**SPOILERS** ALL the animals are either cute or harmless. The only one that is scary is a dead Cougar pelt?! It's always nice to see a dead guy who is a creep. The Red Herring is a Lion that is supposedly harmless. Really? Anyone dumb enough to believe that is just too ...oh, well. Wild animals are never harmless. And, a red herring? We'll see.
Perry's client is first seen driving up in a sweet 1956 Chevy Nomad. It actually belongs to the San Diego Zoo, and I think most of the outdoor shots are taken there; very nice. As usual, one important person hasn't revealed a seriously important fact to someone who should have been told much earlier; then, of course, right when she's about to come clean a couple of interruptions make that impossible. Until later, certainly.
Creep dead guy has a nasty sexetary who's squeezing him in blackmail, a wife squeezing him for support, details, details.... Sexytary is also involving and manipulating the Big Cat Caretaker, and involving him in the situation. Which is: she re-arranged the murder scene, created false evidence, obstructed justice, perjured herself, lied to police (official investigation); makes you wonder if cops can tell when they're being lied to. The D.A. is aggressive, loud, belligerent, snotty, rude, in short; all the things that make it a pleasure to watch Perry knock him off his pompous perch when he reveals the real motive and uncovers the real killer. A little role reversal, here. A lion that is too cowardly to kill, and a coward who does kill. Cowards always kill for cowardly reasons.
The actresses are very pretty, less Della, who is, of course, beautiful. Paul is driving a Lincoln (I think Perry drives it in other episodes) instead of his usual T-bird, in the Ford era. This car is a tank, squared off function and zero beauty; whoever procures these vehicles MUST be getting a kickback, or they have no sense of design.
The dirty secretary who evilly framed Perry's client is guilty of enough stuff to put her behind bars for quite a while, and make her life a wreck for even longer. Boris, the lion keeper, is probably guilty of conspiracy, and foolishness, but someone will talk him into turning on Frieda (sexy), and he'll wash his hands of her. He'll lose his job, of course; hope he's got another trade. In fact he almost HAD to help her, but she admitted it on the stand.
The lion that was supposed to be put down? If weren't for the fact that Perry questioned the evidence against him, the rest of the case would not have been brought forth. Perry had to show that without the lion, somebody else had to move the body. He'd cast serious doubt on the prosecution's case. One thing; HOW did Frieda get her hands on the cougar pelt, and then return it? That's a lot for anyone to make happen unprepared, as it was. Still, I don't like her, so...
What about little miss "I should have told you before"? Hlide? Tony Osgood's girlfriend? Yeah, her. Well, like Perry said: the only way she could be deported is if she'd committed a crime. Unfortunately, participation in bigamy is a crime, as is misrepresenting one's true identity to the state department. When she was being threatened, THAT was the time to get a lawyer. She's supposed to be smart, after all. I wonder if Tony will see her as an asset or a liability?
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