Actually Pretty Funny: Brackenreid brings a tomato to throw at Crabtree and Higgins' comedy act of acting like exaggerated versions of him and Murdoch. He does throw the tomato, but only because "I didn't want it to go to waste", and he concedes that the sketch was good.
Bile Fascination: Invoked after George and Henry's audition at the music hall goes badly. The assistant manager convinces his boss to hire them anyway, saying that even bad comedy duos attract people curious about how bad they are.
Blackmail Backfire: Invoked to trick the killer into murdering a supposed blackmailer. One of the victim's enemies (who knows that the killer committed a previous murder but has no intention of blackmailing him over it) tricks the killer into thinking that the victim knew about the previous murder and wanted to blackmail him. The panicked killer then kills his supposed blackmailer, just as the third person planned.
Not So Above It All: The straitlaced Murdoch has enough of a sense of humor to prank Julia with a whoopee cushion.
