Pour One Out for the Angel(a): My Favorite Murder She Wrote Episodes

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I, like most of the gay portion of this country, am mourning the loss of Angela Lansbury. To think of a world without her in our presence is so sad to think of. The body of work is diverse and immeasurable; my personal favorites are The Manchurian Candidate, Sweeney Todd, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and of course, MURDER SHE WROTE which ran for 12 seasons and gave oodles of golden age star their health and dental benefits for the year. Here are my favorite episodes if a full rewatch of the series seems daunting.

1. Widow, Weep For Me

Season 2 Episode In the exciting Season 2 opener, JP impersonates a rich recluse to get to the bottom of her friend’s death in a swanky hotel.


2. Sing a Song Of Murder

Season 2 Episode 5:ย JB is sad to learn her cousin in London (that somehow has been making her living operating a music hall) has died. Plot twist: She’s not dead she faked it because someone was threatening her and she is identical in every way to our Jessica Fletcher.ย Can JB get to the bottom of this?ย 


3. Jessica Behind Bars

Season 2, Episode 9: Jessica tries to teach a writing class in a women’s prison. Surprise, surprise, it doesn’t do well and murder follows her in. Don’t worry, one riot later and JB Fletcher figures it out. Notable guest stars include Yvonne De Carlo and Eve Plumb.

4. If It’s Thursday It Must be Beverly

Season 4, Episode 7:

If you think Cabot Cove is a boring little town with no sex appeal, you would be wrong. In this banger of an episode we find out that the new night sheriff has been canoodling with all the middle aged women in the town. My favorite quote, “It was good clean sex once a week!”

5. Time To Die

Season 10, Episode 16: When you hit the later episodes of Murder, She Wrote the writers (finally!) seem to grasp that the population count of Cabot Cove can not sustain her being in town for too long. Where can a fair amount of carnage happen without our Jessica Fletcher being blamed? Why the Big Apple of course! Jessica comes to New York to teach a writing class. Two promising students attend and of course our girl can’t keep out of their personal lives. I won’t give too much away but a major plot point involves pigeon racing. What could be more wholesome or natural?


I would describe my style and attitude as…

A cross between Iris Apfel, Miriam Margoles, Lucille Ball. But I am a devoted maximalist through and through. Although, as another inspiration once said

Styleโ€”all who have it share one thing: originality.

Diana Vreeland