In this episode of Due South, Ray must deal with his lingering feelings for Stella his ex-wife.
Ray and Fraser are initially sent to investigate a bomb threat at the office of City Alderman Frank Ossini. To Ray’s chagrin, he finds the Alderman dating Stella, the ex-wife that Ray still hasn’t gotten over. And now, he is forced to tag along as a third wheel to the two of them. Stella doesn’t want Ray hanging around her, but Alderman Ossini insists on having him around as police protection. Stella meanwhile, is struggling with convincing an abuse victim Diane, to testify against Duane, her violent, possessive estranged husband. Ray even starts to fret about Stella already having advanced her relationship with Ossini to an intimate one, when he spots the two of them having breakfast together.
After an incident where Duane attempts to threaten Stella and another one where Fraser safely diffuses a suspicious package thought to be a bomb, Ray and Fraser dig deeper into the contents of the bomb. Ultimately, they determine that it is fake - after which they connect it to Ossini himself. Turns out, Ossini started faking a threat on his life so some corrupt lucrative bills get passed while he is riding a wave of sympathy. Ossini is arrested and a disgusted Stella breaks things off with him.
Stella then invites Ray over for the night. The two of them even start dancing to a song Ray likes.
But then Fraser uncovers evidence that while the more recent bomb threat was fake, the first bomb was very real. He then deduces that Ossini wasn’t its target - Stella was! And that the bomber is Duane, the wife batterer she is trying to convict.
Right at the moment when Stella stops Ray’s attempt to seduce her, cold, by bringing up the reasons why their marriage failed, Fraser bursts in, finds another bomb and defuses it. The three of them apprehend Duane.
The episode ends with Ray morosely dancing with himself to the same song he tried to seduce Stella to. Fraser on the other hand starts to doubt his own sanity after seeing one too many hallucinations of his dead father.
This work contains examples of
- Boring, but Practical: How Fraser characterized the proceedings of a City Council session he attends while protecting Alderman Ossini.
- Domestic Abuser: Duane is the violent possessive type.
- Mad Bomber: Duane tries to blow Stella to bits twice because she was trying to send him to prison for beating his wife out of jealousy.
- Not What It Looks Like: Ray sees Stella having breakfast with her new boyfriend Alderman Ossini. Ray frets about Stella having (possibly) spent the night. Fraser tries to reassure him that perhaps it was just a “breakfast date”.
- Romantic False Lead: Alderman Ossini is dating Ray’s wife Stella. He is ultimately revealed to be a corrupt politician who goes as far as creating a fake bomb threat to gain sympathy and political capital.
- Sex with the Ex: Ray really really hopes it will happen. The ex however completely foils him by bringing up the reasons why they broke up to begin with.
