Here is Jessica Fletcher’s arrest record, up to and including S1 E7. I’ve also included a history of the crimes she has committed, which is remarkably unrelated to her arrests.
Hello, and welcome to MSWSW’s analysis of “Hit, Run and Homicide.”
There are four parts to this episode guide:
Part 1 includes the setting, characters, and context of the episode.
Part 2 is a detailed timeline of the episode’s events.
This is Part 3, my analysis of the episode.
Part 4 is a collection of fun extras that I like to call Bonus Features.
Show Your Work
Pencils ready!
How does this episode’s mystery stack up? Is it plausible? Does it make sense? Can the audience solve the mystery by the time Jessica does?
Fair Play Pause Point
Jessica has her epiphany while playing the arcade driving game Spy Hunter. By this point in the episode, which I call the fair play pause point, can the audience solve the mystery?
The Wrong Man?
This episode uses a popular mystery and suspense convention, the frame-up. The central mystery is whether Daniel is being framed for a murder he didn’t commit, rather than the murder itself. So, my analysis will focus on whether we, the audience, can figure out if Daniel is being framed, and if so, by whom.
Clues!
The Remote Controlled car
A driverless car wielded as a weapon is already stretching this plot’s plausibility nearly to its breaking point right out of the gate.
Thankfully, everyone readily accepts that this is a remote controlled vehicle, rather than some sort of supernatural phenomenon, which keeps us from veering off into Scooby Doo or Steven King territory. Daniel readily acknowledges that he openly worked on similar designs in the past. Katie, his former WAMCO colleague, corroborates this.
Charles’ Unbroken Bones
Charles Woodley manages to out run a car. He escapes serious injury, too. Yet, he’s in so much pain he must remain in the hospital.
Dean’s Chartered Boat
This is my favorite clue this episode. It’s very subtle. It doesn’t make it into Jessica’s summation at the end of the episode, which is a shame. When Dean Merrill disembarks in Cabot Cove, he says his partner (Charles Woodley) told him to arrive by chartered boat.
Because the walk from the marina to the hospital is shorter than the walk to the nearest cab (at the train station), this forces Dean to walk a specific one mile stretch between the marina and the hospital, setting him up for his deadly encounter with the station wagon.
Daniel’s Phone Records
Jessica and Letitia do some snooping and discover that recent calls made from Daniel’s phone number include one to Charles Woodley’s office in Boston.
As Jessica is quick to point out, this doesn’t prove Daniel placed the call, only that someone used his line to do so. Alas, modern technology has since laid waste to the plausible deniability of landline phone calls. However, back in 1984, this cast suspicion on the four people who had easy access to Daniel’s landline: Katie, Tony, Leslie, and Daniel himself.
The Red and Gray Van
She may have seemed perfectly innocent at the picnic. Or, perhaps she was just very easy to miss. However, after Jessica’s wild ride, the link between the remote controlled station wagon and the red and gray van is undeniable.
I’m a little baffled that neither Jessica nor Ethan seem to make the connection after the car chase. They both understand the station wagon is being controlled remotely. Out at the lighthouse, the van is the only other vehicle present, so the van’s driver, or possibly a passenger, must be responsible for controlling the station wagon. Right?
Daniel’s Files
Files identical to Daniel’s designs for a remote controlled car are found in the station wagon. This is such weak evidence even Amos is dubious, but it’s not Murder, She Wrote unless an innocent person gets arrested before the denouement.
Leslie’s Unsolicited advice
I think I once read somewhere that unsolicited advice is always self-serving. There’s room in my worldview for the occasional altruist, but that’s not the case here. Leslie’s suggestion that Daniel may need psychiatric help is another subtle clue.
WAMCO’s Financials
Katie spills the tea about the WAMCO boys. They’re low on cash, and now that Dean Merrill is gone, Charles Woodley owns 100% of the business.
Daniel’s Estate
Tony is Daniel’s only living relative. He stands to inherit Daniel’s (modest) estate, with the exception of Daniel’s patents, which would to go the University of Maine.
$7.08 and a Rental Agreement
This could have been a terrific final piece to the puzzle, but instead it’s an unforced error that really spoils this episode for me. When Tony stops for gas, the total comes to $7.08.
Dear readers, it’s time for some math. I promise to keep it short and sweet. In 1984, the U.S. national average price for a gallon of gas was $1.13. So, Tony’s $7.08 would have bought about 6.27 gallons. The fuel economy for a Ford convertible would have been around 20 miles per gallon. Assuming that the driver (Leslie) always filled up the tank, that implies that the car had been driven about 125 miles since the last fuel stop.
