Written by: Tom Sawyer
Directed by: Jerry Jameson
Jessica applauds the arrival in Cabot Cove of young MD Jonas Beckwith, but Seth claims a 'technology-obsessed' doc lacks heart and experience. Harriet Wooster's computer programs are about to get her family company sold for a fortune, having obtained seed money from her brother Doug Simmons. Then Harriet collapses during negotiations and Dr. Beckwith rushes her in for emergency surgery on a bleeding ulcer, which Seth believed was stress-induced dyspepsia. It turns out a transfusion with what was supposed to be her own blood was fatal and Jessica suspects an elaborate murder. Jessica finds out how and why, bringing her 'medical advisers' together in the process.
Tropes
- Blood Transfusion Plot: An impostor donates blood under the victim's name, knowing that her accomplice was poisoning her with something that would mimic the symptoms of a bleeding ulcer. Due to blood loss, she would need a transfusion, but because the blood types are incompatible, it would prove fatal.
- Bluffing the Murderer: Knowing that some poisons don't turn up in autopsies, Jessica resorts to tricking the killers into a confession. She tells Gretchen to inform Doug to be careful when dealing with John Halsey, because they found evidence that Harriet was poisoned with a particular substance used in computers. That substance is actually an herbicide, and Mr. Wooster chastises Gretchen for falling for it. However, he advises her to keep quiet because Jessica can't prove anything with the autopsy...only for Jessica to have brought Sheriff Metzger to listen to the whole thing.
- A Deadly Affair: Harriet's husband turns out to have become involved with her brother's girlfriend after she became buried in her computer business. They end up working together to murder Harriet.
- Heroic BSoD: Seth takes it hard when Harriet dies on the table, apparently of complications to a medical condition he misdiagnosed. He even contemplates giving up his practice. Even after the news comes in that Harriet died from the transfusion, not from a bleeding ulcer, he still considers it his fault, given that Harriet wouldn't have needed that transfusion if he had diagnosed her correctly. It takes Jessica proving that someone was poisoning Harriet to produce symptoms that would lead to an emergency ulcer operation for him to let it go.
- Inconvenient Itch: At the end of the episode, Sheriff Metzger starts incessantly scratching his hand. Dr. Hazlitt sees the rash and reminds Metzger that the last time they tried a wonder drug (like the one Dr. Beckwith prescribed for his cough), he was allergic, which was why he didn't prescribe it this time.
- Old Guard Versus New Blood: In-Universe. The cause of conflict between the two doctors, Seth Hazlitt and Jonas Beckwith. Dr. Hazlitt is older and prefers a lower-tech approach; Dr. Beckwith is younger and sees no reason not to use tests, computers, and new drugs to help treat patients. They ultimately reach an agreement. Seth says that Jonas could help him catch up on some new medicines and Jonas admits he could learn a lot from Seth.
- Perfect Poison: Harriet Wooster was poisoned by being given small doses of a poison that will cause ulcer-like symptoms as the first phase of an elaborate murder plot. Her husband tells his accomplice that an autopsy won't turn up anything...but unfortunately, Jessica followed the accomplice.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The contrast between the two doctors. Seth is passionate and relies more on intuition and his own knowledge, whereas Jonas is cooler, more modern and focuses on textbooks, computers, and tests.
- The Dead Have Names: Partway through the episode, Dr. Beckwith comes to offer his condolences to Seth and makes the mistake of calling Harriet "the deceased." Seth, who already dislikes his manner of doctoring, chews him out, giving an emotional litany of individualizing facts about Harriet. Though Dr. Beckwith dislikes Seth rejecting his best efforts at conciliation, he does take the point. When he offers his condolences to Jessica later, he catches himself before he can refer to Harriet as "the deceased" again and instead calls her Jessica's friend.
