Jessica's eccentric inventor friend Daniel is accused of murder when his remote-controlled car runs over a former business associate.
Tropes in this episode:
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Accidentally-Correct Writing: Daniel has a plan for car that drives itself and stops before hitting people. - Awful Truth: Jessica has to give a Founder's Day speech about the Founding Fathers of Cabot Cove. As she notes, it's going to be embarrassing to reveal truths about things like Joshua Wayne's piracy and former alliance with the British during the Revolutionary War. Fortunately the remote control car hears of her plight and rescues her.
- Belated Love Epiphany: With a gentle nudge from Jessica, Daniel realizes that Katie has always been providing him with support and companionship. Unfortunately, he's suspected for murder and in the clink when he realizes this.
- Blatant Lies: During the summation when Jessica catches Leslie manipulating the remote control in the van to stop the remote-enabled station wagon from running over Woodley, Leslie lamely makes an excuse about hoping she could drive the van onto the field to knock away the wagon.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: If Woodley just killed Daniel, the university would have inherited all of his designs and blueprints, per Daniel's will.
- Clumsy Copyright Censorship: Jessica passes by a book display in the grocery with all the novels turned upside-down.
- Does Not Drive: This is the first episode which references Jessica's never having gotten a drivers' license.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Ethan tells Jessica to ease off the speed in the arcade game she's playing, she realizes that when it first appeared the remote-controlled car was going just quickly enough to chase Woodley without actually running over him, which meant that someone working with him must have been controlling it.
- Flawed Prototype: Daniel's remote-controlled car is this to his plans for a proper self driving car—it requires a second driver in a van close by to control it.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Leslie and Tony have only been together for a month, but they're already making wedding plans. Just do a CTRL+F on "Leslie" on this page to see how that turns out.
- Frame-Up: Daniel's old business partner Woodley has Leslie (his underling) use an invention prototype Daniel came up with—a remote control station wagon—to run over Daniel's other former business partner. Woodley previously had Leslie put him in the hospital with the car so that he wouldn't be suspected. Daniel gets arrested for murder, though Jessica manages to clear him.
- Gadgeteer Genius: Daniel is constantly making inventions, and one of them—security screens—which he invented ten years ago suddenly garnered a great deal of government interest unbeknownst to him. His old partner Woodley found out, though, and this episode is about an attempt on his part to get Daniel's designs.
- Gold Digger: Leslie's marriage to Tony provides access to Daniel's money and designs for Woodley, who's paying her.
- Hint Dropping: Jessica has to talk Amos through the idea of interviewing Woodley, the electronics magnate, about the seemingly remote-controlled car terrorizing the town.
- Ignored Enamored Underling: Daniel's houseguest Katie Simmons worked with him at his old job and has been in love with him since, but Daniel's too busy inventing. Eventually he realizes the truth and invites her to make her stay permanent.
- Inheritance Murder:
- In an indirect way. If Daniel gets framed for murder and thrown in the looney bin, then Leslie (secretly Woodley's henchlady) would have access to Daniels estate (including his designs) through marrying Daniel's nephew Tony.
- With Merrill dead, Woodley has full control of their electronics company.
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Jessica and Ethan discreetly excuse themselves so Daniel and Katie can have some time alone.
- The Mole: Leslie is Woodley's plant, there to marry Tony so he can have access to Daniel via his nephew.
- Murder by Remote Control Vehicle: The murderer uses a remote controlled station wagon to run Merril over. While bicycling about a wooded area, Jessica discovers the murder weapon and decides to take a closer look at the station wagon's inner workings. Once inside, however, she becomes trapped when someone in a van operates the remote control device to lock her inside, activate the automobile's engine, and to steer her away at a dangerous speed, en route to an overhang above the rocky seacoast.
- Nice Guy: As Jessica notes, anyone who'd try to invent a device to scare aphids off roses without killing them is unlikely to be a murderer.
- Oblivious to Love: Daniel spent years regarding Katie Simmons as nothing more than a very, very good friend and colleague. He gets livious when he's at his lowest point sitting in prison and being reminded by Jessica of Katie's support and faith in him.
- Split Personality: With his remote-control car driving around menacing people, Daniel starts to wonder if he might not have some sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde personality that's performing crimes without his knowledge.
- Writing Around Trademarks: The newfangled arcade game in the grocery store is Spy Hunter (1983), but goes unnamed.
- Thinking Tic: Inverted? Sheriff Amos Tupper clears his throat when he's stumped by a situation.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Woodley sets up an attack upon him by the remote controlled car during the Founder's Day celebration to deflect any suspicion from himself.
