Episode 40: Our Good Judy Geeson

TONIGHT, ON MURDER SHE WROTE, we're going to take you to church.Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is mid-visit with her old teacher Carrie McKittrick (Mildred Natwick) when the vultures descend; her opportunistic step-son (Richard Herd) and grandson (Art Hindle) express their outrage that the family money is going to the charismatic Reverend Willie John Fargo (Steve Forrest), who preaches over the airwaves.  Carrie becomes conveniently ill and dies; the family contends the motivation behind her healthcare was more than Christian charity and accuses the Reverend and his hospital staff of foul play.  Jessica is the only one who's able to suss out the real cause of death because the district attorney (Dick Van Patten) is totally useless, the doctor and on-call nurse (Jack Bannon and Barbi Benton) maintain their innocence, and the good Reverend's wife Sister Ruth (Judy Geeson) provides few answers to explain away why her husband may not have killed for a fortune.The possibilities are many in this exploration of exploitative televalenglism and dysfunctional family dynamics this side of a Sam Shepard play.  What ensues is a mystery involving hypodermic needles, forged wills, black eyes, and fanciful hair dye, with Jeannie Wilson, Frank Bonner, and Jill Hill as even more suspects, ranging from the devout to the devious.  Will Jessica solve the MURDER IN THE ELECTRIC CATHEDRAL?  Yes, of course she will, but it's a wild ride to get there.