After a shocking blow, Jessica's forced to choose between protecting Trish and destroying Sallinger. Jeri seizes a chance to get back in Kith's life.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- All for Nothing: Malcolm burns every bridge with Hogarth to keep Trish's secret. Then Hogarth finds out on her own.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Hogarth declares her love for Kith, though after everything that's happened, Kith is not particularly receptive.
- Blackmail: Sallinger gets Jessica to destroy the evidence against him by threatening to publish security camera footage of Trish attacking him.
- Dirty Cop: Officer Nussbaumer, who kills drug dealers to steal their stash and money. All while maintaining a stellar record.
- From Bad to Worse: The episode starts with Trish seeming doomed to be arrested. It ends with Costa on suspension for allowing evidence to have been destroyed, Malcolm out of a job, Sallinger about to walk free, Erik apparently having committed murder (and Jessica possibly about to take the fall for it), Jessica's and Trish's relationship badly damaged... and Trish still might end up arrested (though possibly for a lesser crime).
- Hollywood Law: The show acts like the only options are Trish goes to the Raft or Sallinger goes free. In fact the law recognizes what is often called Extreme Emotional Distress. The law recognizes that perhaps walking into your home and finding your mother's tortured-to-death corpse might drive you to do things you ordinarily wouldn't, like race across town and attempt to kill the man who did that. Add the less by the book aspects? Likely no prosecutor would try to bring the case in front of a jury.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Said almost word for word by Jessica as she drags Trish away from Sallinger.
- Internal Reveal: Hogarth learns that Malcolm has been covering for the masked vigilante and later finds out it's Trish.
- It's All My Fault: Erik blames himself for what happened to Dorothy. Trish is also quite angry at him.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Jessica is horrified when she learns that Costa has been blamed for failing the case and taken off it, after she destroyed the evidence.
- Parental Incest: After he got his power, Erik learned his father had been raping his sister for years. Forcing him to admit it and getting him arrested led to his mother overdosing on pills and his sister blaming him for all of it. And that was the last time Erik tried to do good.
- Sadistic Choice: Jessica faces the choice of letting Trish be sent to the Raft or letting Sallinger get away with everything.
- Shower of Angst: After nearly killing Sallinger, Trish finally confronts the reality of her mother's death and huddles in the hotel bathtub in a Troubled Fetal Position while Jessica cleans the blood off her.
- Smug Snake: Nussbaumer is incredibly arrogant towards Jessica, thinking his badge gives him power over her.
- Two-Faced: One half of Sallinger's face is covered in nasty, deep claw wounds due to Trish's attack.
