West discovers that several members of the Jupiter Corporation, an arms manufacturer that supplies the government, have recently died. All were involved in a scheme to dump stock, cause a panic, and make tons of money off of the cheap stock. West knows the board members are being murdered, but chairwoman Amelia Bronston (Jo Van Fleet) refuses to allow him to offer them his official protection. She eventually changes her mind—but only if West is appointed acting chairman until he finds the killer.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Animal Assassin: Two bomb-throwing animals—an Organ Grinder's monkey in the Cold Open, and a trained seal that attacks West at the circus.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: The organ grinder's monkey, wearing a chimp-sized Union army uniform without shoes, is a live-action example.
- Big Damn Heroes: West and Lionel arrive at the climactic board meeting just in time to save everyone from the machine gun that's been programmed to mow them down.
- Circus of Fear: It seems normal, but it's where Amanda gets her Psycho for Hire killers.
- Death Trap: West and Lionel are tied up with a giant crossbow pointing at them and a candle burning through the rope that will set it off.
- Disney Villain Death: Amelia meets her end by falling down an elevator shaft.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Lionel discovers the address of the person who's been buying Jupiter stock while he's kissing Kyra.
- I Have Your Wife: Amanda briefly uses Kyra as a Human Shield at the climax.
- Informed Ability: For all the boasting about his fighting skills, Lionel's only successful brawl is with his sparring partner. West easily outclasses him in their brief scrap and he's later incapacitated by three common goons and has to be rescued by Jim.
- Look Behind You: West uses this phrase to warn Amanda that she's about to step into an empty elevator shaft. She dismisses it as a trick. Cue Disney Villain Death.
- Malevolent Masked Men: The Mooks disguised as mannequins, as seen in the upper left hand corner of the image.
- Monster Clown: Kind of; at the circus, some Mooks attack West while still wearing their clown costumes.
- Motive Rant: Amanda admits that she came up with the dump stock scheme, and also killed Simon and the other board members when they refused to cooperate.
- Stay in the Kitchen:
- A literal example, as West sends Kyra (Lionel's fiancée) off to the train's kitchen and then tells Lionel "you've got to break these women in right"...
- Earlier, he tells Amanda that "women who are out to prove it's not a man's world" are threatened by him.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: A lot of it. Amanda, Lionel, Kyra, and the Jupiter board all dislike West, but they have to work with him to find the murderer. A Justified Trope with Amanda, since she is the murderer.
- Weighted Gloves: West accuses Lionel of using them after Lionel pummels some guy in boxing sparring. It sets their partnership off to a rocky start.
- You Killed My Father: A variation. Amelia's brother Simon founded Jupiter, and she blames the board members' constant dissension for stressing him into an early grave; this is why she won't let West help them. At least that's what she claims until her Motive Rant at the end where she confesses everything.
