But, more importantly, it's time to find out who killed Tim Kono.
Jane Lynch's appearance is hilarious because no one would have guessed she could be a dead ringer for Steve Martin. It's funny, but unfortunately it continues a tiring theme of the guest star moving the case along further than our main characters. I have a hard time rooting for them when they don't accomplish anything.
They also returned to the theme of someone totally quitting the investigation. This time Charles is so seriously off the case and quitting for real. But he comes back. Surprise, surprise.
Early in the season, Oliver said you have to get up whenever you fall down. At the time, we didn't know he would be evicted and have his neighbors turn on him. He's resilient, and that resilience is how they're going to catch a killer. Sometimes you have to be smarter than someone else, and sometimes you have to be stronger. But other times, you just have to keep trying.
When they decide to interview the next-door neighbor, Ndidi, I rolled my eyes like a teenager. I know these aren't trained investigators, but it's not clear if our heroes did any sleuthing. They've never interviewed the suspects or the people who knew Tim. I'm not sure how they think crimes get solved. Maybe I'm being too hard on the show, and it is their first case, but I feel bereft of the crime-solving element we find in other detective stories.
Despite my criticism, I was on the edge of my seat when they brought out the sex toys. (Which is not an unusual response to a box of naughty things.) This brings us to...
DUN-DUN-DUNNN!!!! (The Spoiler Section)
I knew there was a clue in the sex toys. The show made that very clear. And some part of my brain was registering how familiar that thing was. I was in band, after all, for seven years. I've seen a bassoon cleaner before. They did a masterful job obscuring that clue while waving it in our faces. I love it when a show lets the audience play along.
But I think the writers obscured too much with Jan's stabbing. I knew immediately she had stabbed herself as a way to throw off the investigation. The problem is that it's weird for the show to avoid giving us details about the stabbing. It's almost like being told the story from an unreliable narrator. If Jan wasn't already on your radar, this should have been a clue that the show was hiding something.
Under the Microscope
-The stunt double points out that this was a crime of passion. This makes sense since we know now it had nothing to do with Zoe's murder.
-Mabel reminds us she was wearing an awesome yellow coat and they talk about her Beats (headphones). Product placement so nice they had to name it twice.
-Mind you, we still don't exactly know how a bassoon cleaner got into the sex toy box.
Final Analysis: The investigation takes a big stride toward an exciting end. Four out of five cat legs.
Adam D. Jones is a historian, writer, and cat wrestler. He's also something of a detective himself, having recently discovered which of his cats attacked his foot in the middle of the night. (They took turns.)
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