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.
What follows is a detailed discussion of Murder She Wrote S1 E3, “Birds of a Feather.” The plot will be spoiled, and the tea will be spilled. I recommend you watch the episode before reading further, and maybe make it dinner theater.
A Feathery Farce
MSW S1 E3 “Birds of a Feather” was inspired by the 1978 film La Cage aux Folles, which was also released as Birds of a Feather. Like the film, this episode concerns a drag club, although no one in 1984 San Francisco seems to know the colloquial term for “female impersonation.” More on that later. MSW’s “Birds” combines romantic farce and murder mystery. Will it lay an egg?
The Oeuvre of J.B. Fletcher
In this episode we learn that Jessica already has six best sellers and a movie deal, which is extremely impressive, since her first book was published only months prior.
Where in the World is…?
This episode takes us to San Francisco, California. Here’s a map.
When Are We?
This episode is, as far as I can tell, completely free from any information or clues as to what time of year it is. In the absence of in-episode information to the contrary, I assume that the events in question occur prior, but as close as possible to, the initial air date of the episode. The original air date was Sunday, October 14, 1984, so I initially estimated early October 1984.
However, the timeframe for S1 E5 “It’s a Dog’s Life” can be pinned down to Saturday, October 6, 1984 through Saturday, October 13, 1984. This pushes the “Birds” timeframe up into late September, for a number of reasons.
The Days of the Week
The events of “Birds” take place over four days. On the first night, Les Champignons, a nightclub, is open, which makes it unlikely that it’s a Monday, since this is the most common day for nightclubs to be closed.
However, because Jessica is making the morning chat show rounds on Day 1 and Day 2, we know these first two days are weekdays.
On Day 4, Howard and Victoria get married in a church. Christian churches almost universally discourage weddings on Sundays, to avoid scheduling conflicts with regular Sunday services.
With these limits in mind, we can narrow down the possible four day timeline as being either Tuesday – Friday or Wednesday – Saturday.
Travel Restrictions
With an airdate of October 14 and the events of S1 E5: “It’s a Dog’s Life” taking place October 6 – October 13, the latest possible timeframe for “Birds” is Tuesday, October 2 – Friday, October 5.
However, this would mean that, immediately following the wedding reception, Jessica flew from San Francisco to Washington DC (5 hours direct, plus 3 hours lost to the time difference), then traveled 2.5 hours by car into rural Virginia, and was fresh as a daisy for another murder on Saturday morning. Technically possible, but both unlikely and deeply unpleasant for our lady.
Conclusion
The next latest possible timeframe for “Birds” is Wednesday, September 26 – Saturday, September 29, 1984. This is my current best estimate. As well as giving Jessica some down time in Cabot Cove between trips, it has the added benefit of giving our lovebirds a Saturday wedding. Isn’t that nice?
The Players
All our delectable little champignons, in the order we meet them:
Howard is a nice kid who might be in over his head at a local nightclub. He’s an aspiring actor who recently worked as a NYC cab driver. I usually try not to wade too far into IMDb waters, but this is a very direct reference to Jeff Conaway’s role in Taxi.
(L-R) Taxi, Jeff Conaway, Tony Danza
(L-R) John Travolta, Jeff Conaway, Greased Lightning
Al Drake is a disagreeable man who likes jogging. He owns a successful nightclub named Les Champignons, even though the name of the episode is “Birds of a Feather.” I guess the eponym Drake will have to suffice. Quack.
Actually, no, I’m putting Howard the Duck in here, too. The movie came out a few years after this episode, but the comics predate them both. Quack, quack.
Fritz
Is Fritz the German Shepherd a good boy or a bad dog? Only time will tell.
Victoria is the first we’ll meet of Jessica’s many nieces. Her maiden name is Brandon, a fact which, as far as I can tell, is never alluded to in-episode. It is the last IMDb factoid I will include here. I just really needed it for the family tree. Jessica says, “We’ve only had one killer in our family…” which I think implies that Victoria belongs to her side of the family rather than Frank’s. As a plot vehicle, Victoria is allergic to flowers. We’ll see her again in future episodes, and I’m curious as to whether the allergy bit will carry forward.
