"Reward for Hypocrisy" is a good if somewhat unremarkable episode of "Furuhata Ninzaburô". After the spectacle of "Red or Blue", however, a breather is necessary and this is a nice return to basics for the show. The entire episode takes place in the old woman's house, a mothballed mausoleum of memories, where Furuhata charms her into a false sense of security. They chat about their favourite movies, grocery shopping, and speculate about who would play them in a movie. The latter leads to one of the smarter mind games Furuhata has played this season but the wily old screenwriter won't be caught out that easily.
Kôki Mitani is on safe ground here writing what is essentially a gentle comedy/drama instead of a tightly plotted murder mystery. Furuhata pieces together the whole story with ease almost from the get-go. The only missing piece of the puzzle is the elusive murder weapon. Instead of focusing on detective work, "Reward for Hypocrisy" focuses on dialogue and Mitani's trademark sparkling wit. One of the best lines in the whole episode comes at the very end when Furuhata asks the screenwriter what would she have the murderer say after the detective arrests them. "Nothing," she replies, "In dramas these days, they talk too much".
The other storyline involves Shintaro acting as the old woman's butler and she is one mean employer. Spoiled and shameless, she makes him do all kinds of chores and menial tasks leading to some very funny physical comedy. As ever, Masahiko Nishimura shines.
Haruko Katô plays the old woman and she delivers a finely tuned performance. One moment she is a charming, witty cosmopolitan lady, delighting Furuhata with tales of famous actresses and in the next, she is like a whiny little child unable to take care of herself. Having killed her sister whom she had turned into a servant, she now relies entirely on Shintaro whom she treats like a slave.
The story seems to have been inspired by "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane". The opening sequence, showing the relationship between the screenwriter and her sister played by Moeko Ezawa, perfectly captures the sibling dynamic of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford's characters. In a nice knowing nod to that classic, the screenwriter picks Bette Davis to play her sister in a movie.