Tallyho!

What follows is a deep dive into a somewhat notorious episode of Murder, She Wrote, “It’s a Dog’s Life.”  You know, the one where the dog did it.  Sort of.  There are more spoilers to come, so I recommend watching the entire episode first, ideally after a proper breakfast.

Ladies and Gentlemen, to Horse!

Welcome to rural Virginia and the world of traditional foxhunts.  This American subculture is a romance of horses, hounds, time-honored traditions, and the appearance, if not the reality, of gentility and wealth.  This is not a sport I knew much about going into this episode, so it was interesting to learn little bit about foxhunting as I prepared to write this post.  Happily, a traditional foxhunt is all about the chase, rather than the killing, of a fox.  However, this proletariat can’t help but reflect on the implicit classism, and, in the United States, the legacy of slavery, that made this type of leisure possible for the wealthy few.  For this reason, I feel very conflicted about the continued celebration of this tradition. However, I cannot deny the beauty and romance of the extended horseback sequence that opens the episode.

The Players

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men, in the order we meet them:

Sawdust

Trish Langley

Spencer Langley

Echo Cramer

Morgana Cramer

Denton Langley

Cousin Jess

Tom Cassidy

Abigail Benton Freestone

Teddy

Marcus Boswell

Repeat Offenders

If you’re a MSW fan (and if you’ve read this far, you are) I’m sure you’ve recognized a few actors who appear multiple times throughout the series, but in different roles.  Check out The Rogues’ Gallery for more details. In addition to the actors playing some of the secondary characters already listed above, the following actors play supporting roles this episode, and will reappear in future episodes.

• James Hampton as the veterinarian
• Greg Norberg as Gary the attorney
• Gregory Walcott as Asa Potts
• Sandy Ward as Barnes the security guard

Where in the World is… Greenville, Virginia?

Greenville is small, rural community in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. So small, in fact, that one might wonder if the writers missed it on the map and had actually intended to create a fictional place. On the other hand, the real Greenville is a good fit for the storyline. The Langley estate is set in a rural area of Virginia. Real Greenville is also within a reasonable traveling distance of Washington, D.C., which is mentioned a few times in the episode.

When Are We?

Dear readers, it gives me so much pleasure to share with you my very specific estimated timeframe for this episode’s events:

Original Airdate

The first guiding principal I use in my work on the MSWSW canon timeline is to place an episode’s events before, but as close as possible to, the initial airdate. This episode first aired on November 4th, 1984.

The Oeuvre of J.B. Fletcher

At the beginning of the episode, Jessica is acknowledged as a famous author, so we know these events take place after April 1984. Unfortunately, we are not given any additional information about her oeuvre. We can, however, begin to establish a possible timeframe of April through early November 1984.

Foxhunting in Virginia

The episode opens with a scenic and catastrophic foxhunt. Foxhunting season in Virginia can run, broadly, from September through March. This narrows our timeframe to September through early November 1984.

Foliage in Maine

Jessica tells Abby that the maples are turning in Cabot Cove. Fall foliage season in Maine is late September through late October. This narrows our timeframe further, to the limits of leaf peeping season down east.

A Full Moon

The Days of the Week

I’ll break the timeline down further in the next section, but for the purposes of assigning dates to this episode’s events, I do want to cover a few of the details here.

Jessica states that both deaths (Denton, then Trish) happen within a week.

The inquest for Trish’s murder takes place on a Friday. The Friday following the window for Trish’s murder is Friday, October 12th, 1984.

During the inquest, Jessica states that she saw Marcus Boswell’s tire tracks two days ago (Wednesday, October 10th). Jessica had occasion to observe Marcus’ tire tracks the day after Trish’s murder, which must have then taken place on the Tuesday night, or more specifically, during the very early hours of Wednesday morning.

Allowing enough days for Sawdust to be lost and found, Denton’s will to be read, and Teddy to be framed as a ferocious little dog, my best estimate for this episode’s timeframe is Saturday, October 6^th through Saturday, October 13^th, 1984.

The Timeline

Saturday, October 6th, 1984

Morning

Denton shows Jessica his valuable collection of paintings, including a close up of a legit (reproduction, I’m sure) painting of American Eclipse by Edward Troye. (Fair warning, I use the inclusion of this very lovely, accurate detail to justify my ire at some of the lazy, but otherwise inane, continuity errors this episode.)

Everyone easts, drinks, and makes merry at a traditional hunt breakfast. In retrospect, Marcus Boswell is conspicuously absent given his close relationship with the Langley family.

