Kate Matthews (Hart to Hart)

Kate Matthews (Juliet Mills) is a hidden villainess in the 1980 episode “Downhill to Death” for the TV series “Hart to Hart”.
Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers) while in a Los Angeles restaurant, inadvertently overhears a man and his mistress plotting to murder a man’s wife. Jennifer is doubly shocked when she discovers that the man, Halsey Matthews (Rod McCary) is a friend of hers. Halsey is married to Kate Matthews, an older woman who is also a friend of Jennifer’s. Halsey introduces Jennifer to Marina Belson (Shelley Smith), a twenty-something attractive blonde who he says is a client.
She and Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) decide to prevent the murder from being carried out by traveling to the planned location for the woman’s death, the Vail, Colorado ski slopes.
Unfortunately, there is a suspicious skiing accident in which a person is killed on the slopes, but it isn’t Halsey’s wife, Kate Mathews (Juliet Mills). While Jennifer and Jonathan are checking it out, they run into the Matthews up on the ski run.
Jennifer and Kate escape the slopes for a trip to the sauna. While there Jennifer asks if everything in her marriage is alright, to which Kate sidesteps the question. After Kate left the sauna, Marina came in and Jennifer suddenly became aware that her fears were coming true.
That night at dinner, Halsey introduced the Hart’s to Peter Schmidt (George DelHoyo) who is a skiing instructor there at Vail. While the group is having dinner, Marina shows up at the table. Halsey acts as if it is surprise to see her in Vail. Kate acts the role of the jealous wife. Peter takes a special interest in Marina. Marina is introduced as an associate of Halsey, and works with the public relations firm. When Marina explains she has some questions after their recent business meeting, Kate suggests that Halsey take her out on the dance floor and figure out those concerns. Peter than asks Kate to dance, leaving the Hart’s to contemplate the strange happenings.
The next morning, Halsey tries to convince Kate to go down a dangerous ski run. Kate has reservations saying she is not ready for the advanced challenge. Peter and Marina show up with a tray load of Irish Coffee for the group.
While Kate and Halsey head up the slopes on the ski lift, they both seem a little dazed, like the drinks might have been drugged. Kate ends up going down the difficult run with Halsey, as the Hart’s attempt to catch up to them so that nothing bad happens. However, they arrive to see Halsey fall to his death over a cliff.
Kate later told the Hart’s that she had known for sometime, that Halsey was having an affair. The night before the accident, Kate confronted Halsey about the affair and that she knew it was Marina. Halsey had agreed to end the affair and stay with Kate.
After the Hart’s left, Marina showed up and her and Kate drank a toast to “life insurance and double indemnity clauses”, which made it clear that the two were involved in the plot. Marina admitted that she had her doubts whether she had given Halsey the correct spiked drink.
The next scene showed Peter and Marina sharing an intimate ride in a horse drawn sleigh. The sleigh made a stop on the way to Peter’s place, and he mentioned that he had to get something from the ski shop, leaving Marina alone. While there, a giant snowman skied up to Marina. The snowman removed its top revealing Kate under the costume. A stunned Marina was left with many questions, however she was soon grabbed from behind by Peter who chloroformed her. Peter then kissed the hand of Kate, and it became obvious that the two were lovers. Kate told Peter to get rid of Marina. In addition, Peter explained that he planted a device in the hot tub of the Hart’s to get rid of them. Fortunately for the Hart’s they were interrupted by a couple from Kentucky and they got out of the hot tub just in time to avoid a bug zapper from landing in the water.
While explaining the attempt on their lives with the sheriff, they heard over the radio that the ski patrol found a girl up in the mountain that froze to death. From I.D., it was determined to be that of Marina Belson. All indications pointed to that of Kate being the killer.
When the Hart’s met with Kate, she acted not surprised about Marina’s death. She explained that Marina had been so broken up over Halsey’s rejection and then death. Kate seemed to indicate that Marina had committed suicide. However, Jonathan explained that the coroner’s report showed that Halsey had traces of a hallucinogenic drug in his blood. Kate was forced to admit that Halsey was using drugs to escape the pressures of his business. She continued on that Marina may have represented an escape as well. While talking, Jonathan received a phone call from Max (Lionel Stander). Jonathan pretended the call was from the Sheriff. After getting off the phone he announced that there was a possibility that Marina may make a full recovery. She had been brought into the morgue as a D.O.A., but after her body heat was brought up, she came out of it. A confused Kate made an excuse to go back to her room.
Kate and Peter showed up at the Vail Valley Medical Center to finish what they started and make Marina’s death final. After being told which room Marina was being held in, Kate snuck into the room and snipped her life support fluid line with a pair of scissors. After unzipping the oxygen tent, Kate discovered it was Jennifer in the bed. Before Kate could stab her with the scissors, Jonathan wrestled the instrument away from her and restrained the panicked woman.
Kate admitted that it was Marina’s idea to kill Halsey. Jonathan asked why she had agreed to give up the partnership. Kate responded that Peter was all she really wanted, but he got greedy and wanted more than half the money. The Hart’s were able to capture Peter by snowmobile.
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Category:1980s
Category:Adulteress
Category:Betrayer
Category:Blonde
Category:Boots
Category:Conspirator
Category:Eye Mask
Category:Fur
Category:Greedy
Category:Jealous
Category:Live Action Villainess
Category:Murderer
Category:Murder: Indirect
Category:Long Skirts & Dresses
Category:Fate: Arrested