What is Jessica’s primary role in San Francisco? Is it Aunt Jess, lending familial legitimacy to Victoria’s hurry-up-already wedding? Or is it J.B. Fletcher, promoting her sixth bestseller on morning chat shows and meeting the mayor (Dianne Feinstein)?
Bill is a television talent agent, so we know right away that he’s an acquisitive asshole. He also happens to be the most enjoyable secondary character this episode. Bill hustles and does his homework. He specifies that J.B. has six paperbacks and one movie sale, and if you think the distinction between bestseller and paperback is kind of a small detail, why are you here?
Freddy York (L) and Bill Patterson (R) face off with Jessica
Freddy York is a comedian. He’s technically not a stand-up comedian since he also plays the drums. This character/performance felt very uncomfortable, and just… off, which was surprising to me, since the actor is a successful comedian.
Lady Drake is the third eponymous bird. Duck, duck, goose duck. Candice plays golf, which I think is meant to demonstrate her merry widowhood, but seems both unnecessary to the plot and incongruous with her character.
Novack is the first of many officers of the law who will feel beleaguered and exasperated by the unasked-for assistance of Jessica Fletcher.
The Cockatoo
The only actual avian in “Birds of a Feather,” the cockatoo serves feathery realness. Both a ready bird and a red herring, the cockatoo’s range is unexpectedly expansive, portraying both fish and fowl.
George
George the marmalade cat is Floyd’s flatmate. Fun fact: Marmalade cats are usually male. I bet Lillian Jackson Braun would’ve know this. Unfortunately, it seems cat facts fall outside of Jessica’s otherwise estimable expertise.
Angela may enjoy working with animals, but in this instance, the feeling is not mutual.
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. The following supporting characters are played by actors who we’ll see again, in future episodes:
As far as I can tell, the events of “Birds of a Feather” take place over four days.
Day One
Morning
Jessica arrives in San Francisco and appears on the local television show Bay City Breakfast.
Afternoon
Al goes jogging with Fritz and has two unpleasant scenes; first with Howard, about financial matters, and then with Mike, also about financial matters. This is probably why Howard can’t get himself to the church on time. Once he arrives for the wedding rehearsal, Victoria is piqued because he can’t join her and Aunt Jess for dinner. She says she wouldn’t want to drag Howard away from a client, and that’s the only use of that four-letter word we’re going to get all episode.
Evening
Jessica and Victoria have dinner at what appears to be a British pub themed restaurant. Jessica seems unable to go 24 hours without Maine lobster, no matter how lethargic.
Victoria confides in Jessica about Howard’s odd behavior, and they decide to investigate. However, the truth is right in front of us. Howard fell in love with acting when he played the lead in Charley’s Aunt. Whatever might that mean, Victoria?
Later that night, at Les Champignons, Al and Barbara have an unprofessionally cozy conversation. Al then has his third and final unpleasant scene about financial matters, this time with Bill. Victoria leverages Jessica’s celebrity to get a table. It is the last time we see Al Drake alive.
Shortly before 9:50 pm, the maître d’ seats Jessica and Victoria. The opening act, a mysterious figure in pink, concludes, and Freddy York takes the stage.
During Freddy’s act, the lovely Mrs. Drake arrives. Backstage, Barbara intercedes when Felix is sent to tell her husband.
Just after 10:05 pm, Michelle Dupont begins her opening number, “Someone to Watch Over Me”. Barbara screams bloody murder from backstage. Howard, on the run and in full drag female impersonation clothing, is prevented from escaping.
Our young lovebirds are reunited. Boy, what a pickle!
Jessica meets the cockatoo and begins to beleaguer Lieutenant Novack.
