When a sleazy law student is murdered, the trail leads back to a legendary civil rights advocate who was recorded making an offensive comment and was at risk of being canceled.
- The Alibi:
- Denise verified Sebastian the phone thief's whereabouts, excluding him as a murder suspect.
- Likewise, cameras place Larry the stolen phone seller at a bus station at the time of the murder.
- Asshole Victim: James Pell was a mediocre student who blackmailed his way into getting a prestigious position on a law school journal. He also had revenge porn of an ex-girlfriend that he intended to release but was killed before he could do so.
- Blackmail: James Pell had video of Nichols using an LGBT slur in secret and he threatened to release it unless he gets a spot in the Hudson Law Journal.
- Crusading Lawyer: Professor Ezra Nichols, a Hudson Law professor, champions causes for the disenfranchised, such as civil rights, LGBT issues, immigrants rights and racial justice initiatives. He's also the reason Shaw initially practiced law before becoming a cop.
- Curse Cut Short: "It's not enough to be a man of color, you also have to be a f-" spoken by Professor Nichols on video before Vivian the plainclothes officer pauses it.
- Downer Ending: Cyrus's case is moved to family court where the trial's record will be sealed but he will be sentenced for murder by a family court judge. As Samantha sums it up, "A man is dead and a family's been destroyed. All because a good man blurted out a stupid, hateful word."
- 555: The Nichols landline starts with 917note , followed by 555. Sam has Viv cross-reference the call logs.
- The Illegal: Magda, the Polish nanny for the Nichols family, is working on her visa. Cosgrove and Shaw have to assure her that they're not interested in her status, since they're homicide detectives and not ICE. She ends up not testifying anyway.
- Taking the Heat: After Michelle is arrested for killing Pell and her trial went badly for her, her husband Ezra confessed to the murder in her stead. It turns out that Cyrus killed Pell instead.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Cyrus is portrayed as this once it is revealed he is the one who killed Pell. All he wanted was for Pell to stop blackmailing his father because he knew the toll it was taking on him. Cyrus's mother describes him as being a sensitive child who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.