Midday

A very scenic foxhunt ends in tragedy when Denton Langley is thrown from his horse, Sawdust, after a risky jump. Cousins Abby and Jess suggest foul play to the sheriff and veterinarian.

Evening

Off camera, Sawdust is found and tested for drugs.

Sunday, October 7th, 1984

Abby and Jessica learn that Sawdust’s drug tests were negative. Jessica stops packing and offers to stay with grief-stricken Abby a little longer, until after the will is read.

Monday, October 8th, 1984

Morning

The assembled party enjoys the “latest in will technology.” Denton gets the last word, and his estate goes to the dog.

Later

Off camera, the remains of Monday provide the window of time Spencer Langley would need to meet with Asa Potts and plot their ruse for the next day.

Digression

I feel the need to acknowledge that Monday, October 8th, 1984 was Columbus Day, a holiday that is federally recognized in the United States, but on which most markets and businesses remain open. (Indigenous Peoples’ Day did not gain widespread recognition in the U.S. until the 1990’s.) I feel comfortable in my assumption that both the Langley family and Marcus Boswell would choose to continue with the business at hand on this day, quasi-holiday or not.

Tuesday, October 9th, 1984

Morning

Jessica had originally planned to leave after the will was read, I suppose because Abby had expected to be immediately dismissed by the heir(s).

Instead, Abby decides to stick it out a little longer in the service of her new employer, Teddy. Everyone decides the best thing to do would be to go riding and hurl insults and threats at one another.

Teddy is then caught in a very compromising position in the stable, and after the vet and sheriff return to the Langley estate, he gets sent to the dog house.

Afternoon

Boswell calls Abby with the good news that Teddy has been released on his own recognizance.

After retrieving the poor little pup, Jessica and Abby visit Boswell to discuss their concerns about trumped-up lawsuits against Teddy. Morgana Cramer and her big city lawyer pass by on their way out, and then it’s down to business.

Wednesday, October 10th, 1984

2:00 A.M.

The aforementioned full moon illuminates the night sky. “Just like clockwork” Teddy visits Barnes in the Langley security room.

Trish’s car approaches the front gates, which are closed. The driver stumbles out of the car to use the intercom, and after Barnes presses the gate button, falls between the opening gates. Barnes leaves Teddy in the security room while he goes to assist the driver, whom he believes to be Trish, “drunk again.”

Before Barnes reaches the gates, they close, and Trish meets a gruesome end.

clockWORK

Well, I guess we’ll let Jessica have the last word about the time of the murder.

before dawn

The authorities arrive to investigate Trish’s death. The remaining members of the household gather in the main house, and are soon joined by Boswell and Tom Cassidy. Numerous clues fuel competing theories about the identity of the murderer.

After sunrise

It rains.

Abby and Teddy commiserate in lock up.

Digression

Initially, I thought this episode made a case against the practice of electing sheriffs, since Jessica had some choice words about this one. However, after rewatching, it’s my opinion that the Greenville Sheriff was making an honest job of it. If an animal was trained to assist with a murder, Abby is the most likely suspect. And, he’s right, Abby did have a thing for Denton, and Jessica was kin.

Later Wednesday Morning

Boswell drives Jessica back to the Langley estate, and she asks to be dropped off about 1/2 mile from the gates.

Wednesday Afternoon

Off camera, I imagine this is the time Jessica, possibly with the assistance and support of Deputy Roxie, makes her case to the coroner and becomes a friend of the court.

Thursday, October 11th, 1984

Friday, October 12th, 1984

Are you tired? I’m tired. Friday is the inquest, and Jessica, with the help of an amenable coroner, a baby-faced deputy, and Teddy’s estimable training, exposes Trish’s murderer.

Saturday, October 13th, 1984

Show Your Work

Fair Play Pause Point

In the early morning hours after Trish’s murder, we get to watch Jessica piece it all together. However, she does not feel she has conclusive proof of the murderer’s identity until later that day, after Boswell drops her a short distance from the Langley estate.

This episode gives us more than fair play, we the audience have all the information that Jessica does, plus one more important clue. It’s more than enough to solve the puzzle at the same point as Jessica, even if the murderer seems to have made some confounding choices.

Denton’s Murder

The hunt party is formally dressed; all the men are wearing red jackets and all the women are wearing black ones, except Jessica, that gauche yankee.

We know that the family all hoped to benefit from Denton’s will, but we can eliminate Spencer as a suspect, because he is wearing red. Also, even though she is wearing black, we can eliminate Abby, because she has no motive to kill Denton. That leaves three possible suspects in Denton’s murder: Trish, Echo, and Morgana.

Trish’s Murder

After Trish’s murder, a number of clues are presented, including a couple of red herrings.

