The Vice Squad attempts to conduct surveillance on an arms dealer named Guzman. His associate Evan Freed is a seeming deranged psychopath who gets Guzman free of the sting, even though the buyers are killed in the process. Further investigation reveals that Freed is actually an undercover police officer working for the ATF. Crockett is infuriated by this as he and Freed have bad blood dating back decades.
After being refused when he requests to be taken off the case and knowing Sonny is investigating his past, Crockett admits that Evan and he went to the Academy together with a officer named Orgel. Crockett didn't stand up for him while Evan harassed Orgel horribly. In the end, Orgel committed suicide by seeking out a confrontation with a PCP using addict.
Freed turns out to have been traumatized by his role in the event and is now seeking an honorable death.
- Arms Dealer: Guzman is one that has involvement with numerous terrorist organizations.
- Cowboy Cop: Freed is one of these but it's a Deconstruction as it's because he's suicidal from guilt.
- Death Seeker: Freed has volunteered for numerous incredibly dangerous assignments in hopes of being killed for his role in his friend's suicide.
- Driven to Suicide:
- Orgel sought a confrontation that resulted in his death after being outed as a homosexual.
- One of the reasons for Freed's choice to make a Heroic Sacrifice at the end.
- Gayngst: Orgel has a fairly realistic one in that he wasn't ashamed of being a homosexual but was unable to deal with the abuse he received as a gay cop.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Freed throws himself in front of a bullet to save Crockett's life but also to allow himself to finally be free of his guilt.
- Jurisdiction Friction: The ATF doesn't want Miami Metro involved in their case against Guzman. Unusually, Castillo and the ATF agent in charge work it out by authorizing the latter to buy all of the guns to keep them off the streets.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Freed had this happen to him after he drove his former best friend to suicide.
- Not So Stoic: Evan. He had maintained a persona of renegade cockiness up until he unintentionally ran into Crockett, and seemed to mutually rebuff him. However, once both men were alone in the squad room, his facade finally cracked, with him embracing his former friend and tearfully expressing his remorse at driving Mike to suicide and begging for his forgiveness.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Tubbs and Castillo both note that Crockett wanting to be taken off the case is not his usual MO.
- Plot-Irrelevant Villain: Guzman actually has no knowledge of Freed's past with Crockett or why the two are at loggerheads.
- Psycho for Hire: Freed gives off this impression and Guzman employs him in part because he seems too much of a lunatic to be anything but a career criminal. In fact, he is a cop but just a desperately ill one.
- Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: A Neo-Nazi one is one that Crockett briefly infiltrates in order to get in touch with Guzman.
- Wants a Prize for Basic Decency: Subverted as Freed hates Crockett in large past because he views him as "perfect" and having accepted Orgel by not engaging in harassment or bigotry against him. Crockett, in fact, feels great guilt that he didn't do more to help Orgel and just didn't harass him.
