF uses the excuse that she needs a tissue to look in the glove box and finds a receipt for a car rental in Leslie's name. Tony assures JF that he doesn't want Daniel to go to jail.
Later, Tony shows up to take Daniel to the psych eval. while JF and Katie stand in front of a very obvious green screen projection of Daniel's house (it is weird; there were several shots of the house before, they clearly had that set). Katie is practically in tears (this role is so beneath June Allyson).
While at the grocery store, the cashier trots out the usually small-town cliche, "Anyone not born in the town is a stranger" (Daniel has lived there for 6 years and is still a stranger). We also see that the grocery store has installed an arcade game, a type of driving game. JF tells a distracted Ethan (he is playing the game), that the van (CV!) that was chasing after JF in the station wagon was also seen at the picnic. JF suspects that the van is controlling the driverless car. But while telling Ethan this, he crashes on the game and like most men, blames JF for distracting him (Ethan insists that he is playing a game of skill). JF tries her hand at the game and while Ethan backseat-drives, she has an epiphany. Off to see Amos!
We, along with Tony and Leslie, head back to the park to recreate the incident at the park with Woodley. Guess what? CV shows up! When the station wagon drives towards Woodley, he cries out to Leslie who rushes over to the creepy van to control the station wagon. Ethan is actually controlling the station wagon. JF confronts Leslie, saying that she knows Leslie didn't drive to Portland on business, there aren't enough miles on her car's odometer. Leslie turns on Woodley immediately, saying she won't take the sole blame for this, and Woodley is (not so) subtly telling her to shut up. JF and Amos share a look that basically conveys Amos apology to JF for doubting her and JF telling him not forget that in future partnerships. JF says she realized that Woodley's accident must have been staged because the car was driving so slowly (an older man was able to keep way out in front of the car). So while Woodley was in traction, Leslie (in CV) ran down Merrill. Woodley wanted to kill Merrill so he could control the company and frame Daniel for it. Then Leslie, through Tony, could have control of the Daniel's designs. If Daniel died the design would go to the University, but not if he were in jail. The security screens Daniel designed 10 years ago were key to the contract secured by Woodley (so DOD was a good guess!). Daniel proposes a toast to JF and then just proposes to Katie. Ethan and JF make a quick exit so Daniel and Katie can have a romantic moment alone. Don't look; it's the mushy part!
Show Stats:
Famous Guest Stars: June Allyson (Good News, The Opposite Sex, Too Young to Kiss), Van Johnson (Too Young to Kiss, In the Good Old Summertime, A Guy Named Joe, Brigadoon), Tom Bosley (Happy Days, Love with a Proper Stranger), Stuart Whitman (Cimmaron Strip, think of any hour long show on in the late 80s/early 90s and he was a guest star on it, including the A-Team, Knight Rider, Walker, Texas Ranger, Simon & Simon, Hardcastle and McCormick, and multiple episodes of Murder, She Wrote)
Relative Count: 1 Nephew, 1 Niece
Body location: Smushed between a car and a hillside
Remaining Episode Count: 251
