Episode 83: The World is Your Baked Clam

TONIGHT ON MURDER SHE WROTE, Viktor and Petra solve the mystery of all mysteries: WHO THREW THE BARBITALS IN MRS. FLETCHER'S CHOWDER? Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) is surprised by his sister, Winnie (Anne Meara), after an altercation with her brutish husband, Elmo (Guy Stockwell).  He soon passes her on to Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) to deal with, much to her chagrin as she's got a deadline, and soon Winnie is set up with Dr. Seth Hazlitt (William Windom) for an evening out.  When the family comes a-calling to bring her home, she is resolute in her decision to leave the abusive, pill-popping alcoholic, and so ensues a memorable dinner party—baked clams to the lobsters, tall drinks and short glasses; right down to the controlled substance in Jessica's fishy amuse bouche... that leaves someone dead. One of the most beloved MURDER SHE WROTE episodes is indeed a trip with farce, familial dysfunction, and two side stories featuring Tupper's new deputy: the formidable Colleen Camp as Marigold Feeney; and a suspicious man in the bushes (Donnell Rhodes) who seems to be tracking Winnie. Henry Gibson, Geoffrey Lewis, and Barbara Rhoades round out the guest stars, as Elmo's frustrating family; and indeed, we will find out, among other things, who mixed up the coriander with the depressants.