What a thriller! This installment of the Diagnosis Murder tv movies is extremely suspenseful, even though you find out who the villain is right away - a bit different than the usual whodunnit formula. Guest star Suzanne Pleshette is just as evil as it gets, and after you see her in this, you'll probably hate her forever. While conducting a surgery, she purposely puts contaminated blood into her patient so he'll die that night. But since she's still a handsome woman, she charms those around her to deflect suspicion. Even Dick Van Dyke is charmed, as he still harbors a decades-old crush on her. Will anyone ever find out she did it?
Mixed in with the very serious subject matter of deliberate malpractice are some very funny jokes. My favorite is when Dick's son, Barry (his son in real life!), gets a mysterious farewell note from the girl he's courting. "It's obvious she went to Cleveland," Dick sums up, citing the slant of her handwriting and type of ink. With a smirk, he adds, "Her mother lives there." There's another gag where Dick accompanies his sidekick, Cynthia Gibb, to an old folk's home to get information, and he pretends to be decrepit. It's so funny because thirty years later, at 96 years old, he's nowhere near approaching old age.
I loved this one, even though the villain is especially awful. If you really loved Suzanne in the 1960s, you might want to skip it. But since I always thought she seemed insincere and untrustworthy, I was totally ready to see her in this role. Can't wait for the next one!
Mixed in with the very serious subject matter of deliberate malpractice are some very funny jokes. My favorite is when Dick's son, Barry (his son in real life!), gets a mysterious farewell note from the girl he's courting. "It's obvious she went to Cleveland," Dick sums up, citing the slant of her handwriting and type of ink. With a smirk, he adds, "Her mother lives there." There's another gag where Dick accompanies his sidekick, Cynthia Gibb, to an old folk's home to get information, and he pretends to be decrepit. It's so funny because thirty years later, at 96 years old, he's nowhere near approaching old age.
I loved this one, even though the villain is especially awful. If you really loved Suzanne in the 1960s, you might want to skip it. But since I always thought she seemed insincere and untrustworthy, I was totally ready to see her in this role. Can't wait for the next one!