Directed by Karen Gaviola
Written by Meredith Stiehm
Philadelphia's infamous "boy in the box" case gets a major update when the cold case team recovers a suitcase containing the boy's personal belongings. His photograph says that his name is Arnold and that he is from the Fernwood Home for Orphans.
Tropes for the episode:
- Accident, Not Murder: While Arnold wasn't well treated by the experimental electroconvulsive therapy and irradiated food, nobody had any intention of killing him.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Arnold is shown to be hyperactive and difficult, but it’s unclear whether it was because of ADD, Aspergers, or if he was just acting his age.
- The Dead Guy Did It: Sister Grace, who has recently died of old age, had to give up her son Arnold. But because of his bad behavior (which may be ADD, Aspergers, or just kid stuff) such as his extreme hyperactivity, he wasn't getting adopted. Out of desperation, Grace tried to seek behavioural therapy for Arnold, which resulted in his accidental death, and she covered it up. They end up Together in Death.
- Death of a Child: The news that Arnold died long ago is greeted by the now grown-up orphans with disbelief, as they really thought he was going to live a long life.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Radiation experimentation on children was both considered necessary and patriotic in the 1950s.
- Electroconvulsive Therapy Is Torture: Some electroshock therapy experiments Arnold went through to treat his “naughtiness and wildness”, plus some side effects from irradiated food, ultimately killed him.
- Family Relationship Switcheroo: Arnold had no idea that Sister Grace, one of the nuns, was his biological mother (though he did seem particularly attached to her). Likewise, Clayton had no idea that Arnold was his and Grace’s son.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Grace was blonde and one of the nicer nuns.
- Hanlon's Razor: Sister Grace knew literally nothing about what the “behavioral treatment” Doctor Clayton performed on patients entailed. Between her feelings for the doctor and the culture of the ‘50s, she believed that it was a miraculous new treatment that couldn’t possibly hurt anyone. Thus, Grace actually thought that you could give a six-year-old boy electroshock treatment on the evening of April 4th and have him ready for an adoption party on the 5th - she even lamented that they needed to cut off Arnold’s curls in the process. Just as the trope states, Grace’s well-intentioned ignorance ended up causing just as much damage as well-informed cruelty would have.
- Hereditary Hairstyle: The biggest clue that Sister Grace was Arnold's mother is their shared blonde hair.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: It's never said out loud but it's obvious that it was Sister Grace who sent Arnold's possessions to the police.
- Joggers Find Death: Walter was chasing a rabbit in the woods when he found Arnold.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: The radiation experiments the boys in the “science club” went through rendered them sterile.
- Like Brother and Sister: Present day Gretchen remembers Arnold as her brother when in actuality, they were just close friends.
- My Secret Pregnancy: Grace, being a nun, had to keep her pregnancy under wraps, with Vivian’s help.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Walter's life has never been the same since discovering Arnold's body. He says that the incident derailed him.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Grace outlives her only child, Arnold.
- Secret-Keeper: Sister Vivian kept the secret about Arnold’s parentage and his cause of death for decades.
- Single-Target Sexuality: According to Sister Vivian, Grace was in love with Clayton Waters until the day she died.
- Speak Ill of the Dead: It does not take long until Sister Vivian tells the police what a screw-up Sister Grace was. Though she emphasizes in the end that Grace loved Arnold, and everything she did was for his sake.
- Stern Nun: Sister Vivian is one of the sterner nuns at the children’s home.
- Teen Pregnancy: Grace gave birth to Arnold when she was eighteen.
- Together in Death: Arnold and his birth mother Grace are seen together in the Ghost Reunion Ending, her cheering him on as he rides a horse.
- Traumatic Haircut: Arnold's blonde locks were shaved as part of the electroshock therapy. The former orphans kept refusing to believe that he was dead because the picture of his body shows that he has no hair.
