This episode begins with a pre-title Prologue, containing footage of a clothing factory's destruction by fire by dark of night, in Paris, France, with Cambodian Kim Huan (Yuji Okumoto) vowing to Kim Huan's Wife (Candace Kita) to avenge the injuries and mistreatment of the factory's exploited employees.
Later in the week, Publisher's Press Agent Dan Morgan (David Garrison) welcome Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) on her second visit into Paris, to promote a French language version of her latest Murder Mystery, while she revisits Hotel Inter-Continental, and again attends a fashion show, and again must deal with a manipulative, philandering mogul who strings along a chain of overlapping romances.
Jessica's dear young American friend Carrie Quinn (Ellia Thompson) models for Faragere Fashions, and for some reason has dumped her still-devoted-to-her-for-another-reason Photographer, Rick Evans (Daniel Markel), while he was shooting in Milan, for her overbearing, underhanded, jewel-smuggling employer, Edmond Faragere (François Guétary), of whom she relates as her "true love" in conversation with Mrs. Fletcher.
Faragere's also employs Fashion Designing spouses Paul Vaughn (James Sutorius) and Thea Vaughn (Maureen Mueller), but while Paul conducts his operation, Thea professes her devotion to her true love, Edmond Faragere and plays both ends against the middle, as she intends to join his new operation.
Denise Naveau (Natalia Nogulich) assists in designing and tailoring at Faragere's even though she and Edmond have been an item of the past. Still, Edmond strings Denise along to control her career and affections, as he does with Thea and Carrie.
Claude Faragere (Clifford David), the step-father of Edmond, and a veteran Fashion mogul, who founded Faragere's, befriends Jessica and confides his disappointment with Edmond's behavior toward his employees, as well as to his step-son's operating the now-gutted factory, at which several lives have been lost earlier in the week as a result of conditions too poor to withstand the ravage of flames.
Invitation Checker (Bettina Spier) welcomes Jessica and Dan to the fashion reception, as they arrive behind Kim Huan, who enters the gathering to enact his revenge against fashion industry powers-that-be.
But when Kim Huan aims a pistol at the crowd, the nearby Jessica douses him with her goblet of champagne, causing him to reverse direction, and to dart through the factory, dropping his pistol, while being pursued.
Inspector Marc Gautier (François-Eric Gendron) responds to the thwarted attack, with Detective (Frank Bruynbroek) on hand for a minute, and applauds Jessica's reaction, as do others around her, including Dan, who suggests this quick response as a good publicity stunt to promote Jessica's book, a notion to which Jessica objects modestly.
Jessica then discovers Kim Huan inside her Hotel Inter-Continental room later that night. After he expresses his gratitude for preventing him from shooting anyone, she, subsequently, believe his story, especially when Inspector Gautier arrests Kim Huan after a body is discovered in an automobile, a victim of Kim Huan's pistol.
And then, after secrets come to light, various individuals involved with the fashion show make resolutions of their own, while Jessica, watching Carrie's modeling her sleek teal gown, suddenly realizes the motive behind "Murder a la Mode."
This episode represents the second of two "MSW" guest roles each for Maureen Mueller, Natalia Nogulich and Ellia Thompson, and the fifth of five "MSW's" for James Sutorius.
(Extra points for the performances by Natalia Nogulich with her plausible French accent, Maureen Mueller with her understated Noir Fem Fatale behavior, and Yuji Okumoto for his avenger-with-a-heart delivery, and also for the presences of David Garrison, Daniel Markel, Frank Bruynbroek and James Sutorius for fitting in nicely into five very different "MSW" predicaments.)
Later in the week, Publisher's Press Agent Dan Morgan (David Garrison) welcome Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) on her second visit into Paris, to promote a French language version of her latest Murder Mystery, while she revisits Hotel Inter-Continental, and again attends a fashion show, and again must deal with a manipulative, philandering mogul who strings along a chain of overlapping romances.
Jessica's dear young American friend Carrie Quinn (Ellia Thompson) models for Faragere Fashions, and for some reason has dumped her still-devoted-to-her-for-another-reason Photographer, Rick Evans (Daniel Markel), while he was shooting in Milan, for her overbearing, underhanded, jewel-smuggling employer, Edmond Faragere (François Guétary), of whom she relates as her "true love" in conversation with Mrs. Fletcher.
Faragere's also employs Fashion Designing spouses Paul Vaughn (James Sutorius) and Thea Vaughn (Maureen Mueller), but while Paul conducts his operation, Thea professes her devotion to her true love, Edmond Faragere and plays both ends against the middle, as she intends to join his new operation.
Denise Naveau (Natalia Nogulich) assists in designing and tailoring at Faragere's even though she and Edmond have been an item of the past. Still, Edmond strings Denise along to control her career and affections, as he does with Thea and Carrie.
Claude Faragere (Clifford David), the step-father of Edmond, and a veteran Fashion mogul, who founded Faragere's, befriends Jessica and confides his disappointment with Edmond's behavior toward his employees, as well as to his step-son's operating the now-gutted factory, at which several lives have been lost earlier in the week as a result of conditions too poor to withstand the ravage of flames.
Invitation Checker (Bettina Spier) welcomes Jessica and Dan to the fashion reception, as they arrive behind Kim Huan, who enters the gathering to enact his revenge against fashion industry powers-that-be.
But when Kim Huan aims a pistol at the crowd, the nearby Jessica douses him with her goblet of champagne, causing him to reverse direction, and to dart through the factory, dropping his pistol, while being pursued.
Inspector Marc Gautier (François-Eric Gendron) responds to the thwarted attack, with Detective (Frank Bruynbroek) on hand for a minute, and applauds Jessica's reaction, as do others around her, including Dan, who suggests this quick response as a good publicity stunt to promote Jessica's book, a notion to which Jessica objects modestly.
Jessica then discovers Kim Huan inside her Hotel Inter-Continental room later that night. After he expresses his gratitude for preventing him from shooting anyone, she, subsequently, believe his story, especially when Inspector Gautier arrests Kim Huan after a body is discovered in an automobile, a victim of Kim Huan's pistol.
And then, after secrets come to light, various individuals involved with the fashion show make resolutions of their own, while Jessica, watching Carrie's modeling her sleek teal gown, suddenly realizes the motive behind "Murder a la Mode."
This episode represents the second of two "MSW" guest roles each for Maureen Mueller, Natalia Nogulich and Ellia Thompson, and the fifth of five "MSW's" for James Sutorius.
(Extra points for the performances by Natalia Nogulich with her plausible French accent, Maureen Mueller with her understated Noir Fem Fatale behavior, and Yuji Okumoto for his avenger-with-a-heart delivery, and also for the presences of David Garrison, Daniel Markel, Frank Bruynbroek and James Sutorius for fitting in nicely into five very different "MSW" predicaments.)
