Recap / Criminal Case: Mysteries of the Past - Case 50: The Swan Song

Isaac: The Rochesters will have to wait, <Player's Name>! We need to go to the opera house immediately!

The Flying Squad is still stunned to discover the Rochesters plan to abolish the free press and effectively conquer all of Concordia. However, they have to put those concerns aside when Issac and the player are summoned to the opera house to solve the murder of ballet choreographer Marta Ulanova, found with her head bashed in.

Tropes:

• 10-Minute Retirement: Subverted. During Chapter 2, Viola tells you she's planning on quitting the Flying Squad to chase her dreams of becoming an artist after visiting the victim's workplace, but Horatio convinces her of staying with the team. Of course, Horatio does this since Viola is only useful for him inside the Flying Squad, but she doesn't notice this until it's too late.
• Accidental Pun: When Isaac and the player find a fan the victim gifted to Lady Highmore, Isaac says she must have been a huge fan of hers before claiming that pun wasn't intended.
• Bandaged Face: Erik Tremaine, one of the suspects and a stagehand working for the victim, has half of his head covered in bandages, as she forced him to fix a faulty wiring in the scenery despite lightning management not being his job, which resulted in him getting electrocuted.
  Erik: I see my bandages are troubling you. Don't mind them! I had an accident a few days ago, burned half my face off.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: One of the killer's traits is that they eat charcoal. Apparently, people believe it's very good for the health.
  Isaac: If our killer eats charcoal, they won't mind the delights of prison food!
• Bludgeoned to Death: Marta was murdered by having her head caved in with a stained glass lamp.
• Broken Pedestal: Viola gets hit hard with this after she finds out the only reason Horatio wanted something to do with her was to get close to the Squad, promptly discarding her after getting his hands on the Rochester bill.
• Call-Back: Commissioner Thaddeus Mulroney and Lady Highmore return as suspects, while Horatio and Archie Rochester reappear during the Additional Investigation
• Career-Ending Injury: Due to getting electrocuted and having his face disfigured thanks to the victim, Erik believes he won't ever become a stage manager now.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Marta had the good sense to replace Henri's idea of the dancers arriving on set in small zeppelins and practically nude with having them in tutus and swans. For this, Henri kills her.
• Embarrassing Old Photo: One of Lady Highmore and the victim together in dancing outfits. Marta even used it to Blackmail Highmore into keeping donating to the theater she worked with, otherwise her salary wouldn't be so guaranteed anymore.
• Fanboy: Isaac is a huge fan of the victim, hence why he constantly mourns and laments her death throughout the investigation.
• Fluffy Fashion Feathers: One of the killer's traits is that they wear feathers.
• French Jerk: Henri Monplaisir, the killer, murdered Marta just because she didn't let him make the ballerinas dance naked on the stage, which infuriated him to no end.
• Funetik Aksent: Henri speaks with an exaggerated French accent.
• Good News, Bad News: Evie says this when she manages to decipher whose fingerprints are on the police tag where the stolen Rochester bill was stored.
  Evie: I have good news and bad news. Good news is: I found fingerprints on the tag...
  Maddie: Great news, Evie! Whose are they?
  Evie: That's the bad news... The prints belong to Viola.
• Gratuitous French: Henri adds a lot of French words in his speeches whenever you interrogate him
• Hopeless Suitor: Mulroney was deeply in love with Marta ever since he saw her acting in The Nutcracker years ago, but she ended up rejecting him
• Improvised Weapon: The murder weapon was a stained glass lamp.
• Love at First Sight: Commissioner Mulroney claims he instantly fell in love with Marta years ago after seeing her act in The Nutcracker.
• Mean Boss: As explained by her employees, Marta wasn't a great person to work with, considering she forced Erik to work in the lights department despite not being his specialty (which resulted in him getting electrocuted and disfigured) and made Margot practically starve and eat nothing but charcoal in order to stay fit.
  Erik: Working with Marta was a great opportunity... but I have to say, it's kind of a relief not having to deal with her anymore.

