Recap / Criminal Case: World Edition - Case 13: Moscow Mole

Marina: And Russian intelligence wasn't good enough for you, mother? I still can't believe we came all the way to Russia just for this, when we're supposed to be hunting down SOMBRA!

The Bureau arrives to Moscow, Russia, per COSMORUS head Natasha Romanova's request, who claims there has been a security breach inside of her space agency. There, Jack and the player go to the Red Square to meet up with Natasha, only to find the body of Darya Chernova, the head of project management in COSMORUS, with her throat slit.

Tropes:

• Accidental Murder: Liam accidentally killed Darya while both of them were drunk and started arguing, to the point he can't even remember the crime until you arrest him. For this reason, Judge Adaku only gives him a 5-year sentence.
• Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Idiotic enough to accidentally commit murder for Liam at least.
• Antagonistic Offspring: This case makes it even more clear that Marina and her mother don't get along very well, with most of the jabs being thrown by Marina herself. Even when Elliot analyzes a bunch of documents proving that Natasha is doing her best efforts to capture the spy, Marina is incapable of beveling her mother would do good.
  Marina: But I know my mother, <Player's Name>! Even if she's doing something good, then it's no doubt for the wrong reasons.
  Elliot: And I thought I had issues with my parents...
  Marina: I do NOT have issues with my parents!
• Asshole Victim: The victim was a spy who was selling classified information to an international crime organization for exorbitant prices without caring about putting the world in danger.
• Awful Wedded Life: Darya and Oleg's marriage was starting to get rough since Darya only cared about her job and completely neglected him.
• Classified Information: Both Anya and Natasha refuse to tell you what kind of information Darya was selling to SOMBRA since it's classified, much to the Bureau's frustration.
• Don't Explain the Joke: Lars' usual joke receives this treatment from Jack in this case.
  Lars: Termite be something wrong with your glasses... it's me, Lars! Get it? Termite? "There might"?
  Jack: You've... lost me there, dude.
  Lars: Admittedly, it's funnier in an Irish accent.
• Does Not Know How to Say "Thanks": While discussing about whether Natasha should be trusted or not.
  Jonah: I'm with Marina on this one, <Player's Name>. I know all about corrupt Russian government officials, and I don't have a good feeling about Natasha.
  Marina: See? Even this blockhead agrees with me!
  Jonah: "Thank you" would have been enough.
• Drunk with Power: According to Nikolai, being the head of project management had made of Darya a power-hungry woman who denied projects just for the fun of it and abused everyone below her ranks.
• Faux Horrific: When Angela tells you she's making Matryoshka dolls of everyone in the Bureau and shows one of Dupont, Jack claims it to be disturbing.
• Femme Fatale Spy: Subverted. Despite being a fairly attractive MGB agent in a Spy Catsuit, Anya prefers to use her wits and skills to perform the job rather than her looks.
• Grievous Bottley Harm: The victim is killed with the sharp edge of a broken vodka bottle.
• He Knows Too Much: Natasha thinks this is the reason why Darya was killed, believing she knew who The Mole inside of COSMORUS was and got silenced because of it. As it turns out, Darya was the one selling information instead.
• Irrational Hatred: Natasha accuses Marina of having this towards all the government, claiming that just because one Russian president tried to get her killed doesn't mean she should distrust anyone working for the government.
• Matryoshka Object: During the autopsy report, Angela reveals how she's working on making Matryoshka dolls of everyone in the Bureau, showing you one of Dupont.
• Mistaken for Gay: When Jack interrogates Liam about being a male prostitute charging the victim 200,000 rubles (approximately 3,000 American dollars), Liam offers him a discount.
  Jack: A discount... I... Don't try to change the subject, it won't work!
• The Mole: The victim had been selling classified COSMORUS information to SOMBRA, making her the responsible for the security breach Natasha informed you about in Iraq.
• Mrs. Robinson: The victim, who seems to be in her late 40s, was in love with Liam (who is 26) and even paid him for nude photos.
• My Greatest Failure: For Anya, not figuring out Darya was a spy selling important information to SOMBRA is seen as this, since she failed her security job as a MGB agent.
• Nervous Wreck: Nikolai Sharapov, one of COSMORUS' top scientists, is always nervous and whimpering, to the point he claims he needed to take a shot of vodka whenever he had to talk to the victim. During the Additional Investigation, Jonah's presence bothers him so much he can't stop stuttering during the interrogation.
• Noodle Incident: Lars mentions how Angela has forbidden him about doing an Irish impression again.
• Not So Above It All: While dealing with the killer (who happens to be a male prostitute), Judge Adaku wonders whether or not the pay is good, and considers a career change.
• Obstructive Bureaucrat: Nikolai tells you how Darya always gave everyone tons of paperwork before their projects could be approved, which made of her a nuisance among COSMORUS.
• Oh, Crap!: Jack and Elliot's reactions when the latter informs you the MGB is hacking the Bureau's servers in retaliation for Elliot hacking them first.
• The Oldest Profession: Liam Hall, the killer, is a male escort who had been selling himself to the victim.
• Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: When Marina warns you about her mother and how you shouldn't trust "that woman", Jack barges in just in time to tell Marina she shouldn't be talking about Chief Ripley like that.
• Shout-Out:
  • Natasha Romanova resembles Black Widow and has the same name as her.
  • Anya Ivanova resembles Katniss Everdeen and works for the MGB, which is a parody of the KGB.
  • COSMORUS is a parody of Roscosmos. Its logo features a dog in a space pod, referring to Laika, a dog who was the first animal to orbit the Earth.
  • The Red Square, the Komsomolskaya station, and the Gorky Park appear as crime scenes.
  • One of the killers traits is that they read Leo Tolstoy, including War and Peace
  • In the Park Shuttle scene, there is a soda can parodying Coca-Cola.
• Slashed Throat: How the victim was killed, courtesy of a vodka bottle.
• Spy Catsuit: Anya Ivanova dresses like this.
• State Sec: The MGB, a parody of the KGB, appears in this case along with Anya Ivanova, one of their main agents.
• Stealing from the Till: Darya had been stealing both classified information and funds from COSMORUS, including the employees' paychecks.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: In Chapter 1, Elliot hacks into the MGB, Russia's most powerful security organization, to aid you with the investigation. Their response? Launch their own hacking counter-attack that almost gets Elliot's servers shut down and the Bureau expelled from the country.
• Victory Through Intimidation: Subverted. Jonah attempts to intimidate Nikolai into giving you information about what classified documents Darya had been smuggling, but apparently he doesn't know anything.
  Jonah: Hmm, I guess intimidation didn't really work on that guy, <Player's Name>... You know, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this whole interrogation thing just yet...
• Vodka Drunkenski: Oleg, the victim's husband, appears drunk with vodka the first time you talk to him.
• You No Take Candle: Oleg speaks like this while drunk.
  Oleg: And that's notherthing! She always say Oleg drink too much! But... not true! Bryed! Oleg not drink too much. Darya not drink enough!