Jessica intervenes when Seth's long-lost Army buddy is accused of murder.Jessica intervenes when Seth's long-lost Army buddy is accused of murder.Jessica intervenes when Seth's long-lost Army buddy is accused of murder.
Photos
- Sheriff Mort Metzger
- (as Ron Másak)
- Driver
- (as John C. Tuell)
- Tony Salducci
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
- Kojak
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJust before Ben Oliver enters Lawrence Jarvis's motel room, Jarvis is watching Kojak A Question of Answers (1975) featuring Jerry Orbach. Orbach was a frequent guest-star on Murder, She Wrote (1984) playing Harry McGraw.
- GoofsWhen Lawrence Jarvis (Robert Lansing) breaks into Ben Oliver's (Gerald S. O'Loughlin) motel room, the door knob is on the right side of the door (in the outside shot). When the camera cuts to the inside, the doorknob is on the opposite side of the door.
- Quotes
Ben Oliver: [explaining his stay in the VA hospital and his later nomadic behavior] Okay, then, I'll give it to you in one quick swallow. You see, Corporal, when a mortar round hits close enough, it not only explodes, it implodes at the very same time. This causes a vacuum, a force that sucks part of your being right out through the top of your skull. For lack of a better word, let's call it your soul. And what most people don't know is, souls are a hell of a lot more fragile than human flesh. Sometimes they just never seem to heal
- ConnectionsReferences Kojak: None So Blind (1990)
- SoundtracksMurder She Wrote Theme
Written by John Addison
Like what was said for "Angel of Death", "Badge of Honour" is another good but not great episode of Season 8, which has mostly been a solid season (one of the better and more consistent seasons of 'Murder She Wrote'). A season where "A Killing in Vegas" and "Day of the Dead" have been the only disappointments up to this late point. Gail O' Grady and Daniel Davis did deserve more to do than what they actually had in limited underused roles, Davis in particular is wasted.
It was too obvious that despite how it looks at first that Ben's innocence was never in doubt, especially when he is an old friend of Seth's and immediately made likable. Occasionally, the mystery could have done with more kick.
However, mostly the mystery is involving and is easy to follow and like. The ending is not one of the season's cleverest or most surprising but is certainly not obvious or clunky.
Angela Lansbury can't faulted, neither can always great recurring stars William Windom and Ron Masak. Cliff DeYoung and Robert Lansing particularly enjoy themselves, while Gerald S. Loughlin is movingly easy to root for.
Production values are slick and stylish as ever. 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.
Writing on the most part is tight, thought-provoking and typically amiable and the characters and chemistry are good fun.
Overall, good but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 30, 2017