From the pages of Michael Connelly’s novels, Maggie Q is Ballard, a determined detective leading the LAPD’s newly formed cold case division. With pressure from their superiors, Ballard’s team races to secure smoking gun evidence in the Pearlman case. And Renee’s pursuit of a corrupt criminal leads to a deadly encounter.
After failing to inform Captain Berchem of their pursuit of Mark Garrison, Renee and her team are given 72 hours to secure more evidence proving him as Sarah Pearlman’s killer. Their investigation hits a bump once they discover each victim’s trinket has been scrubbed clean. Renee challenges her team to find a common link among the victims.
Meanwhile, Laffont sets up surveillance on Anthony Driscoll’s house. Any movement and their team is alerted. Simultaneously, Driscoll gets word that his CI, Javier Fuentes, transferred facilities. Suspecting he’s talked, Driscoll orders a violent attack on the unsuspecting inmate, leaving Fuentes in a coma.
At 36 hours, the team identifies a trinket — a Hillary Clinton campaign button — to a victim: 29-year-old Josie Colver. With another victim’s name, they can attempt to build a better case. This good news is paired with the revelation that Garrison’s DNA matches a deceased “John Doe” from 1997. Garrison became a victim of opportunity as his then-girlfriend, Denise McKenzie, was stalked and targeted by the actual serial killer. Now with no suspect, the team is back at the drawing board.
At 26 hours, Samira discovers that Luis Ibarra’s girlfriend is alive and lives nearby. Laffont and Ballard visit, hoping to get more information. She confirms Driscoll as Luis’ CI, who promised to get them out of the cartel. In exchange, she gives them the name of a violent cartel member, Jesus Velasco. His long rap sheet includes a drug raid arrest where the reporting officer was none other than Driscoll.
Separate from the case, Samira takes it upon herself to confront Olivas. Calling out what he did to her, Olivas arrogantly taunts her, surmising that no one would believe her story so many years later. Especially now that it appears she has been coached by a past accuser disgraced by the force.
Five hours until their deadline, Martina makes a breakthrough: a victim’s sunglasses were released six months ago, proving their killer is still active. However, Berchem ceases operation early, claiming the case under his jurisdiction. Feeling defeated, Renee stays late at the office and finds another trinket is linked to a presumed closed case from 2008. Thinking they may have convicted the wrong man, she brings this news to Berchem. He allows her to keep the case, for now.
With this win, Renee returns home for the night. As she nods off to sleep, she has a recurring dream: seeing her father lost at sea after his boarding accident. As she dives to save him, she suddenly begins choking. Ballard awakens to find a masked man strangling her on the couch. She fights the assailant, finally subduing him with a punch to his windpipe. As he lies struggling to breathe, she unmasks him to reveal Anthony Driscoll. Ballard panics, wanting to save his life.
She calls Aaron to guide her through creating a temporary airway with a tampon tube. It’s successful, but Driscoll removes it and bleeds out as sirens and lights appear at Renee’s home.
Another great episode that delivers an action-packed cliffhanger guaranteed to change the trajectory of the case and the show. This, paired with strong performances, especially Ricardo Chivara as the charismatically evil Robert Olivas, pushes the series to new heights for the second half. Each development was unexpected without feeling too unrealistic.
Rating: 8.5/10