Yet another murder dashes Jessica's hopes for a restful break after a busy writing conference. The victim, Ed Bonner, had publicly humiliated another local boy, Matt Burns, and most of the townsfolk have already decided Matt murdered him, making tempers rise when the sheriff doesn't immediately file charges. Believing he's innocent, Jessica uses her skills to search out the real killer, in the hope of preventing the volatile situation from exploding into tragedy.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- An Aesop: Violence isn't the answer, don't jump to conclusions, etc.
- Blackmail Backfire: Ed Bonner witnessed Mr. Kelso kill his wife in a fit of rage. He suggested they bury her and claim she had left town. Then he began blackmailing him over it. After a while, it was too much and Mr. Kelso shot him.
- Chekhov's Gun: No, just the bullet. We see a man describing an extremely distinct bullet early on in the episode.
- Deep South: This episode takes place in Hooksville, Alabama and has aspects of both this and Sweet Home Alabama.
- Did Not Die That Way: Ed appears to have been stabbed to death. Actually, he died from a gunshot wound, and the stab wounds were the result of the killer removing the very distinctive bullet and then stabbing him more to cover it up.
- Distressed Woodchopping: When Linda brings Jessica to the farm, they find her and Ed's father working out his frustrations about his wayward son's murder by chopping firewood.
- Everyone Has Standards: Mr. Bonner wasn't exactly thrilled about having a black sheriff, and he's conflicted about defending Matt (who he thinks may have killed his son), but when the mob comes for Matt he pulls a Big Damn Heroes with his shotgun and convinces the mob to take a hike.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Ed Bonner's quite the piece of work, but he does seem to care about his sister, who reciprocates and would like him to reconcile with their father.
- False Widow: Cassie Burns claims that her husband and Matt's father died in combat. Actually she never had a husband; Matt was born from a relationship she had with Professor Ames.
- Get Out!: Linda screams at her brother to leave the bar after he beats up and humiliates Matt.
- I'll Kill You!: After Ed beats up Matt during a performance and pours beer on him, Matt gets into his car crying out about how he'll kill Ed loud enough for half the bar to hear it and Ed ends up dead.
- I Own This Town: The Bonner dairy appears to be the main employer, and Mr. Bonner seems to hold enough influence to have kept his son and friends out of trouble.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: Ed tells Matt to stay away from his sister, saying she's a bit of a floozy but he's not good enough for her. Matt attacks him and winds up getting beaten up and showered with beer in front of the whole bar.
- Orgy of Evidence: Sheriff Cox thinks having a bloody set of gloves and a hunting knife turning up near the lake where Matt said he went to do some thinking is a little bit too easy, especially since there's not much blood in the area and Ed Bonner was apparently fricasseed.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While Sheriff Cox does get short with Jessica a few times, his impatience stems from trying to maintain the justice system under near-impossible conditions. He keeps Matthew locked up despite believing in his innocence to keep him safe from the townsfolk and listens to Jessica's theories.
- Tall Poppy Syndrome: One of the reasons the Torches and Pitchforks crowd (see below) has a problem with Sheriff Cox is because he's well-educated.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Cassie Burns and Professor Ames were in a relationship during her graduate career, resulting in her giving birth to Matt. She made up a story about a nonexistent husband to cover it up.
- Til Murder Do Us Part: Mr. Kelso confronted his wife about his belief she had been cheating. When she laughed, he lost his temper, grabbed a nearby brass bookend, and swung at her.
- Torches and Pitchforks: There's a group of around a dozen people who just seem to drink whisky all day and complain about the Sheriff, whether it's his skin color, his level of education, or his actions. They don't appear to have day jobs, unless they're being paid a stipend to be ready when Hooksville needs a lynch mob. The rest of the town also doesn't appear to share their opinions.
- Vigilante Execution: Much of the tension stems from the townspeople wanting to lynch Matt. At one point, they gather outside the jail and order Sheriff Cox to bring him out or they'll storm the place.
- We Do Not Know Each Other: A variant; Cassie and Professor Ames pretend they don't know one another in any way except for Cassie having been Ames' student years ago. It doesn't fool Jessica.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: Neither Hooksville nor Roper County actually exist.
