A quiet dinner out for Seth and Jessica ends abruptly when he is forced to care for an injured Mafia kingpin. Will Seth and Jessica survive?A quiet dinner out for Seth and Jessica ends abruptly when he is forced to care for an injured Mafia kingpin. Will Seth and Jessica survive?A quiet dinner out for Seth and Jessica ends abruptly when he is forced to care for an injured Mafia kingpin. Will Seth and Jessica survive?
Photos
Joe Cortese
- Lt. Jerry Marino
- (as Joseph Cortese)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was the first appearance in season 7 for William Windom (Dr Seth Hazlitt). Despite several episodes taking place in Cabot Cove, and Seth generally being Jessica Fletcher's primary Cabot Cove companion, he had not appeared until the halfway point of the season. The reason for Windom's absence was due to his work on the production of the NBC drama Parenthood (1990), where he played grandfather Frank Buckman.
- GoofsWhen Lt Marino plays the tape recording of Seth's account of his kidnap for the FBI agents, the wording in the recording is not the same as what Seth is heard saying to Lt Marino earlier.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Carmine Abruzzi: In the village in Italy where I grew up, the sky was the color of the wine grapes, the sun was a slice of lemon. In the hot afternoons, I used to lay under the shade of the olive trees, dream I was Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, hitting the World Series home run in Yankee Stadium.
- SoundtracksMurder She Wrote Theme
Written by John Addison
Featured review
Jessica, Seth and the mob
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.
"Family Doctor" is most notable for being the only Season 7 episode to feature fan favourite Seth Hazlitt, and while it is a perfectly watchable episode Seth deserved much better. He is one of the best recurring characters on 'Murder She Wrote', being one of the most entertaining and interesting, and has featured in good to classic episodes. While "Family Doctor" does nothing to disgrace Seth, it was a case of a great character (with another great character in Jessica) stuck in a less than great story.
The weakest part of "Family Doctor" is the ending. Neither the identity of the killer or the motive rang true or are shocking, very far-fetched and ordinary for a killing within a mob family. More of a problem was how they were caught and found out, too over-reliant on easy to disprove coincidence and through very clunky exposition. The story mostly is actually pretty entertaining and well-paced though ridiculously unrealistic, lifted by the cast and the ever sparkling chemistry between Jessica and Seth.
On the other hand, story-wise it's also somewhat unbalanced. A little too much time was devoted to Seth and Jessica's situation and the crime was not only not focused on enough in my view but it was also introduced too late. The easily offended will find that the less than flattering stereotypes won't bode well with them.
Conversely, Angela Lansbury and William Windom are both terrific and supported very well by particularly Monte Markham, fiery Amy Yasbeck and Diane Franklin. Joe Cortese also relishes one of the episode's best lines regarding a warrant.
Production values as always are slick and stylish with some nostalgia induced. 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 thoughtful and amiable mostly apart from the clunkiness at the end.
Overall, above average episode but Seth and 'Murder She Wrote' deserved better with a more consistent story and a much better ending. 6/10 Bethany Cox
"Family Doctor" is most notable for being the only Season 7 episode to feature fan favourite Seth Hazlitt, and while it is a perfectly watchable episode Seth deserved much better. He is one of the best recurring characters on 'Murder She Wrote', being one of the most entertaining and interesting, and has featured in good to classic episodes. While "Family Doctor" does nothing to disgrace Seth, it was a case of a great character (with another great character in Jessica) stuck in a less than great story.
The weakest part of "Family Doctor" is the ending. Neither the identity of the killer or the motive rang true or are shocking, very far-fetched and ordinary for a killing within a mob family. More of a problem was how they were caught and found out, too over-reliant on easy to disprove coincidence and through very clunky exposition. The story mostly is actually pretty entertaining and well-paced though ridiculously unrealistic, lifted by the cast and the ever sparkling chemistry between Jessica and Seth.
On the other hand, story-wise it's also somewhat unbalanced. A little too much time was devoted to Seth and Jessica's situation and the crime was not only not focused on enough in my view but it was also introduced too late. The easily offended will find that the less than flattering stereotypes won't bode well with them.
Conversely, Angela Lansbury and William Windom are both terrific and supported very well by particularly Monte Markham, fiery Amy Yasbeck and Diane Franklin. Joe Cortese also relishes one of the episode's best lines regarding a warrant.
Production values as always are slick and stylish with some nostalgia induced. 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 thoughtful and amiable mostly apart from the clunkiness at the end.
Overall, above average episode but Seth and 'Murder She Wrote' deserved better with a more consistent story and a much better ending. 6/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•512
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 14, 2017
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