From the pages of Michael Connelly’s novels, Maggie Q is Ballard, a determined detective leading the LAPD’s newly formed cold case division. Episode three finds Renee haunted by her past, while Parker struggles with aligning her moral code with the blatant corruption behind the badge. And, the team is assigned a new cold case as Martina makes a new friend.

The episode opens with a glimpse of the team’s lives outside of the department. Renee continues to isolate herself from anything that reminds her of her past, including brushing off her grandmother’s attempts to acknowledge her late father. Samira visits her ailing father, a decorated LAPD officer. Martina struggles to find peace living with her parents and siblings, while Colleen finds solace at her local Catholic church. Ted fills his day trying to captain the next stage of his career, and Thomas shares his home with his husband. The montage explores our supporting characters outside the precint.

Back at work, their pursuit of the three cold cases is paused when Captain Berchem calls about an unsolved murder stirring attention on social media. Margaret Thatcher is arrested for causing a disturbance at her late brother’s fraternity house. In 2006, Nick Thatcher was found dead outside the campus residence after a night of partying. Police claimed he fell from the balcony, but Margret believes Nick’s “brothers” were involved in a cover-up. Clues lead them to question Nick’s actual cause of death, suspecting he was injured before the fall. This leads to the discovery of a secret “body count” book, where the brothers chronicled their sexual conquests with female students, introducing a whole new can of worms.

As the team investigates this alleged conspiracy, it’s revealed that the bullet in the “John Doe” case wasn’t analyzed because it was disposed of. Thomas and Renee confront the officer who signed off on the order, retiree Charlie Grant. He proves the signature was forged and disparages Renee about her past of making false accusations.

Samira contemplates rejoining the force in light of this news. Her father shares that he encountered the same dilemma after the Rodney King beating and the L.A. riots of 1992. When she asked what the deciding factor was, he answered, “Someone has to watch the watchmen.”

Later, Renee is approached by her former partner, Ken Chastain. Visibly drunk, he attempts to apologize for not standing up for her when she brought allegations of rape toward a fellow officer. The force turned their back on Renee, siding with the respected male colleague and removing her from the homicide unit. This, on top of losing her father, is the trauma Renee believes she’s escaping with her new job.

The episode closes with Renee’s stalker, a fellow officer most likely linked to Yulia Kravetz’s murder, approaching Martina at a restaurant.

The third episode is the strongest yet, giving us more character development that enriches the narrative. The performances are strong, with great emotional work. Learning the full breadth of what Ballard has endured explains the hesitancy to explore Parker’s hunch, but also validates her determination. In a sense, Ballard is a walking cold case as no one believes what happened to her. She received no justice. Instead, she was labeled the victim by her own family; a harrowing truth for victims of sexual abuse.

Rating: 8/10