Angela Lansbury is an international icon, with a career that spans across the majority of the 20th century and continues into the present day. She has appeared onstage as well as the silver screen, and from 1984 to 1996, she starred in the hit show Murder, She Wrote. Audiences follow series protagonist, Jessica Fletcher, played by Lansbury, as she pieces together a new murder mystery every week, utilizing the sleuthing techniques she acquires as a best-selling crime novelist.
Jessica is witty, charming, even eco-friendly: she doesn’t own a car and is usually seen riding her bike around Cabot Cove, the town she resides in. As close to moral perfection as she is, even Jessica Fletcher makes mistakes. Examining her most egregious errors, let’s investigate the 10 worst things Jessica Fletcher has ever done.
SHE GIVES A MIRROR AS A WEDDING GIFT
In the episode “Something Borrowed, Something Blue”, Jessica is invited to the wedding of her nephew and his fiancée. On the day of the affair, a member of the staff is murdered and Fletcher puts her sleuthing skills to work, solving the crime just in time for the credits to roll.
With so much happening at the event it’s easy to overlook that Jessica Fletcher, with her bountiful bank account, gives two people a single hand mirror as their wedding gift. Yes, the mirror was given to Jessica on her own nuptial day, but surely the bourgeoning couple would have enjoyed a present from their registry instead, or at least something they could both enjoy.
VIOLATES EMPLOYEE PRIVACY
Jessica Fletcher solves crimes, it’s what she excels at and what audiences worldwide love her for. Occasionally however, her methods as a detective are questionable, as featured in the Season One episode, “Sudden Death”.
In it, Jessica inherits a football team from her deceased uncle and while solving the murder that inevitably occurs, she searches through the teams locker room for evidence. Normally this could be overlooked, but in this moment Fletcher isn’t just an amateur detective, she’s their employer. While not illegal, it is a rare departure of morality for the normally noble novelist.
GIVES TERRIBLE CAREER ADVICE
By the mid-90’s, Murder She Wrote was declining in ratings, partially due to having to compete with the sitcom juggernaut, Friends. In Season Twelve the writers retaliated by having Jessica solve a murder on the set of “Buds”, a parody of their real-world competition. Not only does Fletcher pointedly exclaim “Who would have thought a group of 20-something young people sitting around all day discussing their sexuality would turn out to be a top TV show,” but she gives horrendous career advice to a fledgling thespian.
Throughout the episode, she actively encourages him to leave his lucrative television career and find another job, without ever considering the practicalities of the real-life enforcement of this guidance.
DOESN’T USE HER SKILLS UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE
Jessica prides herself on her talents of perception, frequently implementing them outside the realm of crime. She’s quick to identify the relationship dynamics between individuals and has a sharp eye for detail; so why is it that Jessica Fletcher never realizes that half of her neighbors in Cabot Cove are soon-to-be murderers?
As a best-selling novelist in the sleepy town, Jessica is a well-known figure and appears to be on a first-name basis with everyone she encounters, yet the successful sleuth is never able to recognize that so many of these individuals will one day turn out to be cold-blooded killers. In the end, Jessica always manages to identify the right suspect, but it would be nice if she used her skills of perception before the crime happens at all.
DOESN’T CALL THE POLICE
Mrs. Jessica Fletcher is a one-woman detective agency, besting the professional investigators with her crime-solving prowess in every episode. Though clearly capable, Fletcher may not have had to take on all the work herself if she’d simply call the police more often.
During the twelve-season run of the show, there are numerous times when Jessica either doesn’t contact the police immediately, or simply not at all. Luckily for Fletcher, this breach of protocol doesn’t seem to ever affect the legalities of the investigations, once the authorities are finally informed of the crime.
INCRIMINATES HER FRIEND
In Season Three, Jessica finds herself solving a murder where the suspect was seen riding on horseback with their head replaced by a flaming pumpkin, clearly taking inspiration from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Dorian, a new transplant to the area and the Ichabod proxy, asks Fletcher for help when he is investigated for the crime. In order to protect the young teacher, she poses as his Aunt. This instinct for preservation is noble until this deceit comes back to haunt them both. When it’s discovered that there is no relation between the two, Dorian, now seen as dishonest, compounded with being the lead suspect, is incriminated in the crime and thrown in jail. Meanwhile, Jessica is absolved of any consequences for lying to the police and therefore interfering with a criminal investigation.
GENDER-BASED HIRING PRACTICES
Season One has Jessica encountering a few bumps in the road on the way to near-moral righteousness. In “Lovers and Other Killers”, Jessica is approached by a young man named David, an apt, if over-eager student, who wishes to work as her secretary.
Following an impressive display of his talents, David secures the position, but only after Fletcher exclaims that she would instead prefer working with an older woman, initially dismissing David not based on his qualifications, but his gender and age.
LEAVING HER FRIEND ALONE WITH A MURDERER
In “Star Struck”, Jessica finds herself reuniting with two friends she has known for decades, Julian and Maggie, who are themselves on-again, off-again lovers. As with everywhere Fletcher finds herself, a murder occurs and it’s up to Jessica to crack the case.
An episode filled with misdirections and backstage drama follows, and it is revealed that Julian is the perpetrator, committing the crime out of his love for Maggie. It’s at this moment, after the three are alone in a room and Julian has just confessed, that Jessica walks out the door to find the police. Thus, leaving her life-long friend unattended and defenseless with an admitted murderer, seemingly trusting he won’t at least escape while she’s gone.
ENDS FILM JOBS
As a best-selling author it was inevitable that her novels would eventually be converted for the screen, and this is the plot for the episode “Hooray for Homicide”. In it, Fletcher finds herself in Hollywood and is aghast at the reality that her simple stories of homicide are being adapted into a lust-filled teen slasher.
Jessica is determined to shut down production of the feature, resolute in her resolve to keep her artistic integrity intact. While noble in theory, it’s selfish in action. By halting production, Jessica is costing the cast and crew their jobs in an industry where work is already scarce, putting her own needs first while ignoring the plight of those she is plunging into unemployment.
JUST LETS A MURDER HAPPEN
Over the course of twelve years, Jessica Fletcher found herself in a multitude of perilous situations. However, in one episode, she makes her most glaring error yet. Traveling to New Orleans, sent there to check on a missing relative, Fletcher finds herself at a masquerade ball in the midst of a Mardi Gras celebration.
While mingling, Jessica is one of many guest to bear witness to a man, sword in hand, shouting that he’s going to kill the person in the adjoining chamber. Jessica Fletcher, who is no stranger to crime at this point, idly stands by as he enters the room. A struggle is overheard and when the door opens, indeed, a murder has transpired. Much can be overlooked when it comes to observing the career of Mrs. Fletcher, but doing nothing to stop such a heinous crime from occurring, can not.
