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Motive Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 2016 - 2016
Episode 1
The Vanishing Policeman
Sun, Jul 3, 201644 mins
The victim: Police Constable Greg Schultz. The killer: stand-up comic and Greg's older brother Murray Schultz. Greg's death is the first case for Oscar following his recovery and promotion to staff sergeant, Brian in his new position as Angie's partner, and the new homicide detective Mitch Kennecki, an overly cocky know-it-all because he is a legacy. Greg's death is initially deemed a suicide based on eyewitness statements, which include a selfie video with Greg in complete uniform in the background just before he stepped by the water and shot himself in the head. However, no one is able to identify Greg conclusively as the officer in question. Also despite the eyewitnesses, Greg's body and firearm, which was originally his father's, are not recovered from the water for several hours. But Oscar wants to be overly cautious before officially announcing that it is a suicide, and despite the pressure placed on him by new Police Chief Wells. Oscar has good reason to be cautious as Angie believes the person in the selfie video is indeed not Greg, but someone dressed to look like Greg, with his body dumped in the water probably several hours earlier. The case may be hindered by Mitch wanting to make a good impression on the Police Chief, he implicating Lori Schultz, Greg's widow, as the murderer. But the other homicide detectives begin to focus on Greg's estranged brother Murray, the motive for the murder much more complex than the reason for their estrangement.
Episode 2
The Dead Name
44 mins
The victim: Avery Bowman, the wife of Russell Bowman, the famed starting quarterback for the BC Furies, and head of Russell's charitable organization. The killer: Courtney Meisenger, the owner/operator of a suburban bakery/catering business, with Russell's charity one of her recent clients. Angie is acting staff sergeant on this case while Oscar is away in court. Avery's dead body is discovered thrown from her vehicle following a seeming single vehicle traffic accident along a remote road. However, Betty discovers that she didn't die from injuries from the accident itself, but rather from anaphylactic shock from a peanut allergy, peanut oil which is found smeared onto parts of her body. In checking Avery's cell phone records and in interviews with people on that cell phone list and those close to her, the detectives find that Avery's latest actions were in a effort to hide something she did or was about to do, with Kennecki believing what she was hiding was an affair. But when Betty discovers something fundamental about Avery in her being, the nature of the case changes from trying to find the killer directly to trying to discover issues from Avery's deep past from before she met Russell, that time of which Russell knows little. Through it all, Angie, Brian and Betty all still have problems with Kennecki as a detective. However, he may show some small signs - very small - that he has potential as a homicide detective.
Episode 3
Index Case
44 mins
The victim: Chris Mancuso, an environmental consultant. The killer: Logan Tenwick, a research scientist for Turner, a biomedical firm for which Chris had been hired to do an environmental assessment for the location of its new research facility. Logan has been working on what he considers the definitive and groundbreaking work on eradicating breast cancer. It is through Chris' consulting work for Turner that he met who would become his girlfriend, Kierra Graff, Logan's assistant. Chris' dead body is found first thing in the morning inside a sensory deprivation tank at a day spa, using such a tank which was his routine following his many business trips, the Chilean rainforest from which he just returned the night before. This case is the first since Oscar kicked Kennecki off of Homicide, and replaced him with Detective Paula Mazur, an efficient yet somewhat cold loner of a person who Angie and Brian refer to as the "anti-Kennecki". The case takes a deadly turn when Betty not only discovers that Chris died from asphyxiation by his tank being flooded with chloromine, but that he still has an active but unknown pathogen in his system, meaning the morgue being locked down. The guess is that he picked up the deadly virus in Chile. As such, the team, who has one member hit by the virus which again could have deadly consequences for that person, has to locate the killer as quickly as possible, they suspect he/she having been infected by Chris and now being the unsuspecting carrier of the virus infecting innocent people in his/her path. The virus also being unknown in nature adds an extra level of concern, as Betty knows the CDC can only identify it if a victim comes forward who knows when he or she would have been infected, which is difficult without knowing who is the killer is passing it along.
Episode 4
The Score
44 mins
The killer: Hank Novak, the owner/manager of the Chieftain, a financially troubled live music venue/bar in Squamish. The victim: Vince Hutton, an ex-con just released from twenty years behind bars for drug smuggling, Hank's old friend from high school, and most recently the Chieftain's doorman. Vince's dead body is found outside in a remote area of Squamish, he killed by blunt force trauma to the head, the murder weapon some unknown metal object of a small roundish nature. The detectives know that Vince was killed elsewhere by the lack of blood at the crime scene. From Vince's new girlfriend, the detectives also know that Vince recently came into some money, more than a doorman would make, and in the process, in an unfortunate way for Angie, stumble upon another active investigation on the movement of stolen counterfeit goods. The person under investigation in that case, Levi Foster, becomes a primary suspect as Vince's murderer. But to discover the true motive for the murder, they will have to look at Hank's daughter, Sadie Novak, who has just been accepted to college in Chicago. Through the investigation, Angie, Paula and Brian all deal with an aspect of their respective love lives, Brian's which indirectly involves Oscar out of circumstance.
