Line #10 Recap/MurderSheWroteS4E12WhoThrewTheBarbitalsInMrsFletchersChowder


1	Sheriff Tupper's sister Winnie comes to Cabot Cove to escape her husband, Elmo. Despite their busy schedules, Amos and Jessica do their best to make her feel welcome, and Dr. Hazlitt also steps in to help. However, Winnie's husband and in-laws quickly show up in town as well, and Jessica's effort to show hospitality goes horribly wrong when Elmo dies from a dose of barbitals in her clam chowder after a fight with his wife. Can Jessica exonerate Winnie?
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3	Fun fact: this is the episode that appeared in the movie ''Film/KnivesOut''.
4	!!This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
5	* AssholeVictim: Elmo's a largely unpleasant person who managed to drive Winnie away thanks to his [[ImproperlyParanoid unjustified paranoia]] and drug-fueled anger issues.
6	* BigDamnHeroes: Deputy Marigold bursts into Jessica's house demanding to know about an illegally parked car, but once she sees Kenny is threatening Jessica and Harold, she pulls out her gun and makes him surrender.
7	* ContinuityNod: When a lady calls asking for someone to help get her cat out of a tree, Sheriff Tupper tells her that [[Recap/MurderSheWroteS4E7IfItsThursdayItMustBeBeverly his deputy who used to handle matters of that sort resigned from the force.]]
8	* CrazyJealousGuy: Elmo's jealousy stood among the characteristics that drove Winnie's endurance to the breaking point. He went so far as to hire private investigator Ed Bellamy to spy on her, and Bellamy tells Jessica that he stuck to his belief she had cheated on him [[IgnoredExpert even when Bellamy reported she had done things like see a movie alone]].
9	* EveryoneHasStandards: Harold explains to Jessica that everyone in the family (except Winnie) knew about Elmo's addiction problems but didn't really do anything to help him, but he's quietly horrified when Jessica makes Kenny reveal that he's Elmo's killer. Harold also steps forward and tries to shield Jessica when Kenny demands she die as well.
10	* ExiledToTheCouch: When Elmo and his family come to town, poor Amos is forced out of his room by Flo and made to sleep on the couch ''in his own house''.
11	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Kenny exclaims he should be thanked for getting rid of Elmo, exclaiming he was running the family business into the ground.
12	* JustInTime: The new deputy walks in to talk to the owner of an illegally parked car and aims a gun at Kenny, keeping him from knifing Jessica or Harold to keep them from revealing he killed Elmo.
13	* NeverTheObviousSuspect: Repeated twice.
14	** Winnie takes ulcer medicine that contains barbitals. She hid from Elmo in a town where her brother leads the law enforcement and the two had a nasty fight shortly before he died. However, she's innocent.
15	** Ed Bellamy, the private eye Elmo hired to keep tabs on his wife, fought Elmo on Jessica's lawn the night Elmo died and had outstanding expenses Elmo had refused to cover. Much to Amos' dismay (as his sister is the other primary suspect) his account checks out as accurate. He didn't kill Elmo either.
16	* ObnoxiousInLaws: The unpleasant behavior of Winnie's in-laws fits right in with her husband's abusiveness. Flo shoots barbs at everyone and [[UngratefulBastard sneers at Jessica's hospitality]]. However, the worst is Kenny, who killed Elmo and had no qualms about letting Winnie take the blame, or about killing others to keep the secret.
17	* ProfaneLastWords: According to Dr. Hazlitt, the last thing Elmo said was an obscenity.
18	* ShipTease:
19	** Seth and Winnie get a bit flirtatious when he first meets her, although he gets quickly flustered when she shows up that night asking to shelter from her awful in-laws at his house. Presumably the prospect of actually ending up in-laws with Sheriff Tupper hit him all at once.
20	** Winnie also ends up on the bus with the P.I. and they seem to hit it off.
21	* ShoutOut: The title refers to the song "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?"
22	* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: Kenny gave Elmo a bourbon laced with phenobarbital and put more in the chowder, both to finish the job and to make everyone think Elmo had only gone to sleep like the others until it was too late.
23	* TokenGoodTeammate: Harold is slightly the only decent member of Winnie's in-laws. While having a fair share of apathy, he clearly demonstrates he's not okay with what Kenny did to Elmo and makes an effort to shield Jessica once the truth comes out.
24	* TurnInYourBadge: Amos declares he knows his sister couldn't have murdered Elmo, and says, regardless of how suspicious the circumstances look, he would sooner resign as sheriff than turn her in.

Context Recap / MurderSheWroteS4E12WhoThrewTheBarbitalsInMrsFletchersChowder