Mrs. Parker's Revenge (12 May 1996)

A switched packet of amateur-written stories involves Jessica in an international plot to steal a biological-weapon virus.

Director:

Anthony Pullen Shaw

Writers:

Peter S. Fischer (creator), Richard Levinson (creator),

Stars:

Angela Lansbury, Erick Avari, Gregg Henry

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Angela Lansbury	...	Jessica Fletcher
Erick Avari	...	Raul Jaffa
Gregg Henry	...	Mark Reisner
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	Karen Reisner
William O'Leary	...	FBI Agt. Ed Crider
Tony Todd	...	National Security Agent Nathan Mitchell
Peter Van Norden	...	CIA Agt. Dennis Quinlan
Gustav Vintas	...	Carl Van Ness
Gregory Alan Williams	...	Lt. Paul Bragg (as Greg Alan Williams)
Time Winters	...	Dr. James Lamont
Frederick Dawson	...	Hotel Clerk
Karen Hensel	...	Techie
Gena Acosta	...	Detective
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michele Edison	...	Waitress

Storyline

Dr. James Lamont, top-secret viral weapon Project 14's supervisor at the Atlanta Disease Research Institute, is blackmailed but reports so to his new security chief, Mark Reisner. He and FBI agent Ed Crider set up a trap for the client, arms dealer-hit-man Carl Van Ness, who already killed the intermediary there. A hotel-room mix-up gets Jessica photos so she's taken in confidence. CIA agent Dennis Quinlan and NSA are also on the case. Jessica keeps the room to help Mark snooping. The criminals aren't done yet.

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Plot Keywords:

poison | party

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1996 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 29, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Corymore Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was actually the last show to be filmed.

User Reviews

"They... Ask Her How She Knows... How a Toxin Glows. She, of Course, Replies, When the Victim Dies, This Means Murder, Guys."

Espionage at Atlanta's Biological Research Institute (BRI) sets the stage for the penultimate episode of the "MSW" series as a team of experts scrutinizes an international plot to purchase "Project 14," a biological killer virus.

Raul Jaffa (Erick Avari) offers Doctor James Lamont (Time Winters) $two million in exchange for a vial of Project 14, which he developed at BRI, under the threat of retaliation to Doctor Lamont's family if he does not comply with the demand.

BRI Director Mark Reisner (Gregg Henry) assembles a team of federal agents to track Raul Jaffa and Doctor Lamont with advanced technological surveillance equipment.

National Security Agent Nathan Mitchell (Tony Todd), FBI Agent Ed Crider (William O'Leary), and CIA Agent Dennis Quinlan (Peter Van Norden) utilize their departmental resources to assist in the investigation, while enemy agent Carl Van Ness (Gustav Vintas) uses his country's high tech apparatus regiment to counter-spy.

Mark's wife, Karen Reisner (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn), meanwhile, enters a contest to submit a short story for Amateur Mystery Writers' Conference, held in Atlanta this week, at which her dear old friend Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) is scheduled to deliver an address.

Karen and Mark welcome Jessica to the fashionable Gambier Hotel, which hosts the conference, but when a contest entry becomes switched for an envelope containing a warning with photographs of one to beware, Jessica attempts to correct the mix-up and stumbles across the first body in the victim's hotel room.

Lieutenant Paul Bragg (Gregory Alan Williams) arrives to investigate the murder, as do Mark Reisner, NSA Agent Nathan Mitchell, FBI Agent Ed Crider and CIA Agent Dennis Quinlan, as the remainder of the team views the closed-circuit proceedings, and as several agents warn Karen and Jessica to flee Atlanta, which Jessica refuses to do, or at least until after she delivers her speech.

After more cloak and dagger activity, Jessica witnesses the second murder at Gambier Hotel, after someone has slipped into her jacket pocket a the key to a locker, which, after unopened, turns an audio-cassette tape and the message, "Mrs. Parker's Revenge."

Jessica understands the implication of the correlation between Project 14 and "Mrs. Parker's Revenge" and, thereby, sets the plans into motion to trap the killer of the second victim, while risking the lives of an estimated two million citizens in the process.

(Note: this episode title is not related to the character of Mrs. Parker in episode "Something Borrowed, Someone Blue (#5.09).")

The cast is rounded out by Gena Acosta as Detective, Karen Hensel as Techie, and Frederick Dawson as Hotel Clerk.

This episode represents the only acting credit to date for Gena Acosta, as well as the second of two "MSW" performances each for Gustav Vintas, William O'Leary and Time Winters, the third of three each for Karen Hensel and Peter Van Norden, and the seventh of seven "MSW's" (six characters) for Gregg Henry.