Season 1, Episode 1: The Murder of Sherlock Holmes

Lets start with how awesome the opening credits are for this show.  The theme song is really great and the shots of Jessica Fletcher (whom I will refer to as JF in the future) makes (in the words of my cousin Lindy) a person want to be an active senior.  And be prepared to hear that theme a lot!

And now, I am going to try to unpack this episode, emphasis on try!  The show opens by illustrating that JF is a great detective. She has figured out the ending of a (somehow) original play presented by the local community theater. And may I add, the refreshment committee was planning on serving macaroons (I assume the classic coconut macaroon, not the recently trendy French style macaroon).  We soon learn that JF jogs at 6:35 in the morning (which is a continuing theme, at least during this episode).  And why do we know she jogs so early?  Because she is answering a phone call from her nephew, Grady.  He had submitted her book to a publisher and it had been accepted .  As a side note, it is still really weird to see the Twin Towers in shots from NYC.  Before JF goes off for her press junket (which includes Donahue, Letterman, and the Today Show) in NYC, JF must undergo a makeover montage, of course. We  learn that pectin is good for the complexion (I have not idea is this is true).   We also learn that her first book is called "The Corpse Dances at Midnightt" and it is revealed that the killer is a pregnant ballerina (please tell me someone wrote this book).  Her endless press interviews make her want to depart New York immediately and she is served a subpoena personally by the woman accusing her of plagiarism (I don't think that is how subpoenas work)! Her publisher, Giles (also the first of what will be a string of would-be suitors) convinces her to stay in New York and invites her to his country house (in upstate New York maybe?, it is not clear).  Of course, the stay begins with a guy (Captain Caleb) shooting a shotgun and (with a nod to Chekov), you know that guns will be going off later in the episode.  We also learn that a nearby airport (where?) has jets taking off that cause sonic booms (so the airport that the Concorde uses?).  The publisher is having a costume party and the guests are supposed to dress like their favorite literary character.  When JF is asked how she is going to pull together a costume, she says that she could go as Lady Godiva, before offering a wink and hip thrust to Giles.  During the party, a private detective is found in the house and, in a  heavily foreshadowing scene, the PI tells Giles that he (Giles) is dressed as the Count of Monte Cristo, while standing next to a Statue of Lady Justice.  My favorite detail in this section is that JF has a secret spot remover that (unfortunately) is not soy sauce (hey, Mrs. Mears)!   The next morning, a body is discovered in the pool with a shotgun shot to the face, dressed as Sherlock Holmes, Captain Caleb's costume. It is assumed that he was the victim.  But is turns out it wasn't Captain Caleb but rather the PI (again shotgun blast to the face)? It is now that we get to meet the sheriff who is a giant buffoon,played by Ned Beatty. You know that scene in the Untouchables when Malone talks to a recruit who can't answer a question and Malone says "meet the new county sheriff".  That is Ned Beatty, who leans pretty heavily on JF to figures out stuff. Anyway, because there were two possible victims, either Captain Caleb or the PI, there are multiple possible motives.  JF is getting ready to leave ( somehow the porter at a NEW YORK train station remembers her) when she is fetched by Giles and Grady's girlfriend. Grady has been arrested because the police think he was being blackmailed by the PI! A lawyer gets him released and we learn that the other main suspect, a secretary who is on the outs with Captain Caleb), has a alibi; she was with JF getting a stain out of a dress!  TO BE CONTINUED!


Show Stats:
Famous Guest Stars: Ned Beatty (from Richard Donner's Superman), Brian Keith (the dad in the original Parent Trap), Bert Convey (a regular guest on Match Game), Anne Francis (Riptide! Black Sheep Squadron, and Hardcastle and McCormick which also starred Brian Keith)
Relative Count: 1 Nephew
Body location: In a pool!
Remaining Episode Count: 258