Teddy’s Pawprint

Trish’s Coat

NightBird’s Call

Boswell’s Trousers

BoSwell’s Flat

Maybe it’s because it’s the middle of the night and everyone is shocked and exhausted, but this is completely illogical and/or incriminating on its face. It implies that there could have been no time between the 2 a.m. murder and Boswell’s drive to the Langley estate. But there must have been, because Boswell would have received notification of the accident via a 1984 landline telephone from Barnes, the police, or the family at least several minutes afterwards. Alternatively, he could have also been listening to his CB radio all night, like Tom Cassidy, but again, time enough at least for Barnes to alert the police would have elapsed. Further, the police were already onsite and investigating when Boswell arrived, making whatever he claimed to see or not see while changing his tire moot.

Morgana’s Vision

Abby’s Whistle

Boswell’s Treads

The Bicycle Clip

But why there? Jessica knows Boswell’s story about a flat tire is bogus, but believes the 1/2 mile distance holds some significance. Why? Perhaps, because Boswell’s flat tire story was off the cuff, it might contain some half truths? Unfortunately, her reason for linking the location of the fake flat to the location of the bicycle clip is never explained, and it’s a weak point.

J’accuse!

No one walks around in greasy trousers in front of Jessica and gets away with it. It was Boswell, because concocting this Rube-Goldberg-meets-Dr. Doolittle scheme was the only way to keep charging legal fees to the Langley estate.

Thanks, I hate it.

The writers chose a patently absurd premise – what if the dog did it? – and instead of making it perform clever tricks to delight us, just let it chew the upholstery and make a mess on the carpet.

There were so many simpler, equally effective ways to bump off that notorious drinker, Trish. A few stiff drinks and a blow to the head would have been perfectly sufficient to suggest a drunken accident. There was no need to gild the lily by elaborately beheading her in front of poor Barnes.

Our in-episode subject matter expert, Abby, says “endless repetition” is required to train a dog to perform tricks like pushing a specific button, or scratching at a specific door at 2 a.m. every night. This would have meant that Boswell spent hours and hours alone with Teddy at the Langley estate, long before either murder, without raising suspicions. Jessica simply says Boswell “had access” to Teddy, and that’s supposed to be a satisfactory explanation.

Framing Teddy to incriminate Spencer is an utterly unnecessary ploy to keep the legal fees flowing. As we saw during the episode’s rising action, Boswell could have relied on Spencer’s shady attempts on Teddy and Morgana’s more civilized lawsuits to provide continual reasons to draw money from the estate. Adding a murder on top would only invite unwanted scrutiny.

This could have been a very diverting episode, if the writers had given us a solution in which it was truly required, or, at least, convenient, for the murderer to use a trained dog. Instead, we are asked to believe that a seemingly intelligent, reasonable man decided that the best course of action was to commit a murder that was unnecessarily complicated, required a literally incredible amount of preparation, and was, at best, tangential to his interests.

Episode Rating

Bonus Features

Do Crimes.

If this kind of thing interests you, check out my MSW statistical analysis. Also, fun note, this episode, Trish Langley becomes the first character of the series to become both a murderer and a murder victim. Congrats, Trish!

Murder!

• Culprit: Trish Langley
• Motive: Hoped to inherit (Greed)
• Weapon: Sabotaged Conveyance – Specifically, a doped horse
• Done Deed: We see Trish dope the horse, but Denton’s death happens off screen.
• Crime Scene: A traditional Virginia foxhunt
• Discovery: 9 minutes, or 18% through

Another Murder!

• Culprit: Marcus Boswell
• Motive: Control of the Langley estate (Greed)
• Weapon: Rube Goldberg Contrivance – Specifically? Well, it’s complicated.
• Done Deed: The camera mercifully cuts away just before Trish’s beheading.
• Crime Scene: A Mercedes, a fur coat, a wrought iron gate
• Discovery: 24 minutes, or 49% through

Other Crimes!

• Spencer Langley and Asa Potts: Fraud, for framing Teddy; and assault, for threatening Jessica
• Jessica Fletcher: Trespass (again!) and attempted larceny at the Potts farm

Psycho Killer

What if Cousin Jess is really a serial killer? Pretty easy this time. She borrowed a black jacket from any one of the ladies at the hunt to dope Sawdust incognito. Jessica was also the mysterious figure at the gate the night Trish was murdered. She pinned it on Boswell by planting a bicycle clip. He really did have a flat that night, and his spare really did have a very worn tread, just like he claimed at the inquest. As for no one passing by for the 20 minutes he spent changing his tire, the police arrived before him, and Killer Jessica never left the estate.

