History Recap / ColdCaseS2E1TheBadlands

* BigBadWannabe: JT Simms acts all gangster-like but is easily told off by Della, the police, and Joe.

* BigBadWannabe: JT Simms acts all gangster-like but is easily told off by Delia, the police, and Joe.

The team reinvestigate the triple homicide featured in the pilot when it turn out that the prime suspect, that Vera had arrested after he took over from Rush after she left to reopen the case of Jill Shelby, had an alibi for the time of the murder.

* AllForNothing: Trey sincerely gets his act together after killing Derek, Della and Tom, but he's likely heading to death row anyway.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Trey angrily interrupts Jammal assaulting Derek by throwing bottles at him. Ironically and tragically, this all goes out the window a few hours later when he kills him.
* BigBadWannabe: JT Simms acts all gangster but is easily told off by Delia, the police and Joe.

* CrazyHomelessPeople: Frank was a simpleminded busboy at Delia's who became homeless after the massacre. He gets his job back in the end.

* FromBadToWorse: Trey may have only intended to rob Della's restaurant, but when Derek angrily confronted him, Tom came to see what the commotion was about. Trey promptly shot him and when Della came out, shot her as well, then finally shot Derek when he insisted on calling 911.

* DomesticAbuse: Tyra, one of Della's waitresses was being smacked around by her boyfriend and Joe's alibi for the murder is that he was in the ER following a beating from his mother's boyfriend.

* FalseConfession: Joe brags about being the killer in order to protect himself. A year later, he's gone from being afraid of the local gang to being the gang's leader with the former leader now terrified of ''him''.

* HeelFaceTurn: Trey was so shaken up by his younger brother Derek's brutal murder that he buckled down and kicked his drug addiction and joined the army. Then it turns out that he wasn't just shaken up by his brother's murder, he was horrified that HE was the killer.

* BittersweetEnding: Della and Tom's daughter reopens the restaurant and the final scenes are of everyone happily celebrating. But Tyra is still with her abusive boyfriend while Trey's genuine redemption is undone with his arrest for the murders

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: Trey sincerely gets his act together after killing Derek, Della and Tom, but he's likely heading to death row anyway.]]

* BigBrotherInstinct: Trey angrily interrupts Jammal assaulting Derek by throwing bottles at him. [[spoiler: Ironically and tragically, this all goes out the window a few hours later when he kills him.]]
* BittersweetEnding: Della and Tom's daughter reopens the restaurant and the final scenes are of everyone happily celebrating. But Tyra is still with her abusive boyfriend while Trey's [[spoiler: genuine redemption is undone with his arrest for the murders]]

* DrugsAreBad: And ''how''. The killer turns out to be [[spoiler: Trey, Derek's junkie brother, who killed the three when they caught him trying to rob the place to get money for his habit.]]

* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Despite being thoroughly fed up with his brother Trey's behavior, Derek still lets him into the restaurant after they're closed when he comes begging for food. [[spoiler: This turns out to be a ruse so that Trey can rob the place, and when Derek confronts him, the situation rapidly escalates to murder.]]
* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler: Trey may have only intended to rob Della's restaurant, but when Derek angrily confronted him, Tom came to see what the commotion was about. Trey promptly shot him and when Della came out, shot her as well, then finally shot Derek when he insisted on calling 911]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Trey was so shaken up by his younger brother Derek's brutal murder that he buckled down and kicked his drug addiction and joined the army. [[spoiler: Then it turns out that he wasn't just shaken up by his brother's murder, he was horrified that HE was the killer]].

* {{Irony}}: Sinking so low as [[spoiler: as to kill his little brother and two people who tried to help him is what made Trey finally get his act together. By the time of the episode, he's gotten clean and has joined the army. But it's all for nothing once he's revealed as the killer.]]

* YouWouldntShootMe: Explicitly stated by Derek [[spoiler: to Trey when he insists on calling 911. Tragically, he ''does''.]]

* AmbiguousDisorder: Frank Morgan is said to be mentally challenged and takes medicine for it, but it’s never given a name.

* HeelFaceTurn: Trey was so shaken up by his younger brother Derek's brutal murder that he buckled down and kicked his drug addiction and joined the army. [[spoiler: Then it turns out that he wasn't just shaken up by his brother's murder, he was horrified that HE was the killer]]

* EveryoneHasStandards: The gang leader seen harassing Derek and Joe at the beginning of the episode is floored when Joe claims that he's the killer.

* YouWontShootMe: Explicitly stated by Derek [[spoiler: to Trey when he insists on calling 911. Tragically, he ''does''.]]

* DomesticAbuse: One of Della's waitresses was being smacked around by her boyfriend and Joe's alibi for the murder is that he was in the ER following a beating from his mother's boyfriend.
* DrugsAreBad: And ''how''. The killer turns out to be [[spoiler: one of the victims junkie brother, who killed the three when they caught him trying to rob the place]]

* SequelEpisode: This episode concerns the triple homicide Lilly was investigating [[Recap/ColdCaseS1E1LookAgain in the pilot]] before being transferred out of Homicide.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Frank Morgan is said to be mentally challenged and takes medicine for it, but it’s never given a name.