Episode 72: The Killer Wears Prada

TONIGHT ON MURDER, SHE WROTE, we explore the Parisian fashion runways! And there's a lot more dead guy in the hotel room than anticipated.  When blackmailing tycoon Maxim Soury (Lee Bergere) tells designer-on-the-rise Eva Taylor (Barbara Rush) that he wants 50% of her new business, she seeks out her close, rich friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) for help. During a fashion show full of disparate pieces of sequin, beads, and lamé, two shots are heard down the hall, and Maxim is suddenly no longer a financial burden; he's dead. Surely it wasn't Maxim's wife (Taina Elg), as she was seated with Jessica at the show, and the models all seemed too busy —including that of A-lister Lu Watters (Randi Brooks); the fabulous assistant (Bill Beyers) wouldn't have time, would he? Somehow, Ms. Taylor might, though. A strong potential for Season 4's opener leaves Petra and Viktor at odds while Jessica takes a backseat to the inspector of the week (Fritz Weaver), quick musical numbers by Juliet Prowse fly by, and scene after scene appear to feature a stand-in for our heroine. A FASHIONABLE WAY TO DIE is by no means boring, however, and we're left with considerable empathy for ladies in the hospitality service industry, who must contend with missing towels, disheveled rooms, and Americans.