Jessica flies to Italy to attend a film festival featuring a movie of one of her books, directed by a rising star she's known since childhood. However, the glitz, glamor, and romance are soured and ultimately overshadowed by disputes ending with producer Catherine Wayne's murder. With her young friend under suspicion, Jessica investigates the people who had reason to hate Ms. Wayne, and the mysterious cost overruns she found before her death.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Jim mentions while discussing the strange cost overruns that the production of All the Murderers was pretty hectic, in part because some of their suppliers closed and they had to find new companies. This presumably allowed the killer to sneak dummy corporations in without Catherine noticing.
- When Jessica meets Mr. Hiller, he has to take a call on his Status Cellphone. Jessica remembers this when she realises that just because he called the suite, that doesn't mean he was in his office.
- "Eureka!" Moment: While waiting for Jessica, Marcello lights a cigarette. Jessica admonishes him that he'll spoil his dinner before stopping short and apologetically cancelling the evening. Catherine Wayne was bludgeoned with an ashtray, but she didn't smoke and had a non-smoking suite, so someone must have brought one.
- Locked Room Mystery: Catherine called Jim to her suite to discuss the unusual bills and the door was locked until the maid opened it. The maid claims she saw no one else enter but Jim's fiancée, who found Catherine's body. The only other point of entry was a balcony with an apparently inoperable door, making it difficult for Jessica to exonerate Jim.
- Look Behind You: A non-combat example; Jessica distracts a pack of paparazzi by saying, "Isn't that Mel Gibson?" and pointing behind them. They fall for it and go racing off to mob him.
- Never the Obvious Suspect: Jim was in Catherine's hotel suite when she died, and the door was locked from the outside. He claims he was out of the room answering a phone call, but the caller never answered, making his alibi unverifiable. He also had quite a bit of reason to want Catherine gone, given that his contract with her was standing between him and a dream project. Naturally, he didn't do it.
- Pool Scene: The episode features several gratuitous scenes set around the pool at the film festival, featuring a multitude of bikini-clad extras.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Inspector Lombardo takes Jim to the station under suspicion of murder, but this is only because of the very incriminating circumstances, and he gives him the chance to come quietly and orders one of his men to take Jim out the side door so the paparazzi won't see. He keeps Jessica informed of the investigation and gives her a fair chance to prove Jim's innocence, even giving her the help necessary to do so.
- Red Herring: The would-be producer of Arcs of Steel wants Jim as the director, despite his contract binding him to Catherine Wayne Productions for another two years. He tells someone to do whatever it takes to get Jim, even telling them to throw Catherine off a building if needed. He isn't the killer.
- Stealing from the Till: The killer, Mr. Hiller, used dummy corporations to bilk Catherine Wayne Productions of money during film shooting. When Catherine discovered the cost overruns and called Jim to talk about it, Hiller asked Jim to make a private call to get him out of the way and murdered her.
