Roger has just been promoted to management, and his co-workers hold a karaoke party to celebrate. Greg, who is first to arrive, plays The Human League's "Don't You Want Me?" to test the sound system. Connie enters and she and Greg make out; but are interrupted as Greg's girlfriend Fran arrives. Fran is apparently unaware that they are having an affair, and they continue to flirt whilst Fran struggles to put up a party banner. Roger and Janet arrive, and Roger drops an envelope that has the names of everyone at the party written on it. He snatches it back from Greg, who is obviously worried. Greg asks if the company is planning redundancies, but Roger says he's not allowed to answer. Greg opens the karaoke with "Saturday Night" by Whigfield.
Duane, on whom Janet has a crush, arrives. Connie insults her and says that Janet was unfairly hired because she is deaf. Greg is paranoid about redundancies and tries to ask Janet (who is Roger's assistant) about it, but she doesn't know anything. Whilst Duane performs "Wham Rap", Connie steals his phone and sends Janet a text as "Duane", telling her to sing for him if she really likes him. Greg tries to steal the envelope from Roger's jacket, which is hanging up behind the door; but at that moment Roger enters with drinks. Connie asks Greg if he has chosen between her and Fran, but he avoids the subject. When Roger gets up to sing "Since You've Been Gone", Greg warns Connie and Fran that Roger is planning to fire someone. Greg and Connie distract Roger so that Fran can steal the envelope, but Duane comes in and hits Fran with the door, injuring her. Connie slow-dances with him in order to upset Janet.
Greg takes the envelope and sees that Fran's name is circled, while everyone else's is crossed off. Roger catches Greg with the envelope, and announces his divorce papers are inside; his wife has decided to file for divorce. Duane consoles him whilst Connie and Fran sing "I Know Him So Well." During the song, both women appeal to Greg, and Greg holds Fran. Behind her back, he mouths to Connie that Fran is about to be fired. When the song finishes, Roger asks to speak to Fran privately, and Connie encourages Greg to dump her so Fran can "have a fresh start." Janet announces she wants to sing for someone special; and begins singing "Only You" by Yazoo. Connie viciously makes fun of Janet's deafness. When Fran returns, she is upset at seeing Janet humiliated, and tells Duane about the text. He yells at Connie and tries to gently tell Janet that he doesn't like her romantically.
Roger announces it's true that he was asked to dismiss someone from the team. However, now that he's getting divorced, he himself has decided to leave the company and move abroad; he is promoting Fran as his replacement. Greg placates Connie and tells her he'll break up with Fran tomorrow. A group of women having a bachelorette party arrive, and refuse to leave when it turns out the room is double booked. Connie taunts Janet that Fran will fire her and get an assistant who can hear. Janet says that she is very good at lip reading; and goes to speak to Fran, apparently telling her everything that Greg and Connie have been saying throughout the evening. The lights go off and everyone sees that Greg is covered in Connie's glow in the dark lipstick. Fran fires them both, while Duane kisses Janet and Roger dances with one of the women from the bachelorette party. Everyone but Connie and Greg dances to "Titanium."
This episode contains examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: Connie.
- Betty and Veronica: Fran and Connie respectively.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Janet.
- Breather Episode: A comedy episode immediately after one of the darkest episodes of the series.
- Dance Party Ending
- Deaf Composer: Janet enjoys singing despite being deaf.
- The Dog Bites Back: Janet is fairly meek and might well have let Greg and Connie's affair go unreported if Connie hadn't spent the whole night pointlessly antagonising her.
- Dyeing for Your Art: Emily Howlett, who plays Janet, is profoundly deaf in real life and learned how to sing specifically for this role
. - Four More Measures: Janet falls foul of this, coming in far too early on "Only You" and remaining out of sync for the rest of the song. Could be considered a Genius Bonus as she comes in at what would be the correct point were she singing along to the original record, but the backing track she's actually singing to has an unusually long intro.
- Interchangeable Asian Cultures: Whilst everyone else has come in costume as pop stars, Greg is dressed as a sumo wrestler (Japanese) and says he was supposed to be PSY (who is Korean.)
- Hate Sink: Connie and Greg lack any redeeming characteristics. Which made their comeuppance at the end completely satisfying.
- Karaoke Box: Where the episode takes place.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Greg and Connie end up fired and having their affair exposed.
- Laxative Prank: Subverted - Duane claims he put a laxative in the bag of pills, but later admits they were all Tic Tacs.
- Lighter and Softer: The episode is a fairly straightforward musical / romantic comedy, lacking any of the usual macabre or unsettling traits common to the series.
- Love Triangle: Connie, Greg and Fran.
- Musical Episode: Everybody gets to do a song.
- Necktie Headband: Roger.
- Office Romance: Greg and Fran (and, unknown to her, Greg and Connie.)
- Passed-Over Promotion: What Connie claims happened when she applied for the PA position that ultimately went to Janet.
- Pet the Dog: Greg is a cheating jerk, but he's the only one who communicates in sign language with Janet to help her understand the conversation.
- Piss-Take Rap: Duane claims that any rap performed by white people is this, and "proves" it by doing Wham Rap.
- Reading Lips: Greg and Connie have silent conversations in this style, forgetting that Janet can read lips too.
- Show, Don't Tell: Janet's deafness is established when she has to adjust her hearing aid due to feedback when she enters the box.
- Signs of Disrepair: Fran's "Congratulations" bunting portrays a rather rude message due to her putting the letters up in the wrong order.
- Surprisingly Happy Ending: Connie and Greg get their comeuppance, Fran gets her promotion, Duane and Janet end up together, and even Roger may yet get his happy ending. All in all, probably the first episode of Inside No.9 to have an upbeat ending.
- Token Good Teammate: Janet.
