The Past
Ned, lonely at Boarding School, falls in with a group of similarly lonely boys who gamble to pass the weekends when the other boys are home with their families. All that Ned has to wager is a box of chocolates he pocketed just before his father took him to school—but he discovers, after he has already wagered it, that the box had been intended as a gift to him from his late mother. He loses it, and learns that gambling always includes at least one unforeseen outcome.The Present
Emerson receives a plea for help in the fortune cookie he received with his take-out from the dim sum restaurant below his office. There he finds Lai Di, the newly-bereaved widow of the restaurant's chef, Bao Ting. Lai Di asks Emerson to solve Bao's death.Bao is panicky when revived, and can only say that he was afraid for his life after losing a bet. The nature of the bet seems clear after Bao's best friend comes to the Pie Hole and explains that the dim sum restaurant has been running an illegal gambling operation—but a search of the restaurant turns up no sign of one.
Tropes
- Arranged Marriage: Mei was promised to Rubbie Wu to pay off her father's gambling debts. Once he's exposed as a cheater Shrimp Boy calls off the wedding.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Simone lists off her dimsum poker opponents—four dangerous men with underworld connections and a plumber.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Chuck and Olive are delighted to note that Maurice and Ralston have these, just like their older half-brother Ned.
- Bullet Time: The steam pipe flying throught the kitchen to hit the insurance agent posing as a waiter.
- The Bus Came Back: Simone returns having last been seen in "Bitches".
- Even Evil Has Standards: Illegal gambling? Sure. Betting on the outcome of innocent lives? Why not? But Shrimp Boy will not abide cheating.
- Funny Background Event: Near the end of the episode, Ned, after being tied up by the bad guys, has an epiphany about his family. Meanwhile, Emerson is right behind him, also tied up, and desperately trying to get the end of the rope into his mouth so he can untie himself.
- Ironic Nickname: Shrimp Boy, the muscular head of a gambling ring.
- Lost Her In A Card Game: Bao bet his daughter's hand in marriage and lost to Rubbie Wu.
- Meaningful Name: Chef Bao Ting; bao is Cantonese for bun.
- Plank Gag: Bao Ting nearly clocks the investigators several times with the steam pipe embedded in his head. He then knocks himself out when trying to flee through a narrow doorway.
- Pun-Based Title: On "Win some, lose some".
- Retraux Flashback: To the gambling during Prohibition.
- Scooby Stack: Ned, Emerson and Chuck through a curtain while watching the Dim Sum Poker game.
