Murder, He Wrote! (Season 4, Episodes 1-4)

Episode 1 - "A Fashionable Way to Die"

This is another good one written by Donald Ross (and, incidentally, also taking place in Europe). Jessica to Paris to support - you guessed it - an old friend. This time the old friend is a fashion designer whose line is about to make its big debut; except the Eurotrash loan shark who has been funding her suddenly demands a bigger cut, or the debut ain't happening. Guess who gets murdered. 
If you guessed the loan shark, you win the Murder, He Wrote Blog Award. Yes, he is found shot to death - but weirdly, one hotel maid heard the shot ten minutes BEFORE the hour, and the other maid is equally certain she heard the shot ten minutes AFTER the hour. What's going on? Jessica investigates, especially when the suave French inspector (who is as wrong as Lestrade ever was) casts his eye on the fashion designer friend. The solution is kind of ingenious, and makes perfect sense (unlike some of these episodes). A great start to the season. 

The fashion designer is played by Barbara Rush, whose career stretches back to the '50s, with movie like When Worlds Collide, It Came From Outer Space, Magnificent Obsession (!), Hombre, and many others. Seedy loan shark is played by Lee Bergere, who has been on TV since the '50s, and has appeared on Hot L Baltimore (13 episodes), Dynasty (56 episodes), and many more. The police inspector is played by Fritz Weaver, who has been in movies like Marathon Man, Black Sunday, The Big Fix, Creepshow, The Thomas Crown Affair, and many more. 

The talented lounge singer who appears is Juliet Prowse,  who was famous for having legs up to HERE, her silky singing voice, and who appeared on shows like Mona McCluskey (26 episodes); fun fact - she was the very first guest on The Muppet Show in 1976. Finally, her on-screen daughter is played b Danielle Brisebois, who I instantly recognized as Edith Bunker's niece Stephanie from All in the Family (23 episodes). 

Episode 2 - "When Thieves Fall Out"

I particularly liked this one, which is darker and grittier than most others. Andrew Durbin is released from the Maine Prison System afer 20 years for a murder he swears he didn't commit. Now he's back in town to expose the real killer(s), at any cost; he doesn't care whose lives he dismantles or even destroyed - he's fueled by a sense of justice (vengeance?) and will not be stopped. 

Jessica isn't sure she agrees with his methods... and even has her doubts that the case should be reopened after all these years, but finds herself drawn into the mystery nonetheless. What is unusual here is that a lot of lives are taken apart by Durbin's quest ... yet it's impossible to argue that Durbin isn't in the right. At the end of the day, nobody wins - rare for Murder, She Wrote. 

Andrew Durbin is played by John Glover, who has been in many movies over the years, like Annie Hall (small part), Last Embrace, The Evil that Men Do, White Nights, 52 Pick Up, Scrooged, In the Mouth of Madness, and 145 episodes of Smallville as Lionel Luther. Dack Rambo appears in another episode, this time as a murder suspect. The school football coach from 20 years ago is played by Kenneth McMillan, who has appeared notably in many roles, including Serpico, Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Stepford Wives, Dog Day Afternoon, Dune (David Lynch edition), Cat's Eye, Armed and Dangerous, my pet favorite Malone, and more. 

Episode 3 - "Witness for the Defense"

On the other hand, I didn't much like this one. Jessica goes to Quebec to testify on behalf of a friend who is accused of killing his wife and burning their house down to cover up the crime. Jessica is sure he didn't do it (and she's right), but runs afoul of her friend's pretentious blowhard ass of a lawyer, who decides part of his trial strategy is to smear Jessica's character (!) when she comes up with evidence he doesn't like. 

As usual, Jessica's solo investigation turns up all kinds of uncomfortable evidence, but she figures out how to outsmart the officers of the court and solve the crime on her own. It's really great seeing her finally one up the asinine defense lawyer. 

Honestly, it takes a good actor to play someone so loathsome - the defense lawyer here is Patrick McGoohan, known for roles on shows like Ranger Man (39 episodes), Secret Agent (47 episodes), The Prisoner (17 episodes), Rafferty (13 episodes), and a slew of movies including Dr. Ruth from Scanners and the warden from Escape from Alcatraz. His counterpart, the prosecutor is played by Juliet Mills, who acts above the material here, and has appeared in shows like Nanny and the Professor (54 episodes), Passions (an astounding 990 episodes), and many many more. 

The defense lawyer's assistant is played by Simon Jones, who was in Brideshead Revisited (as Bridey) and many other roles over the years. My favorite character, the grimy beer-swilling gardener, is played by Richard Cox, who has been on many shows, including Ghostwriter (8 episodes), Alpha House (10 episodes), Bob the Builder (!), and more. Finally, the friend Jessica is trying to help is Chrisopher Allport, who has had guest roles on many shows, from M*A*S*H to Mad Men. 

Episode 4 - "Old Habits Die Hard"

One of the better title puns on the show! And who doesn't love to mix murder and nuns? It starts out with a juicy opening - a jilted man screams at a group of nuns when his fiancee decides to take the faith. Jessica arrives, invited by a former sorority sister (!), who is now Mother Claire... but all hell breaks loose (so to speak) when Sister Emily is found dead at her desk in what seems like a suicide (by pills). 

But we quickly find out the dose wasn't even lethal, and the suicide "note" was just an everyday writing sample she wrote habitually (haha), and the convent itself has some interesting history. Jessica is on the case! It's amusing to watch her interrogate nuns. This episode also has a rather clever finish, where Jessica snares the real killer with some quick thinking. 

I knew the priest from somewhere, but couldn't place him - it's Robert Prosky! I know him from the movies Thief, Hanky Panky, Christine, The Natural, Broadcast News, The Great Outdoors, Far and Away, Last Action Hero, Dead Man Walking, and a million more; he's also in the shows Hill Street Blues (54 episodes) and Veronica's Closet (23 episodes). Eileen Brennan is here! Famous as the draconian captain in Private Benjamin, she's been in many many things, including Clue (Mrs. Peacock),  The Sting, Daisy Miller, Murder by Death, many more.

Clu Gulager reappears, in his final role - he was in two previously, both western-themed. Here he plays a private investigator. The late Sister Emily is played by Evelyn Keyes, whose career goes back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, and appeared in movies like The Buccaneer, Gone with the Wind (Suellen), Before I Hang, The Adventures of Martin Eden, The Seven Year Itch, and many more; this is her second role on Murder, She Wrote of three. 

Mother Claire is Jane Powell! Anther actress whose career goes back to the great studio era, including A Date with Judy, Royal Wedding, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and a small role on Growing Pains (8 episodes).