Wait, how far away were all those Portland appointments, again?
Right, 100 miles round-trip, thanks Tony.
So, on its face, the $7.08 fill-up is totally plausible. And that’s assuming Leslie never got gas in Portland before heading back to Cabot Cove. Well, never mind. What’s important is that the pitstop inspires Jessica to snoop in the glove compartment for the car rental agreement.
Ok, great!
Let’s all take a look-see at this important clue.
If you’re disappointed that we didn’t get to see that odometer, chin up! The writers have one more clue for us. It’s intentionally ambiguous, but it’s full of thematic appeal.
The Arcade Game
While playing Spy Hunter, Jessica realizes…. well, something about driving too fast? Or maybe driving too slow? The audience doesn’t get to find out exactly what Jessica’s epiphany was until after she confronts the killer.
Ok, they also use this scene to explicitly state that the station wagon was operated from the red and gray van, but, like, duh.
J’accuse!
The Reenactment
Following her aha moment, Jessica and Sheriff Tupper arrange for a reenactment of Charles Woodley’s encounter with the station wagon on the softball field. In classic MSW style, Jessica is able to trick the killers into revealing themselves, and triumphantly confronts them with proof of their guilt.
Fair Play?
We’re back on the softball field, but are the writers playing ball? At this point in the episode, we already know that Jessica believes Daniel is innocent, but we don’t have all the facts. Specifically:
What was the convertible’s odometer reading? The $7.08 worth of gas is inconclusive on its own.
What was Jessica’s big revelation during the arcade game? She’s enlightened, but the audience is still in the dark.
Can we conclusively identify the guilty without this information?
Katie was forthcoming with potentially incriminating information about WAMCO. Further, she has no motive to either kill off the WAMCO boys or frame Daniel, so she can reasonably be cleared of suspicion.
If we’ve been paying close attention, there are enough clues to implicate Charles Woodley, but he must have had an accomplice who controlled the station wagon.
Woodley’s accomplice could be Tony or Leslie. Until the reenactment, we don’t have enough information to determine which one it is. It might even be both of them.
Guilty!
So, no, this is not a fair play episode. Fair play is a style choice, and does not necessarily determine the quality of the storytelling. A high quality mystery can be engaging, precise, novel, comedic, you name it, without using fair play.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, that’s not the case here. At MSWSW, we’re sticklers for plausibility and precision. The characters’ choices must make sense. The clues must be relevant. The explanation of the puzzle must be complete.
This episode’s shortcomings are all in evidence at the reenactment:
First, how did law enforcement find the red and gray van? And in finding it, certainly its location, registration, plates, VIN, etc. would be important, and possibly conclusive, evidence as to who killed Dean Merrill. So important and conclusive, the whole reenactment might not even have been necessary. While we’re on the subject, those same identifying features (registration, plates, VIN) for the station wagon would also probably be edifying. And if not, we the audience should be told why not.
Jessica confronts Leslie with Tony’s gasoline tab. Not only is this a meaningless figure, as we’ve already established, but how TF would Leslie know what Jessica’s even talking about? She wasn’t at the gas station.
Yeah, maybe you did, Jessica, but we didn’t. Why force fuzzy math about gasoline on us, when you could just show us the odometer and do some nice, simple math about those 100-mile trips back and forth to Portland?
I’m with you, Amos.
Episode Rating
For me, the most appealing aspect of this episode is its location. Like most MSW enthusiasts, I have a soft spot for Cabot Cove and her denizens. Otherwise, I found this episode to be pretty mediocre.
Even though this episode was only ok, I hope you won’t let that stop you from going on a joyride with me in Part 4: Bonus Features!
Part 4 is a collection of fun extras that I like to call Bonus Features.
The Timeline
Not a lot of time or attention is given to establishing a precise timeline this episode. The plot doesn’t rely on time-specific details, so it’s not devastating, just more of a missed opportunity, imho. Here’s my take on this episode’s sequence of events:
The Days of the Week
Since a town celebration takes place on Day 1, it’s most likely either a Saturday or a Sunday. On the following day, Leslie the Saleslady says she has business appointments in Portland, and for that to be most plausible, Day 2 is probably a weekday, making Day 1 most likely a Sunday and Day 2 a Monday.
Charles Woodley outruns a driverless station wagon, ends up in Cabot Cove hospital, and gives his statement to Sheriff Tupper.
I’m going to differ with the captions here. I think the name of the company is meant to be WAMCO (or WAM Co.) Electronics, the WAM being short for Woodley And Merrill.
