"The Business of Miracles", as it turns out, is what the pharmaceutical industry thinks of itself.  It sounds a lot nicer than "The Seething Pit of Hatred", which is what one research lab has turned into, culminating in the unusual death of its lead researcher.  Tricked into inhaling fumes from liquid nitrogen, the victim is found frozen to death, but perfectly preserved in his own way.

Preserved, that is, until Charlie touches him and - well, remember that scene in "Terminator 2" when Arnold said "Hasta la vista, baby" and shot the T-1000?  It's kinda like that.

Anyway, the investigation eventually settles on a repeatedly changing list of suspects - an obsessed former assistant, the leader of an animal-rights organization (well, actually they're the same person - long story), an abused janitor, and the bitter current assistant.  Crews and Reese eventually DO succeed in plucking out the right one, but it's made even more complicated by a false confession two-thirds of the way through the story.  That MIGHT be enough for most detectives, but not Crews.  Much as in Episode Ten, when a man falsely confessed to a murder to protect his wife, one of those nagging, insistent deductive leaps of his leads him to the true culprit.

As homicide cases have gone this season, it's a good one.  Unlike Episode Thirteen, where Steroid Boy was almost immediately targeted as the suspect, here it's questionable until the end who's truly responsible.  Almost everyone connected to the case does things that look one way at first, but a whole different way later once their ulterior motive is uncovered.  In many ways, it's like a good old-fashioned murder mystery.  (With a good old-fashioned death by inhaling liquid nitrogen.)

Except it's funny.  It's actually very funny.  "Life" has always been proud to be "quirky" and "odd", but the first two episodes this season had been spotty.  This one succeeds, even if it does flirt dangerously with turning into a bad sitcom.  From the unintentional shattering of the victim, to Charlie's violent encounter with Jennifer's new husband, to Charlie's equally violent encounter with a monkey, and again to his equally dangerous accident with lab chemicals, this was a really entertaining episode.

But then there's said "lab chemicals".  Charlie inhales fumes which, according to one scientist, will probably induce hallucinatory effects.  For him, that becomes "seeing Jennifer wherever he goes".  This, in and of itself, is funny (unless you're one of those Crews/Reese fans).  The problem is Ted.  Ted has an interview for a job with a business school, and he needs Crews at the interview because Crews is the job reference.  Guess when the interview is?  To make matters worse, Ted is able to finagle a do-over once Crews is clean, and just as the interview begins again, the real Jennifer arrives and slaps him for trying to ruin her marriage.

The timing of these scenes is so predictable, so right out of the sitcom playbook, that I kept waiting for David Schwimmer to walk in.  It almost ruins the flow of the episode.

Fortunately, there ARE very serious moments to be had.  Jack Reese is still unaware that Charlie has bugged his car, which means Crews can listen in on a private conversation between Jack and a second Conspiracy member.  It quickly becomes apparent that this second man, speaking for the others, is higher on the totem pole than Jack.  It's also revealed WHY Rachel's hiding place seemed so inadequate in Episode Twelve - Jack did it on his own.  For his own reasons, he was keeping her from the rest of the Conspiracy.  Which means they still don't even know Crews has her.  The faceless second man warns Jack that he could very easily meet the same end as one of the other five SWAT team members.

Of course, the Conspiracy might just replace him with some new recruits.  Like Constance.  Making her second appearance since leaving the regular cast, Constance is at the station on an unrelated matter when Crews confronts her over the Hollis case.  There Constance lies to his face, claiming that she never heard Hollis admit in Episode Eleven that he murdered the Seybolts on Jack's orders.  Which leaves Crews as the only person saying Jack is involved.  Why does she do this?  It's hard to say.  She's clearly not happy that he's continuing his investigation even after Hollis' arrest.  It's possible she thinks that if she's no longer actively assisting him, he'll give up.  (And perhaps renew their relationship.)  Or maybe she's lying for someone else's benefit.

Or maybe she's not on his side anymore.  (Now THAT those Crews/Reese fans might like.)  Certainly they have to appreciate the fact that Danni, even though she doesn't want to talk about it with him, has accepted Crews' claims that Jack Reese helped railroad him twelve years ago.  She believes her partner enough, in fact, that she asks her father about it.  At dinner.  In front of their entire family.

Awk-waaard.

So Constance may be on the way out, and Danni is clearly on the way in.  And Jennifer, well, we're not sure yet.  My guess is, slapping him is not the last physical contact she'll have with him, though.  (And as for Karen Davis, we should find out where she's standing on Friday, since reports are that she guest-stars.)

And Jack, well, who knows?  By Friday, he might not be standing at all.