38 Years Later, Murder, She Wrote’s Most Overlooked Episode Still Pulls Off TV’s Greatest Crossover

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Murder, She Wrote is a well-loved and iconic murder mystery series. It featured the incredibly talented Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery novelist who found herself solving real crimes. Much like Agatha Christie’s famous Miss Marple, Jessica used her intelligence and understanding of people to investigate. While she initially solved mysteries in her small town of Cabot Cove, Jessica’s travels led her to cases in new places. During one of these adventures, she became involved in a story that connected to, updated, and continued the plot of the 1949 film Strange Bargain.

The third season of *Murder, She Wrote* included a particularly clever episode called “The Days Dwindle Down.” While crossovers between TV shows and movies are common today—think of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe connects its films and series—they usually happen within the same shared universe. *Murder, She Wrote* did something truly unique: this episode functioned as both a sequel and a remake of a 1949 film. With a new *Murder, She Wrote* movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis as Jessica Fletcher on the way, it’s a great time to revisit this exceptionally original episode.

“The Days Dwindle Down” Sees Jessica Fletcher Taking On a 30-Year-Old Mystery

In the *Murder, She Wrote* episode “The Days Dwindle Down” (Season 3, Episode 21), Jessica Fletcher finds herself investigating a decades-old mystery while in Santa Monica. While having a conversation with her publicist at her hotel restaurant, she’s overheard by a hotel employee named Georgia Wilson. Georgia later approaches Jessica, hoping she’ll help solve a past murder that deeply affected her life.

Georgia tells Jessica that her husband, Sam, was wrongly convicted of murder 30 years ago. He was accused of killing his boss, Mr. Jarvis, and has just been released from prison after three decades. Georgia hopes Jessica will help them uncover the truth about what happened that night. While it won’t give them back the years they lost, revealing the truth could finally bring Georgia and Sam some peace.

Jessica agreed to help and met with Sam, who told her an unbelievable story. Sam explained that he was having financial difficulties when his boss, Mr. Jarvis, made a shocking request. Mr. Jarvis, also facing money problems, planned to end his life and asked Sam to stage the scene to look like a murder, so his family could receive the insurance payout.

Mr. Jarvis offered Sam ten thousand dollars – worth over a hundred thousand today – for his help. Sam turned down the offer, even though the money could have dramatically improved his family’s situation. But Mr. Jarvis was determined to proceed, and tragically, he apparently decided to end his own life, calling Sam shortly before doing so, leaving Sam feeling helpless and responsible.

When Sam arrived at Mr. Jarvis’s house, hoping to stop him from ending his life, he discovered it was too late. Mr. Jarvis had already died by suicide and left an envelope of money for Sam, along with instructions to stage the scene as a murder. Believing this was best for Mr. Jarvis’s family and himself, Sam fired some shots through the window, took the money, and threw the gun into the water. Sam tells this story to Jessica, and he and Georgia ask her to help them find proof to support it. However, Jessica suspects there’s more to the situation than Sam is letting on.

Strange Bargain Is a Story About Crime and Desperation

Sam recounts a story to Jessica that forms the core of the film’s plot. In the movie, Mr. Jarvis asks Sam Wilson to help him fake his own murder as a suicide, but Sam initially declines. However, Mr. Jarvis proceeds with the plan regardless. When Sam arrives at Mr. Jarvis’s house and realizes he can’t stop it, he reluctantly participates, takes the money Mr. Jarvis provided, and disposes of the weapon to make it appear as if a crime had been committed.

In *Strange Bargain*, we learn more about what drives Sam and Mr. Jarvis, particularly their difficult financial circumstances. The film follows the same characters as before—Sam, his wife Georgia, their children Roddy and Hilda, Mr. Jarvis, his wife Edna, and their son Sydney—but *Murder, She Wrote* presents the same story and characters with a new angle.

The Murder Mystery Series Changed the Ending of the Original Movie

Both the 1949 film and the *Murder, She Wrote* episode share the same basic story about Mr. Jarvis’s plan and how Sam discovered his body. However, the stories then take different paths. In *Strange Bargain*, the lead detective, Lt. Richard Webb, initially suspects Mr. Jarvis’s wife, though he also considers Sam a possible culprit. Ultimately, Edna Jarvis admits to killing her husband while attempting to kill Sam, revealing that her husband had backed out of their scheme and she wanted the insurance money.

The episode opens with Sam’s release from prison after being convicted of killing Mr. Jarvis. Jessica, however, suspects Mr. Jarvis was actually murdered and begins looking into the people closest to him – his family, his secretary, Miss Vantay, and a business associate named Mr. Hearne. The investigation reveals new clues, including a claim from Mr. Jarvis’s son, Sydney, that he saw Mr. Hearne with his father on the night of his death – a detail also present in the original story.

Someone shot at Jessica while she was in her hotel room, using the same gun that killed Mr. Jarvis. Jessica didn’t think this attack was meant to kill her, but rather to mislead investigators. Through this, she figured out the truth: Mr. Jarvis’s wife, Edna, arrived as he was attempting suicide and, while trying to intervene, accidentally shot him.

Jessica suspects Sydney shot at her, believing he wanted to divert attention from his mother, Edna. Edna’s health had declined significantly, and she was in a nursing home, making her incapable of the shooting. Jessica thinks Sydney was protecting Edna, and as the full story unfolds, Sam and Georgia are satisfied with the truth and choose not to report the incident to the police.

Murder, She Wrote Features More Than Just the Story From Strange Bargain

The TV series *Murder, She Wrote* drew inspiration from the film *Strange Bargain* for its Season 3 episode, “The Days Dwindle Down.” Interestingly, the episode also brought back several actors from the original movie. Martha Scott and Jeffrey Lynn returned as Georgia and Sam Wilson, and Harry Morgan reappeared as Lt. Richard Webb. To make the episode even more special, it incorporated scenes from the 1949 film as flashbacks.

This *Murder, She Wrote* episode was unusual because it acted as a crossover, remake, and sequel all at once. It revisited the story from *Strange Bargain*, using the same basic idea, characters, and actors, but with a brand new ending. It’s rare for a TV episode to attempt something like this – bringing back the original movie’s cast and even incorporating scenes from the film as flashbacks, despite the two stories not existing in the same shared universe.

Considered one of the greatest murder mystery shows ever made, *Murder, She Wrote* captivated audiences thanks to episodes like “The Days Dwindle Down.” The series was innovative and wasn’t afraid to take risks, solidifying its place as a television classic. If you’re a fan, or looking for a great mystery to watch, *Murder, She Wrote* – now streaming on Prime Video – is well worth revisiting.

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2025-10-18 02:09