Day Two
Morning
Everyone at the police station is understandably tired and grumpy after having been up all night. It’s Jessica’s turn to leverage her celebrity, and it looks like Dana Burns and Dianne Feinstein will have to wait, because the only person she wants to talk to is Howard. Like a fairy godmother waving a magic wand, Jessica grants Howard a nitric acid test, a lawyer, and a pair of pants.
Afternoon
Unsatisfied by Lt. Novack’s theory that Freddy’s drums obscured the sound of the gunshot, Jessica returns to Les Champignons in search of Barbara. Bill shoots his shot, Mike and Candice make a scene, Jessica makes the acquaintance of Freddy, and enjoys the view of Alcatraz from his dressing room.
After Barbara gets fired, Jessica takes her for a ride and gets valuable gossip in exchange for the cab fare.
Just wanted you to marvel at the similarity of their hairstyles
Mike and Candice meet on location at the Aquatic Park Pier to discuss the fortuitous turn of events and protest their respective innocence.
It must have been a roundtrip cab ride, because Jessica is back to Les Champignons to learn that Howard’s nitric acid test was negative. She gets to rock out while testing Lt. Novack’s drum vs. gunshot theory. Freddy enters stage left only to be knocked into the first row by falling stage lights.
I wanna rock
Day Three
Morning
Jessica takes a streetcar, and joins Floyd and George for coffee.
How does he open the cabinet behind the fridge?
Jessica and Floyd discuss motives and the intentional sabotage of the stage lights.
Midday
Jessica bails out Howard and tells him to take Vicky to lunch. Did he see Candice at the stage door the night of the murder? Maybe? That’s all the reason Jessica needs for another cab ride.
It appears Jessica is holding a bag of actual food… poor hungry hungry doggo.
Jessica takes a bagged lunch to the driving range to find Candice, who’s wearing, according to Jessica, very attractive golf togs. “I’ve never seen it done in black” is definitely a low-key burn. The only thing gained from this scene is the knowledge that Freddy is receiving visitors at the hospital. I hope Jessica told the cab to wait.
Cocktail Hour
It’s time for a glass of champagne with Freddy and Bill at the hospital.
Freddy’s ring, so big and shiny!
Freddy’s gown, so short and tiny!
Bill is obstreperous, and delightfully so, imho. They discuss the suspicious incident of the falling stage lights and all the possible targets.
Back to Jessica’s hotel with Howard and Vicky in tow, and Jessica is very, very tired. I’ll admit, I might be losing the threads of the timeline here, because I feel like due to the wardrobe changes, everyone had time for a full night’s sleep between the falling stage lights scene and coffee at Floyd’s apartment.
But anyway, Jessica is tired and it’s noisy next door, so she has occasion to use a pillow to muffle the sound… and, eureka!
Cut for time, Jessica returns to the police station to acquire crime scene photos from Charlie, and then it’s back again to Floyd’s apartment, and finally to Les Champignons for some pillow talk and an onstage reenactment that amounts to reckless endangerment. Floyd could have been killed, Jessica, wtf.
Jessica names the killer, who then conveniently walks onstage to confess.
Day 4
Victoria and Howard get married! All our remaining little mushrooms are there, except Felix and the MC, whom I assume are dog sitting Fritz and bird sitting the cockatoo. Everyone is so G-D blissful, even the freshly unemployed Barbara. Nothing erases the horror of violent death quite like a wedding, apparently.
Show Your Work
Fair Play Pause Point
Jessica’s eureka moment happens at her hotel, but she does seek confirmation of her suspicions via the crime scene photos and a follow up onsite visit. Lt. Novack serves as a stand in for the audience, and Jessica walks him through the final clues, as follows:
The pillow from Al’s settee was used as a silencer for the gun.
The damaged pillow was later replaced with a pillow from another dressing room.
Floyd heard the falling stage lights above him in time to step out of the way.
Once Lt. Novack successfully avoids the falling stage lights, Jessica expects him to be able to put all the pieces together. So, let’s see if we can.
