Murder by Appointment Only

The setting for this episode is at a Lila Lee convention, which is obviously based on the Mary Kay cosmetic company. Instead of all the salesladies wearing pink, they wear light purple and the company gives away purple Cadillacs instead of pink ones.

Lila (Jayne Meadows) is a god-awful woman and martinet. However, oddly, she is NOT the murder victim. Instead, her brother (Robert Culp) is planning on getting married...and his fiancee is found murdered. Oddly, whoever did it was probably the one who scribbled all over a painting of the dead woman with lipstick. So, Jessica makes it a point to try to locate that lipstick as well as discover a bill paid by the dead woman. Both end up leading to the discovery that the lady had an interesting career to say the least!

This is a good episode and seeing Mary Kay parodied was fun. I just think the ending was VERY weak, as yet another suspect breaks down and confesses to Jessica even though the evidence was far from convincing. Still, it is entertaining.

While in New York visiting Grady, Jessica runs into an old student, Elizabeth Gordon, who has become the fiancée of Lila Lee cosmetics tycoon Norman Amberson. Strangely, Elizabeth seems distracted and unwilling to discuss her life. When she turns up dead in her room, the apparent victim of a robbery, Jessica resolves to bring her student's killer to justice.

The shady world of cosmetics gets a look in and it's suitably colourful and dramatic with some fine performances from Robert Culp. Grady is his usual clever self and is out for an accounting job for the company. There's a revealing look at the cosmetics world in the 80's - how Jessica nabs the killer is good.

Definitely not one of the best episodes, in my opinion. The character who committed the crime just didn't seem to have the personality to fit it, and the victim was pretty bland as well. The most redeeming factor of this episode was the flamboyancy of the Lila Lee character.

The Lila Lee cosmetics company is holding its annual awards ceremony. Grady is once again out of work and hoping to land a job with them, Aunt Jessica is on hand once again to help out. Lila Lee is the figurehead of the brand, demanding and pretty rude, her brother Norman, runs the company, and is engaged to one of Jessica's ex students, Elizabeth. To get reacquainted, Norman organises a dinner for himself, Jessica and Elizabeth, but when Elizabeth doesn't turn up, they visit her apartment, discovering a body on the floor.

I loved this episode, it's so cleverly written, the neat mapping of the characters is really well done. Jessica's intimate knowledge of the victim adds a different dimension, allowing her to know fully how she would have behaved. On the surface the story is shiny and glitzy, underneath it's more complex, darker. A great job was done in masking a rather sinister murder in all that glitz.

The production team did a particularly good job with this one, they created a perfectly believable brand, with fantastic uniforms and props.

Jayne Meadows is an absolute joy as Lila Lee, so wonderfully theatrical, beautifully suited to the part. That 'Cabbage Cove' line is possibly my favourite from the show.

Jessica Fletcher visits her nephew Grady Fletcher at a Lila Lee Cosmetics Convention in New York.

He is hoping to get a job in accounting arranged by old college buddy Todd Amberson (Leigh McCloskey.) His aunt Lila Lee Amberson founded the cosmetics company and managed by his father Norman Amberson (Robert Culp.)

There is a bit of a scandal as Norman is involved with a younger and attractive Elizabeth Gordon (Ann Dusenberry.) She is widely regarded as a golddigger and is engaged to marry Norman.

Lila Lee even offers her money to get out of Norman's life.

When Elizabeth is found dead. Jessica Fletcher investigates as she once taught her at Cabot Cove.

There were a lot of juicy characters such as the secretary with a romantic eye on Norman. I felt the eventual resolution was flat, more interested in a certain colour of lipstick.