When a young woman goes missing in the Barrens, suspicion turns to the woman's boyfriend and it's up to the team to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: When Serena was alone during her camping trip, Jessika confronted her about Serena having stolen Derek from her. When Serena retorted about how "there are winners and losers", it led to a fight ending in Jessika accidentally bludgeoning Serena to death with a hammer, then going on to cover her tracks and frame Derek.
- Alone with the Psycho: Sarah arrives at Jessika's house hoping to get her fingerprints due to unknown ones being found on the murder weapon. When Donovan tries to call Sarah upon finding out from Trey about Jessika and Derek's former relationship, Jessika holds Sarah at knifepoint threatening to kill her if she tries to follow her. Sarah however shows that she isn't as helpless as she looks, managing to disarm and apprehend Jessika when an opening reveals itself before Donovan arrives with backup.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Jessika used to be Derek’s girlfriend until he dumped her for Serena. While Serena and Derek were camping and Serena was alone, Jessika approached her on the matter with accusations that Serena had stolen Derek from her, with Serena’s retort of how "there are winners and losers” enraging Jessika enough to cave in her head with a hammer from behind.
- Convicted by Public Opinion: Because he was the only person who was with Serena at the time of her disappearance and their rocky relationship with each other, Serena’s family, friends, and neighbors all accuse Derek of being the one behind her disappearance. It gets increasingly violent when Serena turns up dead, to the point where two of Serena's friends, Trey Park and Jessika Warren, try to burn down his house, but are fortunately arrested before the fire becomes too uncontrollable.
- Didn't Think This Through: As Sarah points out to her once she’s outed as the real culprit, even if Jessika went on the run she wouldn’t be able to get far due to the airports and ferry terminals being locked down to prevent her from leaving the island. Jessika retorts that she'll think of something, considering she was able to make everyone think it was Derek who killed Serena.
- Driven to Suicide: Almost. When the accusations become too much for him, Derek convinces himself to try and take his own life by jumping off a cliff. Charlie however manages to talk him out of it, then saves him from almost going over anyway because of Adele.
- Frame-Up: Derek is insistent that he didn’t have anything to do with Serena's death, but the evidence and timeline make it hard for him to be believed. Turns out he really is innocent. Jessika was the one who killed Serena and framed Derek for it.
- From Bad to Worse: Things were already bad for Derek when he was blamed for Serena's disappearance as he was allegedly the only person around when the two were camping in the barrens. His situation becomes infinitely worse when Serena is found dead in a ditch not far from the campsite, with Serena's family, friends, and neighbors becoming violently worked up by it. It's enough for Derek to try and take his own life out of the belief his life is now over, but chooses not to go through with it when Charlie manages to talk him down. Fortunately, his innocence is proven once the real culprit is caught.
- My God, What Have I Done?: While not outright said, the look on Adele's face while thanking the major crimes team for bringing Serena's real killer to justice implies her to have remorse for her actions throughout the episode, up to and including almost killing an innocent man.
- Send in the Search Team: The episode opens with Charlie and Rex alongside a group of rescue workers searching the Barrens for Serena Jones, a young woman who went missing while camping with her boyfriend Derek Spade. While they hold out hope, they are also aware of the Barrens being a harsh place to survive in and that there is a possibility she might be dead. Unfortunately, the latter case ends up happening.
- You Killed My Father: The one most upset about what happened to Serena is her older sister Adele, who becomes increasingly worked up due to the SJPD not arresting Derek and their alleged incompetence in handling the whole situation. She eventually tries to kill Derek herself while Charlie is trying to talk him out of taking his own life, but Rex takes her down before she gets the chance.