The Pillows
There are five people with motives to kill Al: Howard, Mike, Bill, Freddy, and Candice.
Originally, the police concluded that only the sound of the drums during Freddy’s act could have obscured the sound of the gunshot. Once Jessica establishes that a pillow was used as a silencer, the possible timeframe for the murder expands to include any time after which Al is last seen until the murder is discovered. This includes the final minutes of Howard’s act, all of Freddy’s act, and the beginning of Michelle’s act.
Crucially, this means that Freddy no longer has an alibi for the murder.
If we pay close attention to the appearance of the replacement pillow, we can see that it is sun faded, and can be connected to the window in Freddy’s dressing room. However, MSW is generous to its casual viewers, and drops one more big clue on us.
The Stage Lights
Once we learn about the pillows, things start to look bad, but not conclusively so, for Freddy. Once Jessica stages her reenactment (pun intended), he is the only possible suspect. Jessica proves that a person with normal hearing and physical response times would be able to dodge the lights. Therefore, Freddy faked his fall and injuries in an attempt to misdirect the investigation, and possibly, also clobber Jessica. Two birds with one stone. Birds. This episode is purportedly about birds, so I have to get my birds idiom in somewhere.
J’accuse!
This mystery is pretty simple, and the writers play fair with us in terms of evidence. The tone of the episode is light, especially with the attempt at romantic farce. Neither aspect of this episode really worked for me, I think there’s just simply not enough time to do both things well in 45-ish minutes.
This episode Jessica seemed to ricochet from suspect to suspect with only the slightest hint of reason or driving force. Similarly, the denouement, Freddy’s confession, also seemed to lack impetus. He quickly abandons his claim of innocence, but why? He’s correct in saying that the stage lights prank doesn’t prove he murdered Al, and any one of the other suspects could have framed him by taking his dressing room pillow. He certainly isn’t remorseful. In fact, Freddy’s deadpan manner and his matter-of-fact suggestion that he should have also killed Jessica make him seem like a complete psychopath. And yet, the writers seem to think they have created a sympathetic character, because Jessica tries to console him, assuring him that she’s sure he would have been a success in Las Vegas.
There’s a couple of missed opportunities this episode. First, there’s an interesting theme that runs through almost all the important evidence this episode – sound: the sound of the gunshot, the sound of the drums, the sound of the falling stage lights, and it might have been interesting to pursue that further. Second, another key element to the plot was Freddy’s dressing room window, the light from which caused the upholstery to fade, but which also had a great view. And yet, the writers did not explore the idea of a man who feels desperately trapped, gazing out of his window every day at Alcatraz.
As for Howard and Victoria’s happily ever after? It’s fine, I guess. Thankfully, many of the happy couple’s ideas about marriage and gender roles are now laughably dated. The one thing “I do” wish would come back in style is small, simple weddings. A relief all around, I imagine.
Episode Rating
I give “Birds” three stars… it was nearly just a two star episode, but the cast was good, and the camp hit all the right notes for me.
Bonus Features
Do crimes.
Murder!
Motive: To escape a contract (greed)
Weapon: Gun
Done Deed: Murder happens offscreen
Crime Scene: Body comfortably seated behind a desk
Discovery: 15 minutes, 30% through
Murderer(s): Freddy York
Other Crimes!
Possession of a stolen firearm: Freddy York
Assault: Freddy York, for dropping the stage lights first
Reckless endangerment: Jessica Fletcher, for dropping the stage lights second
What if Jessica Fletcher is the world’s most successful serial killer?
After being seated by the maître d’, Jessica briefly excuses herself during Freddy York’s act, ostensibly to freshen up. She goes backstage and shoots Al. Why? For the Moët et Chandon he keeps in a pretty cabinet.
That’s why Freddy’s confession felt so unnatural. He was innocent, but because of his dark sense of humor, and, like many comedians, a tendency to self-sabotage, he decided it would be fun to do a bit where he’s the killer.
