Sue becomes suspicious that an old friend's husband is abusing her after they meet again at a deaf poetry reading, which complicates things when she reports her husband dead. Meanwhile, Myles and Bobby are trying to take Howie and Otis to Phoenix to testify in a trial, a trip that quickly becomes longer than intended.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Amazon Chaser: The local deputy, Wanda, is brawny and fairly no-nonsense. Howie finds her attractive the moment he lays eyes on her, commenting that there's something about a woman in uniform.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: the agents' car breaks down on the side of the road and another car stops:Passing Motorist: You fellas having car trouble, are ya?Myles: No, we're holding a roadside tutorial on engine repair.
- Chekhov's Skill: At the beginning of the episode, Sue has Levi demonstrate his newest trick, producing an intimidating snarl on command. She uses it to intimidate the downed Ted while Jack subdues him.
- Domestic Abuse: How exactly Carol's husband Ted abused her isn't said, but it left physical injuries (though never enough for the hospital to take action). Carol tells Sue afterwards that Ted controlled everything.
- Egocentrically Religious: According to Carol, Ted claimed that it was his "God-given right" to control everything his wife did. Sue immediately points out that the Bible tells husbands that their love for their wives should mirror Jesus' sacrificial love for the church, which rules out violence in the relationship.
- Faking the Dead: Ted pretended to fall off the boat by accident while he and Carol were sailing, and he disappeared before his frantic wife could bring the boat back around. It's implied he wanted to escape being held liable for his financial misdeeds, which were in danger of emerging at the time.
- Hero Stole My Bike: Sue commandeers a wheelchair from hospital staff by revealing her FBI status. However, she uses it to trip up the fleeing Ted rather than to pursue him.
- Incredibly Lame Fun: Howie tries to talk Myles into visiting the world's largest ball of string.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Ted fell off a sailboat while tipsy from some alcohol and Carol couldn't find him when she circled the boat back to the area. This, plus the abuse, makes Jack and others wonder if Carol snapped from the misery of her life and killed him in a way that would look accidental. It turns out that someone wanted it to look accidental, but that someone was Ted, who faked his death.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: One reason Sue suspects Ted is abusive is that she knew Carol as a talented, up-and-coming sculptor and more recently Carol claimed that she didn't have time for it anymore.
- Questioning Title?: The episode's title is a question about whether or not Carol killed Ted.
- Road Trip Plot: Howie's fear of flying necessitates him, Otis, and the two agents taking a car to Phoenix instead of a plane. Myles is unhappy about this from the start, and the road trip quickly becomes a string of problems: their car breaks down and then gets stolen and they have to spend the night in a terrible hotel. Howie insists on trying to treat it as a buddy road trip, to Myles and Otis' extreme irritation.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The agents, Howie and Otis make a long, exasperating trip down to Phoenix by car so that Howie and Otis can testify, only for the guy to accept a plea bargain shortly before they arrive.
- Waxing Lyrical: Howie quotes "America the Beautiful" when he's trying to talk the others into enjoying the trip.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Howie insists that he wants to do his part as a witness, but he can't get on a plane. This creates a problem because the bureau can't make Howie testify; he volunteered.
