Anatomy of a Murder

Carmen arrives at the café to dine with the girls while they're discussing who killed Louie and Blanca, believing themselves to be close to finding out the truth. Carmen wonders when they became maids who solve murders, wanting to talk about herself (for a change) and revealing the fact that she and Sebastien aren't only back together, but they're getting married. The other maids are shocked, not being particularly fond of Sebastien, and fake positive reactions. The Powells, meanwhile, are too eating lunch when Adrian, still on thin ice after losing Deion, reveals that a buyer for their house was finally found. Evelyn is thrilled, but the good feeling is soon ruined when her lawyer turns up and serves Adrian her petition for divorce. Taylor, meanwhile, goes to collect Katy from Michael, but he won't allow her to take her because he now believes she's dangerous, and Taylor is distraught that she's being kept from her daughter. The Powells' maid proceeds to visit Marisol and asks her to tell them that she's quitting her job, the reason being that Sebastien made a huge commission from selling their house and she doesn't need it anymore. Marisol tries warding her away from Sebastien, who she believes is a lying cheater, which leads to an argument between the two. Marisol has another argument with Taylor when she tries confronting her about who the killer is and ends up getting thrown out of her house. Sebastien tries getting Evelyn and Adrian to sign the papers which will make their house officially sold, but the latter refuses because he doesn't want his wife to be able to divide their assets in a divorce. Of course, this means that Sebastien won't get paid for all his hard work, but Adrian doesn't care.

Sebastien Dussault is the killer.

Carmen starts to believe that Marisol is right about Sebastien when his "yoga instructor" turns up, clearly a girl he's sleeping with, and she begins to snoop around his condo. This is at the same time that Marisol again visits Taylor - after getting kicked out she went to Michael, who was arrested after Taylor called the police and told them that he was the killer so as to get Katy back in her custody - and finally gets her to open up. She knows who the killer is; it's the man she was having an affair with, who Olivia paid to approach her in the park... Sebastien Dussault! Marisol is shocked, and so is Carmen when she discovers the dress that she gave to Blanca in the back of her fiancé's closet. She realizes that he is the killer, and he knows she knows. Marisol tries to get a hold of her endangered friend and so Sebastien texts her from Carmen's phone, saying to meet her at the Powell house. Marisol shows up while the Powells are in the midst of an argument regarding their divorce and Evelyn is attempting to banish Adrian and his S&M sex toys to the East Wing of the mansion. Marisol continually asks where Carmen is, at which Sebastien enters holding a gun to her head, saying that she's right there.

Genevieve has to make a horrible choice.

Zoila and Genevieve attend a couples therapy session, but its legitimacy is skewed when Genevieve flirts with the therapist so as to get him to take her side. Zoila berates her for this back at the mansion, accusing her boss of selfishness, and decides to return to therapy immediately when she learns that Genevieve has been meeting with Javier behind her back. Genevieve insists that she's been trying to get him to take Zoila back, but Zoila doesn't care; on their way up to the therapist's office, the elevator becomes stuck and, to make matters worse, Zoila's water breaks. She tells Genevieve that she's going to have to deliver this baby, but Genevieve refuses, using her heels to pry the elevator doors apart so that she can climb out and get help. Zoila is brought to the hospital and admits that Genevieve was amazing today, taking back what she said earlier about her being selfish. She tells her boss that she loves her, and Genevieve reciprocates the feeling. However, there is a complication in the birth, and Zoila begins crashing. Genevieve, who's just finished phoning Valentina and telling her that her baby sister is on the way, is then approached by a doctor and asked who should be prioritized in the pending surgery - Zoila or her baby.

Peri's return spells trouble for Rosie.

With Spence still not returning her calls, Rosie shows up at his apartment and finds it empty. She's then approached by one of his neighbors, Megan, and learns that he was beaten up pretty bad and now resides in hospital. She discovers him there, looking heavily banged up, and apologizes for all she put him through, wondering if he can forgive her. Before he does so, he just has one question to ask her: "Who are you?" It's revealed to her by Jerry that Spence is suffering from amnesia, having forgotten the last few years of his life. He wonders if she knows anyone who would want to hurt Spence, and she does, then barging into Ernesto's apartment and asking him if he's the one who put Spence in hospital. He assures her that he isn't, but he knows who did, and she doesn't have to worry about him coming back. He then reveals that he's going back to Mexico to make sure the cartel never comes back for she or Miguel, wanting her to be with Spence because he knows he can make her happy. She requests that he say goodbye to his son before he goes, not wanting Miguel's heart to break like hers already has, and Ernesto obliges, approaching Miguel at school and explaining that he's done some bad things and has to go now to make them right. Miguel doesn't want his papa to leave, but he does, and the young boy is distraught. Rosie returns to the hospital to try and jog Spence's memory, but he already remembers her - she's the best maid his wife and he ever hired. It is then that Peri Westmore arrives on the scene, having brainwashed her husband into believing that she's still his doting wife. Rosie is shocked, and Peri makes it quite clear that she has no intention of backing off.

