Several androids destroy themselves in bizarre incidents that cause Section 9 to investigate. The company Genesis Androids, made the line but it has long since been discontinued. Chief Aramaki questions the plant manager, Kusanagi and a Tachikoma covertly hack into the plant's database to investigate but find out the company has no idea why this is happening.
All of the androids were of the same model, GA07-JL androids, dubbed "Jeri" by their fanbase. The Genesis Jeri-model android was popular because of the ease with which an end-user could modify it to their own specifications. Motoko expresses disdain for the Sex Bot models while the men on the ground find it amusing.
While the plant manager suggests the Jeris have grown despondent because of their obsolete status, Kusanagi discovers that a virus has been inserted into the mainframe, probably by an end-user who had sent his Jeri back to Genesis for refurbishing, which infected other Jeris. This caused them to be Driven to Suicide. Section 9 eventually discover that the culprit is Marshall McLachlan, the son of the Canadian ambassador to Japan.
After the embassy revokes McLachlan's diplomatic immunity, the team confront and arrest him, and learn that he had fallen so much in love with his Jeri that he considered her an actual person and wanted to eliminate the other Jeris so that she would be unique. This, ironically, results in the company discontinuing support for the model. Her dialogue is also revealed to be reciting a movie except for her last words.
Tropes in this episode include:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Subverted in the Jeris were all programmed to destroy themselves.
- Ambiguous Situation: There's some suspicion the Jeris are somehow becoming sentient but it turns out they're just well-programmed. Except for that last bit.
- Cargo Ship: How everyone views Marshall's obsession with his Jeri.
- Diplomatic Impunity: Averted, as the episode shows realism regarding diplomatic immunity laws. Despite being the son of an ambassador, Marshall quickly gets his diplomatic immunity revoked due to having committed a crime on foreign soil.
- The Ending Changes Everything: Done twice, first when it's discovered the Jeri (who appears sentient and conversing with Marshall for much of the show) is just reciting the script from the French movie Breathless.
- The End... Or Is It?: The ending has the Jeri android go off script for a brief moment.
- Failed a Spot Check: Marshall spots construction on his GPS when he's fleeing from the authorities. But if he'd looked out his windows for more than just keeping his eyes on the road, he'd notice the construction didn't exist. His GPS was altered by Section 9 to lure him into a dead end in order to trap him.
- Homage: The episode is a loose adaptation of Ghost In the Shell: Innocence which is a loose adaptation of a story in the original manga. They just removed the most depressing elements involving sex-trafficking and make it more about a lonely Otaku.
- Red Herring: Discussed and played straight. The incident is noted to be similar to a political case prior to the episode involving an android infected with a virus. Batou and Togusa note that the two incidents are not likely to be related, but Section 9 has to investigate anyway on the off-chance they're wrong. As it turns out, they are right and the suicidal androids have nothing to do with the prior incident.
- Robosexual: Marshall is a serious case, to the point he's programmed his Jeri to act out a movie script to make it seem mutual. There's also a pair of short bits in what appears to be android brothels.
- Self-Referential Humor: A news reporter says there are rumors that the suiciding Jeri's are starting to gain Ghosts "like in a certain sci-fi manga comic."
- Shout-Out: The episode includes an extended homage to the French New Wave film Breathless.