Episode 5
The Scorpion and the Frog
44 mins
The victim: Dawn Richards, a member of the Frenemies in the women's professional roller derby league. The killer: psychiatrist Dr. Henry Price. This case starts off unusually when Dr. Price comes into the police station to report to Oscar that he believes one of his patients, Peter Carver, is displaying homicidal tendencies, the description provided by Price about what Carver would do matching Dawn's case. A connection is made between Carver and Dawn, he who was one of her biggest fans. Dawn is found dead by her roommate and teammate Stacey Edmonds in her bedroom one morning with Dawn having multiple stab wounds by scissors to the neck. After she and Angie interview Stacey, Paula, without disclosing the full reason, has reason to believe Stacey is the murderer. When Oscar points the detectives in Carver's direction, Betty discovers a string of pearls in Dawn's throat. It is then that Paula provides full disclosure of why she had believed Stacey to be the killer: the murder mimics down to the string of pearls a case on which she worked three years ago of murdered Brita Morris, where her testimony put away Brita's roommate, Miranda Hurst, whose story is that she was forced to watch the real unknown male murderer kill Brita. Miranda, who to this day professes her innocence, is still in prison for Brita's murder. When all evidence points to Carver being Dawn's murderer, Paula does whatever she can to tie Carver to Miranda as she was and is certain that Miranda still did kill Brita, with Carver now looking in her mind to be an accomplice. When questioned, Carver obviously does display issues of mental disturbance of the nature described by Dr. Price. But when Brian discovers some evidence that points away from Carver, the detectives look to Dr. Price, the person who first pointed them in Carver's direction. They have to find out how Price would have known about the nature of Brita's death to tie him to Dawn's murder, with an outstanding question being of who really did kill Brita, the answer to which could affect Paula's standing in her job.
Episode 6
Interference
44 mins
The killer: Cindy Vernon, a popular music teacher at a prestigious music conservatory, and the girlfriend of the conservatory's head, Dean Teller. The victim: Tracy Blaine, the wife of Steven Blaine, who owns his own natural juice company, which is going through problems if only because of a class action lawsuit against it the result of tainted juice which led to the deaths of three people. Tracy's dead body is found in Central Park, her body impaled by a live tree branch. Betty rules that the death could not have been accidental, and that Tracy was pushed onto the branch. The nature of the case takes on some urgency when the detectives learn that Tracy was at the park with her stepson, Owen Blaine, who is now missing. The jogger that found the body is able to confirm Owen's presence at the park and that he willingly left with another woman (who indeed is Cindy). So first and foremost, they have to find out what happened to Owen, before he becomes another statistic in an abducted child killed within the first twenty-four hours. The detectives also learn that Tracy wrote a popular blog, she detailing the goings-on in her life, lately focusing on dealing with Owen's sudden and yet undiagnosed illness, which has resulted in such symptoms as vomiting and seizures, largely without Steven, who has often been out of town dealing with business concerns. The detectives feel that the blog may be the key to finding the abductor/killer, as the blog is an open book to Tracy and Owen's movements. Through the case, Angie and Paula bond over a personal issue through which Paula is going. And Brian learns of some unsettling news concerning the case against Tim Kelly, the person charged with sexually assaulting Betty in the morgue. With this news, Brian tries to help his friend in any way he can.
Episode 7
The Dead Hand
44 mins
The victim: Nancy Bailin, a bright high school student and writer for her school's newspaper. The killer: Rand Hardy, a teacher at the school and faculty advisor for the newspaper. The case of Nancy's murder takes an interesting turn six months after the fact when a woman enters the Metro Vancouver Police office with a bomb strapped to her person, she demanding the release of the person who confessed to the murder, Josh Martin, who she claims did not murder Nancy. Angie, Brian and Paula are among the hostages the woman holds in custody. Oscar, Angie, Brian, Paula and Betty all were not involved in Nancy's case/Josh's conviction so have to come up to speed on the details. The detectives quickly discover that the bomber has special interest in the case: she is Josh and Nancy's mother, Susan Bailin, Josh and Nancy being half-siblings hence their different last names. In reviewing the interrogation tape where Josh confessed, Angie, Brian and Paula find that there is a forty-five minute gap within the interrogation, from the time that Josh, a drug addict, states that he doesn't know what's going on because he was high, to the time of the actual confession. In the process, Angie is able to convince Mrs. Bailin to allow both Brian and Paula to leave the office to investigate what happened, partly about that forty-five minutes that made Josh change his mind about confessing. In the process, they also discover that Mrs. Bailin is a naval soldier with bomb expertise, she who has rigged the bomb so if she dies, the bomb will be detonated. As their investigation progresses, Angie begins to believe that Josh is indeed not the killer. As such, Angie has to strike a fine line in doing what she believes is the right thing, which is find the real killer, while protecting all in the Metro Police office from Sergeant Blunt, the tactical team leader whose sole mission seemingly is to take out Susan at any given opportunity. Brian and Paula discover one important fact about Nancy's being, which if they dig a little deeper may uncover the last "unofficial" story she herself was investigating and the reason for her murder.
