Murder, She Wrote 4.18 “Benedict Arnold Slipped Here”

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An old Cabot Cove neighbour, Tilly Adams, has died and named Jessica the executor of her will. Lot of people are interested in her property — so much so that it leads to murder!

Just the facts ma’am:

Spoilers are in white font, so highlight the text below to reveal the answers.

• The victim was… the local antiques dealer!
• killed by… a British man obsessed with Benedict Arnold hisotry!
• in… the den of Tilly Adams’ house!
• with… a fireplace poker!
• because… he wanted to get his hands on a document relating to Benedict Arnold!
• vital clues: he knew where the lightswitch was.

Repeat offenders

This episode features a surprisingly small number of repeat actors, and a surprisingly small cast in general.

Being a Cabot Cove episode, it of course has Seth and Amos. Note that this marks Amos’s final appearance on MSW. Tom Bosley left the show at the end of season 4 in order to star in The Father Dowling Mysteries.

And Even Simpson makes an appearance in her role as Cabot Cove’s estate agent.

Aside from Cabot Cove regulars, we also have three actors who are making their second appearance on the show as different characters:

• Lois Foraker (left) playing Liza Adams. This is also her last appearance on MSW.
• Katherine Moffat (center) playing Lauren Hastings. This is also her last appearance on MSW.
• Shea Farrel (right) playing Kevin Tibbles, the antique dealer’s son. He will go on to make two more appearances on MSW.

Big Names & Honourable Mentions

The victim, local antiques dealer, Benny Tibbles was played by Dick O’Neill. O’Neill gets an honourable mention for having played Cagney’s father in 25 episodes of Cagney and Lacey, and for appearing in three episodes of The Father Dowling Mysteries starring Tom Bosley (a.k.a. Amos Tupper) … among many many other things.

Final Thoughts

The title is likely a general reference to historical plaques used to indicate that a particular historical figure lived or stayed at a particular home. It might also specifically be a reference to the 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny titled “George Washington Slept Here“, in which a couple who buy a dilapidated house uncover evidence that it was not Washington who had slept there, but Benedict Arnold. 

Although this is a Cabot Cove episode, aside from some establishing shots, the majority of the action takes place on set — either in Jessica’s house or in Tilly Adam’s house. The set used for Tilly Adam’s house is reused in subsequent episodes to stand in for other houses.

The episode features a very sweet scene at the end with Jessica and Seth, where Jessica reveals she has bought Seth an early birthday present — a Victorian chess set he had fount in Tilly’s house.