Showstoppers – Director: Peter Stebbings/Writers: Peter Mitchell, Rebecca Liddiard
This one starts with Mary going to a theatre while a dance rehearsal is in progress. Mary seems to admire the dancers (especially one of the guys), but is there on business, since the costumes are so scanty they violate several city ordinances. (The outfits just look like regular ballet costumes, but I suppose that was risqué for the 1920s.) The lead dancer and choreographer (Rita Hart) seems to be trying something new, but her manager (Wallace) wishes she’d forget about
modern dance and go back to vaudeville. Mary is a fan of Rita’s but doesn’t recognize her until after they have an argument about the outfits and Rita tells her to talk to the theatre owner. That turns out to be Boyzey Pembroke, who’s thrilled that the show is sold out and doesn’t care if Mary posts a notice about the questionable morality, even offering her a half-price ticket (which she accepts). As Mary is leaving, one of the dancers collapses with abdominal pain, but Wallace shoos Mary away before she can ask too many questions.
Mary tells the other gals about the show and Trudy wonders why Boyzey would buy a theatre. Mary admits to Flo she wanted to be a dancer as a kid but life got in the way. That explains why she’s so taken with Rita Hart. 
Trudy talks to Boyzey, who admits he got the money for the theatre from a loan shark, but insists that it’ll be a moneymaker and help other black people get ahead too (since theatre-goers go to restaurants and buy clothes before attending the shows). Frankie gives Sebastian’s truck a tune-up, which makes Alessandro a bit jealous. Mary goes to post the morality notices at the theatre and finds Boyzey arguing with a guy named Smith, who’s obviously his loan shark. Mary watches Rita dance and interrupts when she thinks Rita has the same affliction as the other dancer. Rita’s fine and after a little tension, she invites Mary to watch the rehearsal. The woman who made the original
complaint (Prudence Mayfair) shows up and is scandalized by the lascivious nature of the show. (She’s some kind of religious nut.) Smith threatens to take back his loan before the show opens and Frankie and Trudy show up to ogle some of the male dancers. One of the women collapses on stage with abdominal pain and when Frankie finds out she has trouble breathing and has a high fever, she tells Boyzey to cancel the show. Frankie figures the dancers have Spanish flu and is worried about another pandemic like just after the War.
Frankie wants to let the authorities know to avoid another pandemic, but Trudy convinces her to wait until they know for sure that it’s Spanish flu. Mary keeps anyone from leaving, but has to put up with Boyzey 
complaining about his show being cancelled. Trudy tells Flo what’s up and Flo (who first got into medicine helping tend victims of the 1918 pandemic) agrees to help, agreeing that they should keep quiet for now to avoid mass hysteria. The people stuck in the theatre find out why they can’t leave and Rita insists they go on with rehearsals in case it isn’t the flu and the show goes ahead. Prudence is certain the dancers are being punished by God for their wicked ways and figures she’s safe from the Lord’s wrath. When Frankie tells Alessandro what she suspects, he freaks out and takes off, getting mad at her for not mentioning she was “contaminated”. At the theatre, Rita tells Mary she’s not afraid of the flu, just of not being able to
fulfill her lifelong desire to translate movement into art. When Wallace suggests (again) that they head back to vaudeville, Rita says she’d rather die. Flo and Trudy show up with supplies and Flo looks at the sick dancers (numbering three now) and when one of them hacks up some blood, Flo immediately quarantines everyone. Meanwhile, Stephen Reid (Mary’s crusading reporter boyfriend) shows up at Frankie’s office to ask her why she’s covering up a Spanish flu outbreak.
Frankie convinces Reid to hold off on the story for twelve hours to avoid creating panic, but can’t get him to reveal how he knew about the possible 
outbreak. Reid goes to the theatre where Mary refuses to let him in or tell him what’s going on. Flo tries to get more info from the dancers and Smith argues with Mary about going outside for a breath of fresh air, finally doing so over her objections. Frankie comes back to warn them about Reid’s impending story. Mary talks with Rita, admitting her desire to be a cop might’ve been more about pleasing her father than herself. Rita points out that Mary has something pent up inside her and suggests she stop thinking so much and just … move. Trudy finds a shitload of aspirin and shows it to Flo, who gets an idea. She gets the blueprints of the theatre from Boyzey so she can use the ammonium citrate
to check the dancers’ puke for acetylsalicylic acid (which will turn purple in the presence of ammonium citrate). Frankie and Flo both realize that the dancers don’t have the flu, they have ulcers, which Flo thinks were caused by an overdose of aspirin. Obviously, someone doesn’t want the show to go on but the suspects are legion. Frankie tells everyone it’s not Spanish flu, but Mary shows her a newspaper with an article saying there is a Spanish flu outbreak.
It wasn’t Reid who wrote the article, which means whoever’s trying to shut down the show tipped off another reporter too. Smith calls Boyzey’s loan 
and takes the theatre away from him, saying it’s nothing personal he just owes money to certain people and can’t wait for the show to get his investment back. Frankie and Mary see a guy selling aspirin by the shitload and Frankie follows him to a warehouse full of aspirin owned by a scumbag named Truit. At the theatre, Trudy, Mary, and Flo confront Smith (since he supplied the tainted aspirin), but he says he got them from his brother-in-law. Guess who that is. Mary realizes Smith called Truit when he “stepped out for some air” earlier and Truit must’ve called the reporters. They go to the warehouse to join Frankie and accuse Truit of trying to start a flu panic to sell his aspirin by loading
the aspirin with too much ASA to mimic the symptoms of the flu. Truit agrees to settle Smith’s debts in exchange for Smith giving Boyzey the theatre back. Later, Alessandro apologizes for freaking out at Frankie, telling her how the 1918 pandemic hit his village hard. Frankie accepts his apology, but it seems like things have changed between them. The show goes on and Mary joins the dance troupe for a special sneak preview for her friends.
This is a good episode that deals with a universal issue (the possibility of another flu pandemic) alongside a more personal one (Mary trying to figure 
out who she really is). Both are relatable (thanks to COVID), but Mary’s story seems more interesting overall. Rebecca Liddiard co-wrote this episode and she’s obviously had dance training, so I wonder if this is somewhat autobiographical. Rita really helps Mary come out of her shell and I can’t help thinking there’s a slight vibe there, but maybe that’s just the Xena fan in me. Speaking of getting personal, Frankie’s relationship with Alessandro may have changed for the worse, although Trudy and Boyzey seem to be getting closer.
Favourite Quotes:
- “What an absolutely dreadful job.” Rita’s reaction when she finds out Mary is a Morality Officer.
- “It’s so loose and you’re so … not.” Flo’s reaction when she finds out Mary is a dance fan.
- “Yes, going steady, not going blind.” Frankie telling Trudy still
admires the male dancers even though she has a boyfriend. - “Oh, I’m sorry, Prudence, I couldn’t see you. I was so blinded by your righteousness.” Mary after “accidentally” bumping into Prudence.
