Do not confuse with the Season 21, episode 8 episode also titled "Severance"
Logan and Cerretta investigate the murder of two advertising executives and the disappearance of Janet Torrens, who was going to testify against defense contractor Charles Martine.
Tropes present:
- Amoral Attorney: Bribing a hitman to kill a witness who is set to testify against your client counts.
- Artistic License – Law: The police question Teasdale, who tells them to solely contact him through his lawyer. Later, the police record him giving a bribe to another woman, and they arrest him for bribery. However, the bribery confession is thrown out because Teasdale had said "only contact me through my lawyer". As demonstrated by the page, that line does not apply to police officers; a person may not invoke their right to counsel on any future questioning by the police. The police had every right to deceive the suspect without Mirandizing him, provided that they did not coerce the statements.
- Bothering by the Book: Robinette warns Stone that Arthur Gold, Martine's lawyer, will try to drown them in paperwork:Stone: Arthur Gold. He's all fizz and no gin.
Robinette: Sometimes, fizz works. - Idiot Ball: The detectives are told from the start about a woman who no one can find. It takes them 48 hours to think that maybe they should look into that.
- Leave No Witnesses: The reason the two advertising executives are murdered. The real target was Janet, but the two men were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Mutually Unequal Relation: Larry Teasdale tries to invoke a non-existent friendly relationship with Stone, who is not having it. Martine's lawyer tries to use that relationship later to have Stone removed from the case claiming a conflict:Larry Teasdale: Ben, I thought we were friends.
Stone: Once a year we co-chair a Bar Association committee. Friends, I don't think so. - Outliving One's Offspring: Logan and Cerretta talk to Janet's parents after her disappearance. As suspected, it later turns out she had been murdered.
