MURDER, SHE WROTE: A CHRISTMAS SECRET (TV)
Summary
One in this murder mystery series about an unassuming Maine mystery writer turned sleuth named Jessica B. Fletcher who uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases. In this episode, Jessica and Seth spend Christmas with the Forsythe family of Cabot Cove, who welcome their daughter Elizabeth's fiancé, Charlie, announcing that he will be taking over as vice-president of the family company as well. Forsythe's partner's son Bert, however, is bitter about the arrangement, particularly as he used to date Beth. Beth tells Jessica about their whirlwind romance, and Charlie meets the sheriff, who invites him to join their pistol team, as he is former military. As they leave, Jessica and Seth talk about the holiday, and Seth admits that a disappointing childhood Christmas has left him with a dislike of the season. Charlie then finds a cassette tape in his car bearing a threatening message of blackmail, telling him to be at the pier the following night. When he arrives, he spots the town's receptionist, Wanda, waiting for him, but leaves without talking to her.
Later, the Forsythes and their friends decorate the community center for a holiday charity drive, and Beth tells Jessica about how Wanda is generally disliked for her man-eating ways and that Amy has a crush on her boss from the hardware store, Floyd, though he is oblivious to her and interested in Wanda instead. Jessica observes that Wanda is highly private about the contents of her locker, and also discovers that she is colorblind when she gives her the wrong shade of balloons. Elsewhere, Beth discovers the blackmail tape in Charlie's room and, following him to a motel, is crushed to see him with another woman. The charity event soon gets underway with everyone in attendance, with Seth planning to dress as Santa Claus, but when Charlie goes looking for Wanda, he finds that she has been shot by someone wearing the costume. She is taken to the hospital and her locker is found to be empty, and Beth confronts Charlie, saying she knows about his affair. Bert finds the gun, and it is revealed to be Charlie's, making him look increasingly guilty. A worried Beth tells Jessica that he has been arrested, explaining about the cassette tape and the other woman and wondering if he has deceived her, but Jessica questions his guilt.
Jessica then talks to the sheriff and learns that Wanda is suspected of having stolen $400,000 from the town pension fund and stashed the money somewhere, though Jessica ponders that her attack seems personal and suspects Beth. She visits the motel and finds the woman Charlie visited, who turns out to be his sister, Monica. She then reveals that Charlie has a child, however, whose mother died in childbirth, and she explains that Charlie hid the truth from Beth for fear of losing her. Jessica has a brainwave and calls Floyd, telling him to meet her in the locker room and to bring Amy. When they arrive, Amy reveals that she hid the pension money that Floyd in fact stole, and shot Wanda in order to protect him. Jessica arrives with the police, explaining how the colorblind Wanda confused Charlie's car with Floyd's and misplaced the blackmail tape, having learned of Floyd's theft while doing the town's financial books and intending to blackmail him rather than Charlie, and how Amy eavesdropped and stole Charlie's gun to frame him for the crime. Amy and Floyd are both arrested, and Charlie is reunited with his new family, who are more than happy to meet his child. Jessica and Seth exchange presents, and he admits that she has renewed his enjoyment of the holiday. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: December 13, 1992 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:47:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:46293
- GENRE: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, mystery/suspense
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1984-1996
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Angela Lansbury … Executive Producer
- Al Kraus … Coordinating Producer
- Mark A. Burley … Supervising Producer
- Robert E. Swanson … Supervising Producer
- Bruce Lansbury … Supervising Producer, Writer
- J. Michael Straczynski … Producer
- Todd London … Co-Producer
- Peter S. Fischer … Created by
- Richard Levinson … Created by
- William Link … Created by
- Anthony Shaw … Director
- Jonathan Tunick … Music by
- John Addison … Theme Music by
- Angela Lansbury … Cast, Jessica Fletcher
- Diane Baker … Cast, Mary Forsythe
- Corinne Bohrer … Cast, Wanda Andrews
- Amy Brenneman … Cast, Amy Wainwright
- Ron Masak … Cast, Sheriff Mort Metzger
- Sean O'Bryan … Cast, Charlie D. McCumber
- Eileen Seeley … Cast, Elizabeth Forsythe
- Ken Swofford … Cast, Alan Forsythe
- Mary Tanner … Cast, Monica McCumber
- Larry Wilcox … Cast, Floyd Bigelow
- William Windom … Cast, Dr. Seth Hazlitt
- Louis Herthum … Cast, Deputy Andy Bloom
- Craig Hamann … Cast, Bert Lazarus