Directed by: Constantine Markis
Written by: Michael S. Chernucin and Roz Weinman
Stockbroker Brad Osterhaus is found murdered in his home. His girlfriend Lindsey Tucker claims that at the time of the murder she was working on a photoshoot for Jackie Scott (Lucie Arnaz), the powerful owner of a cosmetics company. But a photo she took on the day proves that she wasn't really at Jackie's office. One of the victim's clients discloses that Jackie is Lindsey's mother, and was having an affair with Brad. Jackie admits to the affair. The detectives then work out that Jackie has not been truthful about her alibi either.
Lindsey suddenly claims that she killed Brad. Jackie tries to ask Branch, an old acquaintance, to drop the charges against Lindsey but he says he can't do that. Southerlyn discovers that Jackie has been "insider trading" with Brad's help. When she slipped up and made a mistake that would lead her to be caught by authorities, Brad refused to cover for her; so she killed him to keep him quiet. Lindsey took the fall to protect the family business empire, believing that Branch would make sure she wouldn't go to jail. Jackie is charged with murder.
Jackie's defence claims that she was severely affected by symptoms of the menopause whilst withdrawing from hormone therapy. Olivet and Skoda both testify that they don't find this plausible, and McCoy highlights obvious flaws in Jackie's account of the murder. But the jury is sympathetic to Jackie. McCoy and Southerlyn fear a hung jury so Branch personally offers Jackie a plea deal for manslaughter. She initially refuses, even when he threatens to indict Lindsey for conspiracy. So Branch says he will cross-examine Jackie himself and reveal every detail he knows about her personal life and shady financial transactions. She takes the deal.
Related Tropes:
- All for Nothing: McCoy points out that the fine Jackie would have paid for insider trading would have been a small fraction of her personal fortune.
- Ethnic Menial Labour: Lindsey has an Asian nanny who fits this trope.
- He Knows Too Much: Jackie's motive amounts to this.
- Greed: Jackie's main motivator other than social status.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Jackie mentions that her office is soundproofed. It was this small detail that helped to unravel her alibi.
- Hypocrite: Discussed by the D.A.'s office and the psychiatrists who interviewed Jackie: she tries to disregard her sex in gaining success and now that she's in a lot of legal trouble, tries to use female hormones as an excuse for murder.
- It's All About Me: Jackie cares only about herself, her money and her status.
- It's Personal: Dr. Olivet takes personal offense to Jackie trying to use her gender to diminish her many, serious crimes.
- Love Triangle: Between Jackie Scott, the cosmetics mogul, Brad Osterhaus, a successful and well-liked stockbroker and Lindsay Scott, Jackie's photographer daughter and her personal assistant.
- May–December Romance: Lindsey and Brad, who are at least 20 years apart in age, have a relationship that the former hoped would eventually turn to marriage.
- Nice Guy: Downplayed with Brad: he cheated on Lindsey who loved him and wanted to marry him with several woman including her own mother, but he was considered a great stockbroker who genuinely cared about his clients and had even introduced his one companion to her now-fiance.
- Parental Abandonment: Jackie to Lindsey throughout her life since she was married to her work.
- Really Gets Around: Brad Osterhaus has a collection of girlfriends and female companions in addition to the Scotts.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The episode is clearly based off of Martha Stewart and her insider trading scandal.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Jackie. She also tries to use her friendship with Arthur Branch to help make the case against Lindsey go away. He is naturally unamused.
- Self-Made Woman: Jackie. She made her empire all by herself without the help of a husband or a father who gave her money as an upstart.
- Staircase Tumble: This is what is initially believed to be Brad's cause of death until it was revealed that he also took a few good whacks to the head with a golf club.
- Undying Loyalty: Even after learing that her mother was sleeping with her boyfriend, killed him and allowed her to momentarily take the blame for the crime. Lindsey still loves and defends her mother, even refusing to testify against her.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: When Briscoe and Green confront Jackie about her affair, the former uses the term schtupping.
- You Bastard!: Jackie's reaction to learning about Branch's threat to return to the courtroom just in order to spill about her utmost damaging secrets.
