The detectives are called in when a woman named Carrie Gunderson is found dead in the home of famous Broadway composer John David Myers. Myers claims they met at a play the previous evening, but he passed out from drinking and doesn't know how Carrie died. An apparent break-in at the house turns out to have been staged by his assistant, so Myers is arrested. He is unstable and insists that his psychiatrist, Dr. Barrett, be present. When told that Barrett is not allowed in to see him, Myers confesses to the murder. His defence quickly gets this rendered inadmissible.
Under questioning, Barrett tells Southerlyn that Myers has had lifelong fantasies of killing a woman - caused by witnessing his mother kill his father when Myers was a child. Myers' lawyer, furious that the prosecutors spoke to Barrett, changes his plea to an Insanity Defence. Myers tells Skoda that Carrie reminded him of his mother, so he killed her. In court, the defence and Barrett argue Myers had developed schizophrenia. But Barrett's testimony leads the prosecutors to believe that he knew Carrie.
Southerlyn learns Barrett had a relationship with Carrie, who was then one of his patients; when they broke up, she threatened to sue him for malpractice. Subsequently Barrett gave Carrie's roommate a ticket for the play Myers was going to. McCoy confronts Myers, Barrett, and the defence with the knowledge that Barrett manipulated Myers into killing Carrie. But Barrett's influence over Myers is so strong that Myers will not implicate him, and faces a possible life sentence.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Myers' mother seems to have been very abusive.
- The Bad Guys Win: Barrett gets away with everything. Downplayed however, as the final scene has McCoy pointing out that sooner or later Myers will realize that Barrett hung him out to dry, and when that happens the police and prosecutors will be more than willing to have him testify against Barrett. The episode ends with Barrett looking very worried as he realizes that McCoy might be right.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Averted. Carrie had been violent toward her ex-boyfriend, and a court took this completely seriously and ordered her to attend therapy.
- Freudian Excuse: Barrett claims that Myers is driven by the murder of his father as a child, although under the circumstances, it's unclear whether he is telling the truth.
- Insanity Defense: Myers ultimately uses the defense that as a result of Parental Abuse he was not in control of his actions.
- Insistent Terminology: Dalton is very clear that she is Myers' personal assistant, not maid or servant.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: Myers refuses to admit that Barrett made him commit the murder and is tricked by Barrett into rejecting a favourable plea agreement, getting him sent down for life; however, McCoy predicts that Myers, away from Barrett's manipulation, will eventually realize what really happened and rat Barrett out, potentially giving them another chance to bring him to justice.
- Starving Artist: Carrie Gunderson was an aspiring actress who'd been out of work for a long time.
