Written & Directed by: David Moessinger
Jessica takes a teaching position in New York, gets an apartment and finds its previous tenant has been murdered.
This episode contains examples of:
- Acrofatic: When Lt. Jack Boyle murdered Harry Freelander, he makes a mad dash out of the scene, running Jessica down in the process of getting away.
- Chekhov's Gun: When Seth pays Jessica a visit, he notes that the apartment needs a few things in it to be fixed, including the clogged kitchen sink. Turns out, there's a huge diamond in the pipes.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Mike Freelander's wife, Estelle, is this, creeping Jessica out somewhat.
- Curtain Camouflage: Not the actual curtain, but the shower curtain rod contained a set of invoices that give a clue to what the murder is about.
- Dawn of an Era: Season 8 begins with Jessica making the monumental move from Cabot Cove to New York to teach criminology at a school. Cabot Cove and its residents will pop in from time to time.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Jessica has made it clear to the NYPD that she will not interfere in their investigation. But when circumstances keep reeling her back in, she had no choice but to really get involved.
- End of an Era: The white border/vignette that frames the images of Jessica and giving them a dream-like feel in the opening theme that appeared in all prior seasons is now gone.
- Nosy Neighbor: Rose Tessler keeps an eye on Jessica's apartment and knows stuff happening there. This proves helpful in Jessica's investigation of the murder(s) and vandalism of her apartment.
- Ransacked Room: When Jessica returns to her new apartment, she finds that it has been thoroughly ransacked.
- Red Herring: The audience is given visual cues that Sgt Nick Acosta may be up to no good. Turns out, someone else is the perp.
- I Warned You: Before heading to New York, Seth Hazlitt warns Jessica that New York is a dangerous place. When he eventually visits Jessica in New York and finds her apartment trashed, he predictably gloats about being right.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sgt. Nick Acosta has this towards his partner, Lt. Jack Boyle, who turns out to be the perpetrator of both murders and the vandalism of Jessica's place. He tells him how his turning dirty broke his heart as he had looked up to him before.
