Jesse has been selected to run the Benefactor's Ball for Community General. Seeing it as his chance of making a good impression on the hospital, Jesse leaps at the chance. Of course, things are not as simple as he hoped. See, the ball usually ran itself due to the talents of caterer Martin Gaylord, but as he is retiring this year, Jesse is stuck trying to find the best caterer he can in hopes of success.
However, some of the top caterers in Los Angeles are having disastrous luck lately. The kind that points more to sabotage than Lady Luck deciding to kick them in the rear. When things turn even lethal in the process, Mark decides he needs to investigate.
"Food Fight" displays symptoms of the following tropes:
- Accidental Murder: One guest at Cynthia's sabotaged event, Cliff Furlong, falls over dead as a result of the salmonella messing with the potassium levels in his body. Steve rules out someone giving salmonella to the food just to get to him because Cliff wasn't even supposed to be at the party, as he was a last-minute replacement date for someone else.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Martin shows Jesse a fancy medical alert bracelet he wears in order to make sure people know he has a peanut allergy. That allergy is just what Emerson tries to kill Martin with.
- Emerson lays into a waitress at Cynthia's event on how to properly fold the napkins. Mark realizes that Martin's napkin is the only one folded like that, and is trying to be used to kill him.
- Emerson also gets on Amanda for having an hors d'oeuvres while the party is still going, as a waiter never eats until all the guests have left. He breaks that rule by eating the salmonella laced food to throw suspicion off himself.
- Running Gag: Jesse considering catering the event with fast food chain Captain Cluck.
- Shout-Out: The caterers all get some in with their disguises at the Benefactor's Ball, which is themed as Classic Hollywood.
- Willie has on a generic private eye costume, but as Steve confronts him over placing a rat in a centerpiece, he says "Here's looking at you, kid."
- Cynthia is disguised as Marilyn Monroe.
- Fred and Helen take on the role of Laurel and Hardy, with Fred even saying the "Another fine mess" line as they get led away.
- Tampering with Food and Drink:
- The saboteur laces the food at Cynthia Bennet's party with salmonella.
- Later at the benefactor's ball, Cynthia herself pours ipecac
into the punch.
- Weaponized Allergy: An attempt to murder Martin Gaylord by putting some peanut oil on a napkin, since he is allergic to peanuts.
