User Reviews

"Letter to a Lover" seems to promise a less than sterling THRILLER, but looks can be deceiving. One of the series' best crime episodes, it begins with a doctor's nurse entering her employer's office, discovering his dead body lying on the floor, and spotted fleeing the scene is Andrew Lawrence (Murray Matheson, previously seen in "The Poisoner"), whose wife Sylvia (Ann Todd) had an appointment with the doctor at the exact hour he was murdered. Opting to remove the evidence before phoning the police, the nurse (Avis Scott) intends to blackmail Andrew, who believes his wife committed the murder, while Sylvia believes that it was her husband. An understandably concerned Andrew decides that a trip to the country will work wonders for Sylvia's nerves (but not the viewer's, with a fine, fog shrouded atmosphere). Certainly on a par with "The Merriweather File" as a complex yarn of twists and turns, with no one above suspicion. Murray Matheson is fine as always; Ann Todd had appeared with Christopher Lee in 1961's "Scream of Fear" and with Patrick Magee in 1971's "The Fiend," but her clinging, milksop character is nothing like the type of woman to earn such devotion from any man, let alone two or three.

Murray Matheson stars as Andrew Lawrence, who is deeply concerned about his wife Sylvia(played by Ann Todd) whom he thinks is guilty of murdering a London doctor in his office. Sylvia in turn thinks that Andrew is the killer, and seeks out the help of an old flame named Donald Carver(played by Felix Deebank). Andrew meanwhile is being blackmailed by the murdered doctor's nurse(played by Avis Scott) in a scheme to become a permanent part of his household. Of course, the actual murderer was in plain sight the whole time... Nearly forgotten episode is rather good, if a bit slow, with a most clever(if complicated) plot and a neat twist ending.

"Letter to a Lover" had a decent idea for the script...though it lacked action. Again and again, when the show could have shown action, it chose instead to have somone explain it...much like you might find on a radio show.

The story is a murder mystery. You know that someone was killed but you really are not sure who did it nor why. Andrew assumes his wife Sylvia did it. Sylvia and her friend think Andrew did it. And, their new housekeeper insists Sylvia did it. As for the police...they eventually get to the bottom of it.

The episode is rather hard to fully describe...suffice to say it's a murder mystery and at the end you'll find that the main characters and the police explain everything to you. So be it....but it made for a less than stellar episode being told in this style.

This episode takes us a joyride. A murder has been committed and this brings together forces from all over. In this Agatha Christie style mystery, there are a host of suspects and a plethora of red herrings. At the center is an unstable woman who has been gaslighted by her husband. His suspicions and lack of affection have led to her seeking out other men. One of those men is the murdered man. Soon there are all these people trying to figure things out, using insufficient evidence. Hang on with this one. It is hard to watch at first because nothing makes much sense. But if you are patient, there is a real reward at the end. There are some nice performances. One thing, though. How is it that so many women fainted in the sixties? And, how is it that there's always a guy to pick them right up an put them on the couch?

"Letter to a Lover" drags a bit during the first act, but stick with it: It quickly turns into one of the series' most involving plots. Or, should I say, mélange of plots? The teleplay brilliantly confuses the viewer by way of misdirection, as noted as Alan Warren in his study of "Thriller." Each time we think we've got a handle on the plot, a new wrinkle appears, and the episode's most amazing detail might be the story's sinister prime suspect's sudden transformation into a tragic and sympathetic character. Much of the fun lies in the fact that the three principals are just as befuddled as the viewer, with each acting on suspicions which prove baseless. "Thriller" only offered a handful of worthy non-horror episodes, including "The Fatal Impulse" and "The Merriweather File," but none of those came close to "Letter."