The death of starlet Roberta Rhodes opens a very personal case for Quincy when his friend, Congressman and prospective Senator Charles Sinclair, becomes the primary suspect in the investigation.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Always Murder: Subverted. Quincy originally insists the investigation is moving too fast when the others want to put down Roberta's death as suicide by barbiturate overdose. He ultimately ends up agreeing with them that she took the lethal overdose herself, even though he implies it should be considered murder.
- Conflicting Loyalty: Quincy spends much of the episode conflicted because he knows the murder suspect personally and can't believe he actually killed the victim. He investigates, but he has a strong interest in giving the congressman every possible bit of information to prove his innocence.
- Immoral Journalist: When Reardon arrives, Quincy makes it clear he dislikes him even more than most nosy reporters, claiming that he publishes stories other papers have too much honesty to print. Ultimately, it comes to light that he drove Roberta to kill herself, painting her in the most negative light possible to pressure her into giving him the dirt on her and Congressman Sinclair's relationship.
- Never Say That Again: A rare serious example; as Quincy is getting on an elevator, one of the reporters asks him how it feels to autopsy one of the world's most beautiful women. Quincy sticks his arm in the door to hold the elevator there and tells him in Tranquil Fury never to say that to him again.
- Sadistic Choice: Reardon often stick people with the choice between giving him what he wants or tolerating someone else being a casualty of his getting his target. He convinces Freddy to keep him updated on the case by offering not to mention Quincy not immediately reporting a tip. Once Quincy tracks down all the evidence, it turns out he drove Roberta to suicide by harassing her constantly to convince her to inform on her lover.
- Smoking Gun: At the climax of the trial, the intern Freddy Voss confesses that he leaked information to Reardon to help protect Quincy. However, he mentions the tape Reardon showed him of Roberta saying the congressman had threatened her. Quincy realizes the tape must be doctored, because Reardon would gladly have brought it forward if it were real. He gets a search warrant and brings the real recording just in time to save Sinclair.
- There Ought To Be A Law: Implied by Quincy's insistence on not simply agreeing when Monahan changes the police's verdict to suicide. He instead launches into a tirade about the vicious treatment Reardon inflicted on Ms. Rhodes, calling it prolonged premeditated murder rather than harassment.