  Margot: You don't understand anything! I'm sad for the show, but I'm relieved Marta's dead! She was killing me!
  She pushed me too hard! I was on the edge... I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating. It was just rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal!
• My God, What Have I Done?: Viola has this reaction after she lets herself be manipulated by Horatio to steal the Rochester bill from the Squad airship, calling herself foolish.
• Not Good with Rejection: Commissioner Mulroney doesn't take very kindly that Marta rejected his advances.
  Thaddeus: Can you believe that?! Marta rejected me! Me! Commissioner Mulroney!
• Nothing Can Stop Us Now!: When you find the Rochesters are planning to Take Over the City, Horatio tells you there's nothing you can do about it.
• Old Shame: In-Universe example with Lady Highmore being a former dancer and chorus girl, to the point showing her a photo of her and the victim dancing together is enough to cause a Spit Take reaction from her.
  Lady Highmore: Oh my word, <Player's Name>! Where did you find that atrocity?! Put that away before someone sees it!
• I Own This Town: As revealed in this case, the Rochesters used to own the land where Concordia was settled in the past, but lost their monopoly over it as the city grew. Of course, the Rochesters weren't willing to let this go, believing themselves to be the owners of Concordia no matter what.
  Archie: Haven't you ever noticed that we hold the majority of power over this city? The Senate, City Hall, Wolf Street... it's all ours!
  Just like Concordia is ours. Always has been. Always will.
• Post-Stress Overeating: Due to Marta not allowing her to eat anything other than charcoal, Margot absolutely gorges herself with burgers and cocktails after being informed of her death, claiming she was put through so much for nothing now that the one in charge of the musical is dead.
• Prima Donna Director: According to most of the suspects, Marta was an impossible woman to work with due to her high standards. Henri even claims she wanted to somehow put a lake on the stage, which would've costed a lot.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Both Isaac and Thaddeus are shown to be fan of ballet and stage plays in general.
• Shout-Out:
  • The case centers on a production of Swan Lake.
    • A picture of a swan appears in the Opera Chairs scene, referencing the ballet.
  • The victim, Marta Ulanova, is a parody of Galina Ulanova.
  • Two of the killer's traits are their liking for a beverage called "Dancing Queen" and knowing The Nutcracker.
  • In the Opera Box scene, there is a familiar mask and a wooden horse.
  • Judge Takakura mentions Shakespeare during the sentencing.
  • A man named Erik in a theater with a deformed face.
• Spit Take: Lady Highmore does this with her Dancing Queen cocktail after you show her an old photo of her and the victim dancing together, considering it an embarrassing part of her past.
• Sucks at Dancing: Dick accidentally injuries himself trying to replicate ballet dancing and gets a stiff neck, forcing him to wear a neck brace during the investigation.
• Take Over the City: During the Additional Investigation, is revealed that the Rochesters' endgame plan is to take over the city, believing they're deserving of it due to the land Concordia grew in used to belong to them.
• Training from Hell: According to Margot Kirkland, one of Marta's ballerinas, she was forced to endure eating nothing but charcoal and not sleeping for days.
• Unishment: After receiving a 25-year sentence for the murder, Henri happily expresses his desire to create a prison ballet with no concern of being incarcerated.
• Unwitting Pawn: To no one's surprise, it's revealed Horatio was just using Viola to get close to the Squad, which he promptly takes advantage of by stealing the Rochester bill from the airship by requesting Viola bring it to him.
  Viola: I thought we were really getting close. I thought his love for me, his newfound daughter, was honest. But it was all a lie! He was using me to get close to the Squad!
• We Used to Be Friends: Lady Highmore and Marta used to be friends until the victim started blackmailing her with an Embarrassing Old Photo to keep donating to the theater.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Isaac has this reaction towards Commissioner Mulroney when you find out he's been accepting gifts from them despite being clearly corrupt, telling him to his face he didn't expect his investigation to go this way.
  • A much bigger example occurs with Viola, who steals the Rochester bill from the airship after Horatio manipulates her, letting him get away with it and derail the Squad's plans in stopping the Rochesters. Chief Wright makes it clear the only reason she isn't getting fired is that they can't afford to lose a Squad member at these times.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When you interrogate Henri the first time, he seems absolutely devastated about Marta's death, calling her irreplaceable and how he'll never forget her. Of course, this is just an act to gain sympathy, as he's the killer.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: A non-lethal example with Horatio and Viola, who decides to discard Viola after he manipulates her into stealing the Rochester bill from the airship.