While in New York on business, Jessica runs into an old student, Elizabeth Gordon, who has become the fiancée of Lila Lee cosmetics tycoon Norman Amberson. Strangely, Elizabeth seems distracted and unwilling to discuss her life. When she turns up dead in her room, the apparent victim of a robbery, Jessica resolves to bring her student's killer to justice.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Alliterative Name: The face of the company is called Lila Lee.
- Bavarian Fire Drill: When she's had her "Eureka!" Moment but needs more evidence, Jessica sneaks into the Lila Lee makeup labs disguised as a sales lady (wearing an authentic Lila Lee saleswoman outfit provided by the woman herself when she tries to hire Jessica). She spins a yarn about looking for a specific color (the one smeared on Liz's portrait) and how she's so desperate to find it that she needs to come to the labs. The chemist she talks to completely buys it, and helpfully tells her all about the lipstick (and how it ended up at the photoshoot).
- The Bride with a Past: Elizabeth used to be a prostitute before meeting Norman. He knows about her past, and, while it bothered him, he only killed her after finding evidence that she had seen (in some way) a former client again.
- Chekhov's Gun: The lipstick Lila Lee made a fuss about during the opening photo shoot and handed to her brother turns out to be the shade that was used to vandalize Elizabeth's painting.
- Expy: Lila Lee and her company are stand-ins for Mary Kay.
- Faking and Entering: Norman let himself into Elizabeth's apartment to look for evidence that she had seen a former lover. When she came in, he killed her in a rage and messed up the apartment to make it look like the tragic result of a robbery.
- Gold Digger: Lila Lee accuses Elizabeth of wanting to marry her brother for his money.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Lila Lee, a fashion spokeswoman, favors lavender.
- High-Class Call Girl: Jessica finds out after visiting Elizabeth's old employment center that her former student was a prostitute. Her madam, Ms. Keeler, tells Jessica that none of her girls came from the streets.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Many characters describe Liz this way. Despite working as a prostitute, she was always helping with charities when she could and was willing to help out people in need. According to Ms. Keeler, Liz and Norman met when she was selling balloons at a children's charity event in the park.
- Ignored Enamored Underling: Lila Lee seems to think Ms. Vandavere, her brother's secretary, is trying to win him over romantically, and she does remove her glasses and style her hair in a less businesslike way after Elizabeth's death. However, Mr. Amberson is still in a daze and doesn't seem to notice any potential flirtation. Lila does notice, however, and calls the secretary out for flirting with him so soon after losing his fiance (even if Lila didn't approve of their union).
- Milholland Relationship Moment: Played with; Norman knew about Elizabeth's past, and, while he was unhappy thinking about all the men she'd been with, he had made up his mind to make the relationship work because he loved her. Then he finds out that she saw one of her old clients, from whom she had promised to stay away, and he goes ballistic.
- Rage Breaking Point: Upon seeing a bill for an expensive gift from a menswear company and knowing Elizabeth hadn't bought it for him, Norman realized she was still seeing on old client/paramour. Though he covered it in public, he went into a rage when he went to Liz's room.
- Saying Too Much: Played for Laughs. To find out what exactly Liz's gift was, and who it was for, Grady goes into the men's warehouse store pretending to be an upset customer. It works until Grady says that he intended to wear the item (a tuxedo) to a breakfast meeting. The salesman, naturally, is confused why he'd wear a tuxedo (standard men's evening wear) to breakfast. Grady panics and says it's for a breakfast meeting for a society of head waiters. He then promptly leaves while the salesman gives him a strange look.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: If Norman hadn't been so angry, Liz might have had the time to tell him the gift she had given her ex was a goodbye gift.
- Smash the Symbol: When he finds out Elizabeth saw (in some capacity) an old client who she had promised not to see, Mr. Amberson intends to slash up her portrait with his pocket knife. He can't find it, so he uses the lipstick in his pocket.