Hostages are taken.

Sebastien takes Carmen, Marisol and the Powells hostage using Adrian's sex handcuffs, wanting money from his boss so that he can skip town. Adrian refuses, and Sebastien knows that it'd be useless torturing him… and so he decides to threaten Evelyn instead, using the shock machine that put Adrian in hospital (see "She Done Him Wrong"). Adrian caves and calls Michael, who's been released from police custody, wanting him to bring money over. He does this, and while Evelyn greets him at the door, Carmen is able to remove one of her bobby pins and slide it over to Marisol, who begins working on freeing herself. When Michael asks too many questions, he is also taken hostage, and he wonders how Marisol got wrapped up in this mess. She says that she found out who Taylor was having an affair with - Sebastien - and when Carmen expresses outrage at his promiscuity he assures her that Taylor meant nothing to him; she was just a job. The others wonder what this means, and Marisol recalls that Olivia hired him to break up the Stappords' marriage. A more in-depth explanation of events is then delved into…

The mystery is unveiled, and we are shown the story of how Louie and Blanca died.

Via flashbacks aided by Marisol and Sebastien's narrations, the season's mystery is unveiled. Sebastien and Taylor had sex only once, on the night of Marisol's book party. However, this just so happened to be the same night that Michael hired Louie Becker to spy on his wife, having already thought due to their constant fighting that she might be having an affair. Sebastien couldn't risk his wife finding out about this, and so he attacked Louie, accidentally killing him when he fell on the coffee table and a shard of glass impaled him. Katy then woke up, seeing Sebatien, and while Taylor put her back to bed Sebastien took matters into his own hands. He retrieved a meat cleaver from the kitchen and hacked the body up into parts, scattering them all around town to throw the police off the trail (which is how the leg ended up on the Powells' lawn). Unfortunately, after Sebastien left with the parts in tow, Blanca walked in and discovered the bloody mess all over the living room. She couldn't keep her mouth shut, and so Sebastien decided to kidnap her. He brought her to one of his unsold houses and decided to kill two birds with one stone by both hanging her, making it look like a suicide, and writing a fake confession which condemned her for Louie's murder.

Michael is killed.

In the present, Michael grows outraged at Sebastien for all that he did, and promises to kill him once he's free. However, Sebastien shoots him directly in the heart, commenting afterwards that he doesn't think he will. Michael is confirmed as dead, to everyone else's horror, and Sebastien decides that, now that they all know the truth, he can never let them go. He turns on the gas from the fireplace and plans to blow everyone up once he's safely outside. But, before he leaves, Carmen tries convincing him that she still loves him and wants to be with him. He seems to be buying it, kissing her, but then asks how stupid she thinks he is. It is then that Marisol whacks him across the back of the head with a fire poker, knocking him out, and Carmen replies that he's very stupid. Evelyn wonders how Marisol freed herself and she reveals that sex handcuffs aren't real handcuffs, proceeding to free all of them as well and take Sebastien's gun before heading outside and calling the police.

Meet Abby and Rosie Parker.

Taylor, meanwhile, leaves Marisol a voicemail. This is after Rosie returns home and finds the house empty, with Katy having left her a drawing saying that she'll miss her. Taylor tells her friend that Katy is her everything and she has to protect her, before snapping the phone and throwing it into the trash. She and Katy head into a motel and we see that Taylor has cut her hair and dyed it, now sporting a pair of glasses. The motel clerk asks how long she's going to be staying, and she says that she's there for just a night, for she and her daughter have to get back on the road. The clerk then asks for their names, and Taylor introduces herself as Abby Parker. Katy then adds, "Hi, I'm Rosie," as her mother hugs her.

Disaster strikes.

Back outside the Powell house, Marisol and the others are telling the police everything that happened when Evelyn notices that Adrian is missing. They wonder if maybe he went back inside the house, which is now filled with gas, and we are shown that he in fact did so that he could retrieve a framed photograph of himself, Evelyn and their deceased son Barrett. Sebastien wakes up after Adrian walks away and accidentally knocks the electric shock machine off of the nearby end table, igniting a spark. "Oh, sh—" is the last thing he says before the entire house explodes in a fiery inferno. Outside, Evelyn calls out for her husband, his fate being left uncertain.

Trivia[]

Although credited, Nathan Owens (Jesse Morgan) is absent from this episode.
Shooting for "Anatomy of a Murder" began on June 26, 2015 and ended on July 8, 2015.^[2]^[3]
In order to avoid spoiling Mariana Klaveno (Peri Westmore)'s return, the actress was not listed until after the episode had ended, along with the remaining credits.
The inspiration behind Zoila and Genevieve going to therapy comes from an encounter that show creator Marc Cherry had with a woman at a cocktail party, who once went to therapy with her maid.^[4]
When planning the cliffhanger with Adrian's fate being left a mystery following the Powell mansion exploding, the writers never considered the possibility of him actually dying.^[5]