Directed by Jean De Segonzac
Written by Ed Zuckerman & David Slack
The detectives are investigating the murders of three young men who shared an apartment. After ruling out State Assemblyman Jim Gilles, a closeted gay man with whom one of the victims was having an affair, Lupo and Bernard turn their attentions to Victor Vargas. Another of the victims, Sean Witt, invested $5 million of his clients' money into Vargas' company; but then found out the funds were being used towards political donation fraud. Vargas may have killed Witt to keep him quiet, and his roommates when they walked in. Vargas is charged with all three murders.
Vargas is a disbarred former lawyer and insists on representing himself. The money Witt invested was donated to several politicians including Senator Melanie Carver, and Vargas tries to argue that any one of them could have killed Witt; they knew they wouldn't be elected if it became known that a convicted fraud was bankrolling them. Vargas argues there's no way Carver didn't know the money was fraudulent; and that McCoy, another of her donors, is protecting her over murder. McCoy lures Vargas into a meeting at the DA's office, where Carver confronts Vargas in the bathroom. He admits to lying about the murders and says he was "playing the game."
Unknown to him, Carver is wearing a wire and their recorded conversation is used in evidence at his trial. The jury convicts. Carver privately reveals to McCoy that the tape doesn't tell the whole story; she stopped the recording part of the way through in order to protect herself. She says she expects that he'll still vote for her at an important upcoming election.
This episode contains examples of:
- Armored Closet Gay: Homosexual Congressman Jim Gilles steadfastly denies that he's attracted to men until he's caught coming onto a man in a bathroom. He also recently voted against some gay rights legislation to maintain his cover.
- Camp Gay: Lupo and Bernard interview such a witness about Gilles' secret double life.
- Con Man: Victor Vargas
- Corrupt Politician: Melanie Carver and everyone else Vargas was funding.
- Driven to Suicide: Vargas attempts suicide before his trial but wasn't successful.
- Faux Yay: Lupo catches Gilles in a sting operation at a department store bathroom where Gilles regularly cruises for sex.
- Have I Mentioned I Am Sexually Active Today?: One of the victims' neighbors pulls this on the detectives when they question her about Witt.
- Hidden Wire: Carver is wearing a wire and Vargas admits to the murders. What else Vargas said that could be used against Carver, we don't learn.
- Leave No Witnesses: Witt's roommates were killed because they walked in on his murder.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Several characters in the episode are based on real life political figures, including Gilles (Larry Craig) and Carver (Hillary Clinton.) Josh Perlberg (David Patrick Kelly) might be based on Bob Dylan.
- Mirthless Laughter: Carver laughs rather oddly at the end of the episode.
- Mistaken for Gay: Due to the staged scene and Todd's sexuality, the detectives initially assume that the crime is a Murder-Suicide caused by a gay love triangle. They are quickly proven wrong when the two women across the hall reveal that they had a Friends with Benefits relationship with Sean. Dan's former girlfriend also turns up and reveals that Dan was only living with the others because she reluctantly kicked him out due to his Shell-Shocked Veteran instability.
- Playing Both Sides: Vargas is using his embezzled money to fund both candidates in a senate race and make as many important connections as possible.
- Refuge in Audacity: When challenged on his desire to represent himself, Vargas points out he used to be an attorney - even though he attended law school under a false name and was disbarred for fraud.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Inspired by the Larry Craig scandal, and conspiracy theories that Hillary Clinton ordered murders to cover up donor fraud.
- Villainous Breakdown: Vargas breaks down in tears when McCoy gets him to think that perhaps that the politicians he raised money for didn't really like him.
