Murder, She Wrote (TV Series) Seal of the Confessional (1989) User Reviews

Forgive Me, Father, for Stabbing, Shoving, Drowning, and Fireplace Pokering

[WeatherViolet · 9/10 · 11 September 2009]

This episode marks the most recent appearance, to date, of 1950's and 60's star Robert Horton.

Serving as English instructor at Saint Ignatius School, in Lewistown, Maine, Father Donald Barnes (Hunt Block) eagerly accepts a temporary position as parish priest to substitute for the vacationing Father Malloy, in Cabot Cove.

Donald doesn't stand upon ceremony in greeting townsfolk or playing sports with the youth of the community, but he takes his pastoral responsibilities seriously, by maintaining strict confidence when someone confesses to murder, before the body is discovered.

Kelly Barrett (Jennifer Runyon) has returned to Cabot Cove, a few years after transferring to Crane Academy, in Vermont, after completing 10th grade in Cabot Cove, upon the then remarriage of her mother, Doris West (Madlyn Rhue) to Evan West (Jon Cedar). Evan couldn't possibly replace Mr. Barrett in Kelly's estimation, but in Doris', Evan fit in well with her assets, including her modern residence and yacht.

An immobile Doris West's stable of supporters include Nurse Marilyn North (Bonnie Bartlett), Attorney George Woodward (Alan Feinstein), and schoolteacher Jack Hutchings (Robert Horton), a longstanding friend of the family.

When special needs youngster Eddie Frayne (Lance Kerwin) discovers a knife near the place in which a body is discovered, fisherman Joe (Jerry Potter) recognizes it.

Donald attempts to share clues of Eddie's innocence with Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), without breaking the "Seal of the Confessional," causing Jessica difficulty in communicating her suspicions with Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak).

Doctor Seth Hazlitt (William Windom), Deputy Floyd McCallum (Will Nye), and waitress Jennie (Mimi Cozzens) round out the cast of this Mystery, which, for Jessica, proves not as simple as it may seem.

Good episode w/ a nod to Windom & Masak

[shrapp2002 · 8/10 · 29 January 2021]

Ron Masak and, especially, William Windom really made the Cabot Cove episodes perfect. I enjoy the Jessica globe trotting episodes, but Cabot Cove eps are my favorites due to these two.

His lips are sealed

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 24 September 2017]

Have always been quite fond of 'Murder She Wrote'. It is a fun and relaxing watch that makes you think as you try to unwind in the evening. If one wants more complex, twisty mysteries with lots of tension and suspense 'Murder She Wrote' may not be for you, but if you want something light-hearted and entertaining but still provide good mysteries 'Murder She Wrote' fits the bill just fine.

While better was to come in Season 6 (as well as worse), "Seal of the Confessional" is a solid episode with a lot to like and not that much actually to dislike. As we learn more about the victim and how much of a total sleazebag (one of the most loathsome of Season 6) he is in his treatment of one character, it is somewhat of a nasty episode and not one of the show's most tasteful by any stretch.

Once everything comes together and the twists/misdirection add up, it did strike me as how obvious the killer turned out to be. The main reason being that they left incriminating evidence in full view that is staring at us and the characters in the face when they are introduced that it beggars belief that Jessica didn't pick up on it sooner. Their motive is a good one though and one where one actually understands why they did it while not condoning it.

"Seal of the Confessional" has a lot that is praiseworthy. It has a very clever and tightly paced story with some great use of misdirection, such as the cause of death and whether Kelly is actually guilty despite overwhelming evidence and few other suspects. The scene between Kelly and the victim is both tense and suitably sleazy.

The cast add hugely. Jessica Fletcher is one of Angela Lansbury's most famous and best-remembered characters for reasons that are not inexplicable. Ron Masak is settling in well and Mort is getting more interesting all the time, while William Windom has great timing and a curmudgeonly charm.

Jennifer Runyon gives a tense, vulnerable performance that never strikes an unbelievable chord, while Hunt Block also brings credibility to the increasingly complicated conflicts. Bonnie Bartlett is very good and Jon Cedar effectively gives off the creep factor.

Production values as ever are slick and stylish, Cabot Cove and its close community will never fail to charm. The music has energy and has presence but also not making the mistake of over-scoring, while it is hard to forget or resist the theme tune. The writing is mostly thought-provoking, light-hearted and amiable.

Overall, solid episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Salem's Lot reunion

[stones78 · 8/10 · 13 December 2023]

Let me preface this by admitting that I'm a newer fan of this show, as is my wife, and this is my first review. I've seen well written reviews of this episode already, and their much better than anything I could write, so I won't rehash the plot. Regarding my title, I'm a huge fan of the epic vampire film, Salem's Lot(1979), so it was nice to see the late Lance Kerwin and Bonnie Bartlett appearing together 10 years later in 1989. For this show, however, a few things that stood out to me was the unexpected twist at the conclusion, which I won't spoil, but it's worth the wait; also, it seemed the actor(Hunt Block)who played the priest, was a tad wooden in his performance, but I digress, This is still a very good episode that has a special meaning to me, and I'll make sure to catch it again. Thanks for reading.

An interesting mystery.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 20 March 2021]

New Priest Donald Barnes gets caught up in Cabot Cove's murderous goings on.

It promised to be a controversial episode, with the seal of the confessional used as a tool to allow a murderer to get off Scott free, it poses an interesting question, and sets up an intriguing scenario.

It's murder she wrote, so it doesn't get caught up in the controversies, but it's an interesting enough story, with some nice characters.

Ron Masak really did a great job reading Amos as Sheriff, becoming a tad more serious.

Pretty good, 7/10.

Seal of the confessional

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 26 May 2022]

A young priest faces a moral dilemma when a parishioner confesses to murder and an innocent man is accused of the crime. Decent entry that is little harrowing due to a scene between a woman and victim - the victim was basically a perv, forcing his attention on his stepdaughter. It's good to see Robert Horton in his last appearance.

Ah...he had it comin'!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 3 December 2022]

An interim priest just began working at the local Catholic church. A parishioner comes to him for confession and tells him that she's killed someone! A short time later, the body of the man she stabbed is found on the beach...and soon the wrong person is arrested by the sheriff. Unfortunately, a mentally challenged man (Lance Kerwin) is found with the knife...and it's assumed he used it on the victim.

The problem is that while the priest is able to confide in Jessica that they've arrested the wrong person, he cannot tell her or the law WHO actually did the stabbing. This is a potential problem,...though one I assume very, very, very priests have found themselves in...but it IS "Murder, She Wrote"!

This is an interesting episode. It helps that the way the man ACTUALLY died is, well, a bit surprising. It's also clearly a case where the victim clearly had it coming! Overall, a very good episode...one worth seeing.

Priests can't squeal

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 18 January 2018]

Hunt Block arrives in Cabot Cove to take temporary charge of the Catholic Church there. I would think by the way that the majority of the residents there would be old line Protestants. Nevertheless he hears a confession to murder from Jennifer Runyon who comes and goes mysteriously into the night.

Shortly thereafter developmentally disabled Lance Kerwin is found with the knife that belonged to the deceased which was identified as the weapon he was stabbed with.

Of course it takes Angela Lansbury to solve the case and new sheriff Ron Masak is still learning the folkways of Cabot Cove and she knows them and her neighbors. No one could possibly believe Kerwin could have don it.

This episode was a stretch as to what really happened to the deceased who by all accounts will not be missed by the residents of Cabot Cove.