When a woman is brutally murdered, Cosgrove brings his mentor into his and Shaw's investigation, but the mentor's controversial tactics threaten to derail both the case and their friendship.
- Bittersweet Ending: The serial killer Niles is convicted of murder, but it's heavily implied Ryan planted the crucial evidence that the prosecution needed, and Cosgrove makes it clear he won't forget or accept what Ryan did.
- Cowboy Cop: Det. Jerry Ryan is very much a product of his time, behaving in a manner most police officers are not allowed to act like in the current political climate, ranging from illegal searches to possibly planting evidence, all the while proclaiming he's doing his job the "right way". His pupil however, Det. Frank Cosgrove, doesn't see it that way, and he becomes a Broken Pedestal in Cosgrove's eyes following the case.
- Failed a Spot Check: The medical examiner tells the detectives that they correctly figured that she had signs of manual strangulation and postmortem stab wounds, but that they missed burn marks on the back. Cosgrove and Shaw counter that she was clothed. However, the medical examiner also points to a puncture wound on her arm, which was not covered by her clothing in the first place.
- Framing the Guilty Party: Implied. After the evidence obtained from searching Niles' car and apartment is thrown out due to Ryan's lack of a search warrant, Ryan conveniently finds a locket the victim possessed at one of Niles' scrap facilities, in a location Cosgrove had already searched and found nothing. Ryan specifically makes sure to let Cosgrove be the one to retrieve and identify it too. However, when Cosgrove later visits the victims mother to offer his condolences, he learns Ryan was just there hours before the search at the scrap facility, that the mother doesn't know when the locket went missing, and that the mother is suffering from memory problems making it hard for her to remember if the locket ever went missing, making Cosgrove suspect Ryan took the locket during his visit. What's more, the defense points out that the victim never visibly had the locket on her person in any footage, and that despite his self-admitted reputation as a egomaniac, Ryan willingly allowed Cosgrove to grab the locket and gave him all the credit, accusing Ryan of planting evidence and perjuring himself. After Niles' conviction, Cosgrove still can't help but suspect they only won because of Ryan planting the evidence, and Ryan becomes a Broken Pedestal in his eyes.
- Get Out!: When Ryan visits Frank's house with some expensive whisky to celebrate, Frank tells him to leave his house, having viewed his mentor as a Broken Pedestal.
- Off on a Technicality: The prosecution risks this several times, first after the judge throws out any mention of the four other women that Niles murdered, and then after the judge suppresses all the evidence from Niles's car and apartment due to Ryan not getting a warrant.
- Red Herring: Cosgrove and Shaw initially think that the victim may have been murdered because of the tell-all book she wrote which exposed Bernini as a volatile nut, and Bernini even takes another woman hostage when they hunt him down, but it turns out he spent the entire night of the murder in a strip club and couldn't have committed the crime.
- That One Case: Det. Jerry Ryan had been trying to track down a believed Serial Killer for years, and upon being told of the current suspect Niles, is convinced that he is indeed the man he's been looking for. As a result, he joins Cosgrove and Shaw in trying to put him away, but acts too much like a Cowboy Cop while doing so, causing the evidence that would have made the case a slam dunk to be tossed out due to being obtained illegally. As a result, while it's never outright admitted, it's heavily implied Ryan planted evidence to make sure Niles went to prison. Once Niles is convicted, he tries telling Cosgrove that "all's well that ends well", but Cosgrove isn't having it, as he's been forced to watch his mentor become a Broken Pedestal before his very eyes.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sam and Price call out Ryan for searching the Tesla without probable cause, leading to a lot of prime evidence to be excluded per the fruit of the poisonous tree.