Tropes, Devices, and Other Conventions

Mystery Tropes

Costume

My standard for this trope is that one or more costumes are used to obfuscate the identity of the murderer and/or the victim. So, this episode does technically use the costume trope when Boswell disguises himself with Trish’s coat. However, it just doesn’t have the same delightful bouquet of foreshadowing that a costume party or a stage performance would.

Despicable Victim

As I stated earlier, Denton Langley is the gold standard traditional wealthy patriarch cozy murder victim. However, some patriarchs are more sympathetic than others. Denton is tough to warm to; he seems to revel in being thought of as an old lech, and his last words to his children are just piss and vinegar.

Oddly located corpse

Both bodies conform to this cozy mystery trope; as intended, the novelty of the murder methods keeps the mood light.

Suspicious Phone Call

There are three on-screen phone calls this episode, but only one is suspicious. Why? What makes a murder mystery phone call suspicious? What makes one innocent?

Phone Call 1: Jessica and Ethan

Phone Call 2: Abby and Boswell

Abby and Boswell discuss Teddy over the phone. This call is innocent because nothing is hidden; we see and hear both sides of the conversation. Also, note the open body language presented by both characters.

Phone Call 3: Boswell and Jim Boy

Plot Devices

flashback

We get a wavy flashback scene that explains Morgana’s perspective on Trish’s murder. It’s a little special because it waves out on Jessica and waves back in on Morgana.

MSW Tropes

Infinite Jest

One of the most endearing qualities of MSW is that, quite often, something laughably absurd happens as a plot device. When it succeeds, it adds levity that keeps the murder mystery from getting too dark. When it fails, as it unfortunately does this episode, it undermines the logic that’s needed to provide a satisfying solution.

As discussed earlier, a premise that is patently ridiculous, like “the dog did it!” requires a clear, concise case for why it was the best choice, or at least one among equally reasonable choices, for the murderer. Otherwise, the solution is just silly, and a big let down for the audience.

Nay, Tarry

Jessica extends her visit with Abby twice in order to unravel this episode’s strange events. Our lady is typically waylaid by a wrongful arrest; in an unusual sequence of events, Abby is not wrongfully arrested until after Jessica decides to remain longer in Greenville.

Smile and Smile

Le Mot Juste

This episode, Cousin Abby gets the best line: “Around here, some of the real beasts walk on two legs.”

What She Wore

This episode wasn’t a sartorial standout for me, but there were a couple of scarf variations to add to the collection, and I enjoyed the formal riding attire.

How to Wear a Scarf

Jessica’s Best Look

Best Look Overall

Honorable mention goes to the well-coiffed Echo. As Jackie Kennedy said, “Pearls are always appropriate.”

Least Best Look

It’s a tie! Pun intended!

Interior Motives

Speaking of ties, Abby and Boswell are neck and neck in a competition to see who can collect the most house plants:

The Rest of the Story

After the inquest, the remaining members of the Langley family depart Greenville. Spencer resumes his work as a D.C. lobbyist. Morgana and Echo return to London, where Professor Cramer, husband to Morgana and father to Echo, recently accepted a prestigious fellowship in classic Greek literature.

Hm, what’s that? You had assumed that Morgana was divorced, widowed, or otherwise unhappily separated from her husband? Me, too. It turns out, the mild mannered Professor was just far too gentle a soul to endure much time in the company of his overbearing in-laws, so he stayed behind when Morgana and Echo traveled stateside for Denton’s birthday.

Once the Cramer family is happily reunited, Morgana, an accomplished neolithic anthropologist, returns to her work researching standing stones. Being able to throw herself back into work that is both intrinsically rewarding and closely aligned with her spiritual beliefs helps Morgana through her grieving process.

Like her mother, Echo feels unmoored and grief stricken after the Langley family tragedies. She rejoins the London music scene, and spends the next several months reflecting on her experiences and working on her music. During this period she also reconnects with an old flame, and unknowingly inspires his band’s next hit.

Extra Credit

Book Recommendation

For a more deftly handled “the dog did it” premise, I recommend Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie.

Film Reference

There is an in-episode reference to a Stephen King movie about a possessed dog. That movie is 1983’s Cujo, and it is a movie that exists and can be watched. Personally, I think there are better Stephen King movies out there. If Cujo you must have, read the 1981 novel instead.

The MSWSW It’s a Dog’s Life Playlist

For music lovers, this episode inspired the following playlist:

• “King of the Road” by Roger Miller
• “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways
• “Georgy Girl” by The Seekers
• “Bring on the Dancing Horses” by Echo and the Bunnymen