Episode 68: It's Been 84 Years

TONIGHT ON MURDER, SHE WROTE, Petra Fried and Viktor Devonne are with Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) as she investigates the innocence of a man convicted of murder more than 30 years ago, and whose life has been summarily torn asunder. Who's to blame? What really happened?  Why is this all in black and white?In one of the most ambitious and bonkers decisions of season 3, THE DAYS DWINDLE DOWN features intercut and re-edited footage from the nearly forgotten STRANGE BARGAIN, a 1949 noir by Will Price starring Jeffrey Lynn as well-meaning but totally screwed Sam Wilson, and his faithful and extremely patient wife Georgia (Martha Scott) traversing the lead-up and aftermath of the boss's death.  Said boss, Jarvis (Richard Gaines, also not alive to actually be in this episode) has been found dead at his estate and no one believes Sam that it was a suicide made to look like murder! You see, $10,000 was his payment from Jarvis to help further the belief of homicide amongst the inheriting family and police... Well, Sam messed up and now everyone really does think it's murder, and Sam heads to prison accordingly.  Now out, he remains a shell of a man, and Georgia is desperate to get him back to his old (young?) self in their elderly years.A happenstance meeting between Georgia and Jessica leads to our Cabot Cove murder solver on the road to the truth--which now includes the adult son of Mr. Jarvis, Sydney (Richard Beymer of TWIN PEAKS); the Wilsons' own adult son, Rod, now an officer (Art Hindle); the retired cop who put it all together years ago, Webb (Harry Morgan of DRAGNET), and Dorothy (Susan Strasberg of the Starsbergs), the granddaughter of Jarvis' partner who may know more about the plot than she thinks.  It's all a lot of backstory via flashback, bad decision after bad decision, and fantastic bows from "Baby" June Havoc (of GYPSY lore), and Gloria Stuart (TITANIC!), who may be the real monsters of this story after all!A memorable penultimate effort of season 3, we are seated for the reveals and twists, which would take us completely by surprise if this weren't our fifteenth time or so watching it.