Tropes, Devices, and Other Conventions
Mystery Tropes
“Birds of a Feather” features one of the most common mystery tropes, a victim whom almost everyone wants to kill.
Plot Devices
Flashback
We’re treated to a classic wavy flashback effect at 22:50, when Howard recounts how he found the body. It seems like the writers are leaning into the camp, since Howard is definitely channeling his inner Dee Snider.
April 1984: We’re Not Gonna Take It
September 1984: No, We Ain’t Gonna Take It
Wedding Finale
The final scene is a wedding, because despite the murder, this episode is essentially a comedy, and nothing says happily ever after like “I do.”
MSW Tropes
Door of Truth
As often happens, an ordinary and unrelated event helps Jessica solve the murder. This time, it’s a pretty literal connection. When she puts a pillow over her ears to muffle the sound of nearby construction, she realizes a pillow could have been used as a silencer.
Infinite Jest
One of the best things about Murder, She Wrote is that often something completely absurd happens as a plot vehicle. In the spirit of farce that inspired this episode, Jessica and Victoria discover that Howard is secretly a drag performer in the same moment as he discovers a murder. What are the odds?
Law Enforcement
Lt. Floyd Novack is the first of many officers of the law who is truly antagonistic towards Jessica. Of course, as she almost always does, she wins him over in the end.
Le Mot Juste
In my opinion, the best lines this episode took place during Jessica’s cab ride with Barbara.
Barbara calls Candice “Lucretia Borgia in furs.” 80’s ladies like Candice still wore furs. One might imagine that Lucretia Borgia also had both the means and occasion to wear furs, making Barbara’s turn of phrase seem superfluous. However, the intricacies of sumptuary laws in Renaissance Italy may have meant Lucretia Borgia did not wear furs. So, points to Barbara for style and plausible historical accuracy.
After a nice juicy gossip with Barbara, Jessica says adieu and “It is so nice to talk to someone who knows how to be discrete.”
Don’t Say Gay
If you thought it was strange that there were no gay people at a drag club in 1984 San Francisco, you aren’t alone.
What She Wore
Scarves
We’re starting to see Jessica’s style develop a bit more. We get a repeat of the ivory blouse and pearls combo we saw in “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes,” which I actually don’t mind at all. I think it makes a character seem more authentic if we see her wear a piece of clothing more than once, like an actual person would do. We also get a couple of scarf variations, which I always enjoy.
Best Look
Mrs. Drake in white
Least Best Look
Mrs. Drake in black
Interior Motives
Les Champignons is a treasure trove of over-the-top interior design choices. My favorite piece is the pop art painting in the room with Howard before he’s arrested.
By contrast, the gag painting of Michelle Dupont can not be unseen. Sorry.
Honorable mention goes to Floyd and George’s apartment. It’s lovely.
The Rest of the Story
We’ll see Victoria and Howard again later in the series. It looks like Mike, Candice, and all the champignons will live happily ever after at their very straight drag club. But, what about Barbara, newly unattached and unemployed?
After a couple of glasses of champagne at the wedding reception, Barbara and Candice bury the hatchet. As it turns out, Candice found it incredibly difficult to run the club without Barbara, who was a very effective administrator. Still, both agree sharing a work space would be difficult. Instead, Mike and Candice offer Barbara a new position as manager of Les Nouveaux Champignons, their expansion location in Lake Tahoe. And who does Barbara take along as the premiere act? It’s Felix, lucky Felix, who launches a promising career as Lake Tahoe’s Sweetheart, Felicity.
Extra Credit
Want more birds? I recommend the original La Cage Aux Folles (1978) or the remake The Birdcage (1996).
Want more backstage murder? I recommend Vintage Murder by Ngiao Marsh, the master of theater whodunits.
Finally, it’s clear that “Birds of a Feather” is not representative of American drag culture in the 1980’s. For some 80’s drag realness, I recommend the documentary Paris is Burning (1990).
Murder, She Wrote, She Wrote 