Monday: Murder
Morning
Jessica drops by Daniel’s house with a pie for his guest, Katie. We meet Daniel’s nephew, Tony, and Leslie, his extremely new fiancée. Jessica tells Daniel about Woodley’s story, specifically, that he is visiting Cabot Cove at Daniel’s invitation.
This is just one of a collection of really interesting statement necklaces we’ll see on Katie. They must have been from June Allyson’s personal collection. I liked them so much I made a gallery.
Tony is young, attractive, and has a good job in the city. This episode failed to sell me on the idea that he is so naive and/or desperate that he would be an easy target for someone like Leslie.
Woodley’s business partner, Dean Merrill, arrives in Cabot Cove via a chartered boat. After getting directions from Ethan, Dean is done in by a certain sinister station wagon on his walk to the hospital.
Afternoon
Ethan visits Jessica and tells her about Dean Merrill’s death, and convinces her that Sheriff Tupper needs her help.
They eat cookies.
Dear reader, the cookies struck a chord. I feel deeply nostalgic about these cookies, which I believe to be Keebler Pecan Sandies. They still make them, so you can feed your inner child, or your inner Jessica, or even your inner Ethan.
After they agree to collaborate for what feels like the very first time, Jessica and Amos visit Charles Woodley at the hospital. Did Daniel invite him to town or not?
Evening
Jessica joins Daniel, Katie, and Tony for a remarkably uneventful cookout. Daniel acknowledges his driverless car design and again refutes Woodley’s claim that he invited the WAMCO boys to town, but no new information is forthcoming.
Tuesday: Investigation
Morning
Jessica gets Daniel’s phone records from Letitia. She has a chat with Katie about Daniel’s past relationship with WAMCO.
Daniel and Tony join them to showcase a new invention that flops on multiple levels.
Afternoon
Off camera, Ethan and Tony participate in the Sheriff’s town wide search for the mysterious and murderous station wagon.
Evening
More on this party’s sartorial choices in Part 4
Ethan, Tony, and Leslie have dinner at Jessica’s house. Over coffee in the parlor, Jessica shares her theory that the station wagon is hidden in a stretch of woods east of the old Gentry farm, and promises to call the Sheriff in the morning.
Wednesday: Full Speed Car Chase
Morning
With Amos’ consent, but not his support, Jessica searches the woods near the Gentry farm, finds the mysterious station wagon, investigates, and gets taken for a ride.
Ethan and his pick up truck come to the rescue in this episode’s only full speed car chase. When it comes to an end at the cliffs by the lighthouse, the red and gray van is also on the scene, but no one can quite figure out what it means, it’s all just so mysterious!
Afternoon
The end result of the morning’s chase is that the police now have possession of the station wagon. It contains files implicating Daniel, and so Amos reluctantly takes him into custody.
Evening
Back at their digs at the old Hansen place, Leslie gently suggests to Tony that his uncle may need to be evaluated by a psychiatrist.
Meanwhile, Jessica and Katie go for what appears to be an aimless (and grainy) twilight walk through the brush. They discuss the partnership arrangement and financial situation at WAMCO.
Thursday: In the Clink
Morning
Jessica visits Daniel in lock up. She gets a ride home from Tony in Leslie’s rented convertible. On the way, they stop at a gas station and discuss Daniel’s estate plan. Tony spends $7.08 on gas.
Evening
Daniel’s front yard Wednesday features Jessica, sad Katie, convertible
Daniel’s front yard Thursday also features Jessica, sad Katie, convertible
If it feels like we’ve been here already, yes. In a scene framed almost identically to the previous evening (sans panda), Tony takes Daniel away for psychological evaluation.
Friday: Epiphany at McIntyre’s
If you’re here for nostalgia, you’ve hit the jackpot at Cabot Cove’s local grocery.
McIntyre’s: Come for the apple decor…Jessica ends up getting more than just typing paper and tomatoes.
…. stay for the baloney.What price this transcendent, blissful epiphany? A quarter.
After a turn at the arcade classic Spy Hunter, Jessica figures it all out.
Saturday: Reenactment
Back at the softball field, Charles Woodley survives a second encounter with the mysterious and deadly station wagon, and Jessica’s plan to expose Dean Merrill’s murderer is a success.
I have a lot of admiration for people who can wear a scarf and make it seem effortless. Here is a tribute to the many ways Jessica wears a scarf, through S1 E8. I’ve ordered them by personal preference, favorites first.
Murder, She Wrote, She Wrote 