In this episode, Jessica Fletcher enters the exciting world of pigeon racing! (The “Time” in the episode title “Time to Die” is likely meant to be a reference to pigeon racing and the special time-keeping machines.)
But before that happens, we see her teaching a creative writing class at St. Julian’s church in New York City, and attending an anti-graffiti rally at the Koffee Kafe.
When her old college friend (and organizer of the anti-graffiti rally) lands in the hospital after being hit by a car, Jessica investigates who the culprit is!
Episode facts:
Click on the text below to reveal spoilers.
Click to reveal the victim
It was Frank Garcia, the local “business man” and the man who ran over Jessica’s friend with his car!Click to reveal the killer
It was Mario Fernandez, the Koffee Kafe owner!Click to reveal the weapon
It was a gunshot!Click to reveal the location
It was on the roof, near the victim’s racing pigeon cage!Click to reveal the motive
It was because the victim was a loan shark and the killer wanted to stop being in debt to him!Click to reveal the major clue
It was the sound system suddenly being better the next day at the Koffee Kafe; and the fact that a red pigeon feather was found at the scene of the crime!Cast of characters (in order of appearance):
[still need to double check multiple appearances]
- William Gallo as Chris Garcia, a graffiti artist who inherited racing pigeons stock from his father and who has just joined Jessica’s creative writing class.
- Robert Beltran as Frank Garcia, a local property owner and business man (i.e. loan shark), Chris’s stepfather, and racing pigeon enthusiast. This is Beltran’s second and final appearance on MSW; he previously appeared in “Double Jeopardy“. Beltran is best known for his role as Chakotay in Star Trek: Voyager.
- Gladys Jimenez as Alida Alvarez, a friend of Chris’s who talked him into joining Jessica’s writing class and who is also the singer in a band called “Full Moon”.
- Gregg Thomsen as Manny Castillo, keytar player in the “Full Moon” band. This was apparently Thomsen’s final on screen appearance.
- Bridgid Coulter as Tammy Fisher, bass player in the “Full Moon” band.
- Marta Dubois as Maria Garcia, Chris’s mother and wife of Frank. DuBois has had recurring roles on several detective series including Magnum, P.I. with Tom Selleck and the McBride series of Hallmark TV movies starring John Laroquette.
- Stan Shaw as Det. Sgt. Vince Lofton, who is overprotective of Alida because he knew her (now deceased) policeman father. This is Shaw’s third and final appearance on MSW, and his second appearance playing the same character. He previously appeared in “The Survivor“.
- Janet MacLachlan as Barbara Fisher, the principal of Columbus High School, the mother of “Full Moon” bassist Tammy, and a college friend of Jessica’s. This is MacLachlan’s second and final appearance on MSW; she previously appeared in “Jessica Behind Bars”.
- Rudy Ramos as Mario Fernandez, the owner of the Koffee Kafe where “Full Moon” are performing in support of anti-graffiti initiatives, and another racing pigeon enthusiast.
- Richard Dano as Detective Boyd, who is assisting Det. Sgt. Lofton in the investigation. This is Dano’s first of three appearances on MSW.
- Ronald G. Joseph as Joe Mancuso, a business owner who deals with racing pigeons and who set up the pigeon race between Frank Garcia and Mario Fernandes.
Final thoughts and other trivia:
There are a couple of notable continuity-related details when it comes to the actors and characters in this episode:
- For one, this marks the second appearance of Stan Shaw as Det. Sgt. Vince Lofton, who was first introduced in Season 9’s “The Survivor“. (In fact, it seems they even reused the same alley set at the beginning of the episode!) This is one of several characters who were brought back this season. However, one thing that makes his appearance in this episode unique is that we see Jessica sitting with him socially at the anti-graffiti rally, before any crime takes place and before the two of them begin collaborating on an investigation.
- The other notable repeat guest star is Robert Beltran, who previously appeared in “Double Jeopardy” as a different character. While in the world of Murder, She Wrote, it’s not unusual to see the same actor appears as a different character in a different episode, what’s notable about this case is that both of these episodes feature Jessica teaching Creative Writing at St. Julian’s parish. Therefore, it’s particularly jarring for those of us who remember Robert Beltran playing the St. Julian’s parish priest, to now see him playing a corrupt businessman.
Murder, She Watched 