Jessica travels to San Francisco for the wedding of her niece, only to find the bridegroom facing charges for the murder of his employer, a sleazy club owner.
Tropes:
- Better Manhandle the Murder Weapon: Howard went to confront Drake about quitting and getting the money he was owed, but Drake was in a chair facing away from him and seemed to be ignoring him. Howard's foot hit a gun on the floor, which he picked up out of curiosity. Confused, he turned the chair around while yelling at Drake...which is exactly when Drake's girlfriend walked into the office.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Howard wanted to tell Victoria that he had been performing at Al's club, but his act was a little hard to explain to his fiancée.
- Dragged into Drag:
- Al gave aspiring actor Howard a two-week gig at his club, but as a drag act. Howard reluctantly took the gig, but when he proved to be a hit with the audience, Al kept him performing against his will by withholding his wages and telling him he wouldn't get the money at all if he quit.
- It's unclear whether Mike Dupont is in a similar situation. That is, he's still not getting paid properly, but from what little we see he seems to be putting effort into his act, doesn't react when referred to as Michelle, and has continued to willingly work at the club although it's not clear if he continues to perform in drag.
- Easily Forgiven: Victoria forgives Howard for lying about giving up his steady job for acting gigs pretty quickly.
- Evil Debt Collector: Subverted. Al Drake kept dodging his debts and forcing at least two people to stay contracted to his club without paying them properly, and it turns out the people we see directly confronting him about owing them money didn't kill him.
- Fake a Fight: Mike and Al's wife Candice (who are having an affair) pretend to bicker in public.
- Foreshadowing:
- In the opening when Al asks Mike where he plans to get the money to buy Al's club anyway, Mike falters for a moment before saying that's his problem. Later we learn that Mike has hooked up with Al's wife, Candice who (as shown by her later actions) also wants Al's club. Presumably they would've pooled their finances behind Al's back or something.
- When Victoria is trying to get into the club to see what Howard's up to, we get glimpses of a clumsy drag performer on stage in the background messing up their song. That's Howard.
- Hates Being Touched: In the opening, Howard lightly shoves Al Drake to stop him from jogging so he can demand his money. Al lets it pass, but warns him not to touch him like that again.
- I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: After Al's mistress Barbara gets fired by Al's widowed wife, Jessica gives her a ride in her taxi. Though Barbara claims she never talks about company business, after Jessica gives her a juicy bit of gossip to prime the pump (that Mr. Drake was already dead when Howard came in), she starts leaking like a sieve.
- Incredibly Conspicuous Drag: Howard notes that he was a terrible female impersonator,
but audiences thought watching him stumble around on heels while trying to sing was hilarious, so what was supposed to be a two-week gig got extended by Drake—to Howard's dismay. - Informed Attribute: Freddy York's supposed to be absolutely hilarious, with only Al Drake's contract holding him back from true comedy stardom. The jokes we actually see him telling don't quite fit the bill.
- Love Martyr: Downplayed. Howard ruefully notes that Victoria would want to be with him no matter how awful the circumstances are. Later, she says she wants to marry him no matter what, even after he points out he doesn't have a job. For his part, while he loves her dearly, Howard thinks she's crazy to stay with him.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Howard has been "out working" five straight nights since Victoria came into town, claiming that he's been having dinner with insurance clients. But Victoria checked with his office, and he hasn't worked there in a month, and he keeps coming back to his apartment smelling like perfume, and the handkerchief he lent Victoria has lipstick that isn't her shade, and he's got matchbooks for some nightclub all over his apartment...well, naturally she was concerned. In truth, he had lied to Victoria about quitting acting and is now enmeshed in a contract that forces him to dress in drag and perform every night.
- Mistaken for Murderer:
- Howard was holding the gun in front of Al's dead body, and his fingerprints are the only ones on the gun. But tests reveal no gunpowder on his hands.
- Both Al's wife Candice and Mike Dupont suspect the other of having killed Al, and are at least superficially relieved to learn that their paramour isn't a killer, though each gives the camera a Traitor Shot when they hug which shows their suspicions are hardly allayed.
- Nephewism: Frank Fletcher's niece is getting married and she's invited her Aunt Jessica and says a few of Howard's friends will attend. Parents? Nope.
- Only in It for the Money: Howard doesn't want to go on doing a drag comedy act, but Al won't pay him the money he earned even though he's satisfied the terms of their contract and says he won't pay him at all if he doesn't keep working for him. It's why Howard's a suspect in his murder.
- Pillow Silencer: Freddy used one to muffle the gunshots when he killed Al. However, a feather from the pillow is discovered at the scene by Jessica and used to incriminate him. See, he got rid of the pillow in Al's room which muffled the shot, but realized belatedly that people would see the missing pillow and realize what he'd done. So he took the pillow from his dressing room couch (all the furniture was the same—a bulk purchase) and put it on Al's couch. What he didn't know was that crime scene photos had already been taken with the pillow-less couch in the background. It could've been anyone's pillow? Freddy's pillow was the only one in front of a window, and it had faded from the sun.
- Recognition Failure: Victoria tries to get into the Al's club without a reservation, but when she tries to impress Al by showing him that her aunt is the famous author J.B. Fletcher, he doesn't recognize her. It's when she talks about all the news shows and other important people Jessica's in contact with that he invites them to the club.
- Red Herring:
- Mike Dupont is shown to have a temper and be frightening to Al, whom he angrily pokes and threatens without Al giving him a warning in return, and it turns out he's got a reason to be angry, as Al not only owes him money for his act, but has also been stringing him along in regards to selling the club to him. However, he's not the killer.
- Al's been cheating on his wife Candice, and with his death, she shown herself to be more than eager to take over the club and fire Al's girlfriend. She herself has been cheating on Al with Mike and with Al out of the way they can openly pursue their relationship. She's not the killer, either.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Freddy York is a genuinely talented comic in-universe, whose career was being stunted by the exclusivity contract he signed with Al, but calling himself the Edison of comedy because he was the first guy to do his own his own rimshots is a little much.
- 10-Minute Retirement: Howard decides to quit acting and go into real estate—until his agent tells him he's gotten him a soap opera gig. Victoria encourages him to take it, even though it means missing their Hawaii honeymoon, because it's his dream. Jessica says to go for it, too.
- Waiting for a Break: Howard's been taking any gig he can until he makes it big in show business. It's mentioned that he used to drive cabs.
- Wholesome Crossdresser:
- Howard's not the murderer, and his fiancée recognizes that he was only crossdressing for a gig and not any prurient interests.
- After some suspicion Mike/Michelle Dupont turns out to be a decent person after all and even compliments Howard on his talent.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: When it looks like Howard is going to be cleared of murder, Freddy sets up some stage lights to fall toward him, dramatically throwing himself off the stage to get away and ending up in the hospital, in an effort to deflect suspicion onto someone else.
