At the beginning of this episode, Jessica Fletcher is on her way to attend a wedding in the remote town of Dawson Falls, when the aircraft she is on needs to make an emergency stop in the town of Dominion, British Columbia, Canada. The town is experiencing some conflict as the local First Nations band has staked a claim on Hobart Creek, which happens to be the site of a mining operation.
Jessica can’t help but get involved in the investigation when two murders take place while she is there.
Just the facts:
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Click to reveal the victim
The first victim was McPherson, a visitor to the town; the second victim was Shipley, the head of the mining operation!Click to reveal the killer
It was Marie, the hotel concierge!Click to reveal the weapon
The first victim dies as a result of a dynamite explosion; the second victim died by gunshot wound!Click to reveal the location
The first victim died on the bridge over Hobart Creek; the second victim died in the Aurora Mining Company site office!Click to reveal the motive
It was because the killer’s husband was a Constable who got killed during a bank robbery in Ottawa–and she wanted to avenge his death!Click to reveal the major clue
It was the chip of paint from a detonator battery, and the fact that the killer had been using dynamite to clear the trees from her property!Cast of characters (in order of appearance):
- Alan Fudge as Brian Wade, a worker for the Aurora Hills Mining Co. This is Fudge’s third of five appearances on MSW; he previously appeared in “Thursday’s Child” and “Lines of Excellence“. He also went on to appear in the MSW movie “A Story to Die For”.
- Jerry Hardin as Hamish McPherson, a fellow passenger on Jessica’s plane and a retired police officer from Ottawa looking into an old bank robbery. This is Hardin’s first of three appearances on MSW.
- Graham Greene as Peter Henderson, also a fellow plane passenger–a former local who studied law in Toronto and has now come to represent the First Nations band with the land dispute. This is Greene’s second and final appearance on MSW; he previously appeared in “Night of the Coyote“.
- Scott Plank as Buzz Berkeley, the pilot of Jessica’s plane.
- Brian Frejo as George Quill, a young guy leading the First Nations protest against the mining company.
- Shawn Michael Perry as Bill Nahanee, a protester with a broken leg.
- Ernie Lively as Richard ‘Rick’ Shipley, head of the Aurora Hills Mining Co. This is Lively’s fourth of five appearances on MSW; he previously appeared in “Good-Bye Charlie“, “A Body to Die For“, and “Danse Diabolique“.
- Ned Romero as Joe Quill, the owner of a local general store and George Quill’s grandfather.
- Ana Alicia as Sgt. Hilda Dupont, a local RCMP officer.
- Marilyn Jones as Marie Comouche, the Hotel concierge. This is Jones’s third and final appearance on MSW; she previously appeared in “Coal Miner’s Slaughter” and “The Error of Her Ways“.
- Matt McKenzie as Cpl. Desmond O’Gara, another RCMP officer working with Sgt. Hilda Dupont.
Final thoughts and other trivia:
One nice little thing about this episode is that the title is likely a reference to the 1990-1995 comedy-drama series Northern Exposure, in which Graham Greene had a small recurring role.
Additionally, I found it interesting to see the display of J.B. Fletcher books at the general store. We can clearly see the covers for: The Dead Man Sang; The Corpse Danced at Midnight; The Umbrella Murders; and The Killer Called Collect. We can additionally see the covers/titles for: Yours Truly, Damian Sinclair; A Faded Rose Beside Her; The Corpse Swam by Moonlight; and Dirge for a Dead Dachshund.
Murder, She Watched 