Episode 8
Foreign Relations
44 mins
The victim: Julian Bishop, a British national and a fourth year History major at the University of British Columbia. The killer: Whitney Fraser, an up and coming local fashion designer. Julian's dead body is discovered next to a beach the night after his fraternity hosted a party. Julian's mother, Rosemary Bishop, a high profile British politician, has had death threats made against her before. As such, the British government has requested that Interpol be involved to investigate the possibility that an assassin was hired to kill Julian. Interpol assigns London-based Agent Jack Stoker. All that are involved on the case from the Canadian side of the ocean are intrigued by Stoker, who adds a bit of flair to the investigation. Julian was last seen by his fraternity brothers leaving the party with an unknown slightly older woman. There are reports that Julian was also seen recently with a geeky young woman, someone who was not generally his type. Both these women may provide some key evidence into Julian's murder. Stoker's knowledge of the threats against Julian's mother may also provide useful in uncovering exactly what Julian himself was up to prior to his murder. Meanwhile, Oscar continues to take flack from Chief Wells for how he has dealt publicly with the Susan Bailin case. And Betty updates Brian among others on the Tim Kelly case.
Episode 9
Remains to Be Seen
44 mins
The victim: Dave Briggs, Jr., a brilliant but temperamental and poor video game designer, whose control over the crowd-source funded current video game project on which he is working, that control which has drawn out the process for two years, irks his colleagues on the project. The killer: James Lennathan, an antiques hunter, who owns an antique shop with his personal and professional partner, Heather, and who is an alcoholic who apparently has control over his drinking. The detectives are called in on a case without a body when there is a massive pool of human blood found in the studio where much of the work on the game is happening, with a small human bone chip among the blood. The detectives know that a murder did occur as the victim, who is assumed to be Dave, was wearing a motion capture body suit with the resulting screen capture showing whoever was wearing the suit being decapitated at the site where the blood is located. Betty is able to determine that the blood and bone do belong to Dave. Dave's colleagues mention that Dave was becoming paranoid, believing that someone was following him. The detectives find, in searching Dave's sparse apartment, that he was preoccupied by his father, Dave Briggs, Sr., a former local investigative reporter, having abandoned the family years earlier. The detectives are able to confirm by a former colleague of Sr.'s that Jr. was convinced that Sr. did not desert them but was murdered probably for a story on which he was working, and Jr. was trying to find evidence of such. That evidence may provide the detectives with the identity and motive for Jr.'s murder. A person assisting on this case is Stoker, whose return to England is delayed as he has been made temporary Interpol liaison until a permanent person is appointed. His stay in Vancouver makes he and Angie examine the state of their relationship. And Betty is preparing her testimony for the Tim Kelly case. Brian learns from Oscar that the prosecutor has decided not to use the testimony of the criminal that Brian provided, basically letting Brian off the hook for what was his illegal action in helping Betty. What Oscar does not tell Brian is that he was the one who made the decision, not the prosecutor. They will all soon find out if Betty's testimony alone is enough for a conviction.
Episode 10
In Plain Sight
44 mins
The victim: Chloe Wilson. The killer: Jessica Wilson, her older sister. Chloe's "Jane Doe" dead body is found in a house under construction, she killed by several shots by a nail gun. She is eventually identified by one of the home subcontractors, Cam Riley, her boyfriend of three months, the two who were supposed to rendezvous at the house to test out the just installed amazing bathtub the evening before, with Cam needing to cancel their date. It is then that the detectives discover the Wilsons' story... Twenty years ago, Ava Wilson, Chloe and Jessica's mother, was estranged from her husband, Jeremy Sheridan, the children's father. Three year old Chloe was abducted by her father. Jessica, then an adolescent, witnessed the incident, and still feels guilty for not having been able to save her sister. Ava is now close to death, she at stage IV cirrhosis of the liver, with Jessica dedicating her life as her caregiver. Jessica decided once again, after many failed attempts, to hire a private detective to locate Chloe to reunite the family before Ava's imminent passing. This private detective, Ian Mitchell, was able to locate Chloe and reunite the family as per his client Jessica's wishes. Apparently, Chloe was able to escape from her father when she was fifteen, but had never tried to locate her mother or sister as her father long ago told her they were dead. Despite outward harmony displayed by Ava and Jessica toward Chloe, the detectives discover that Ava was providing large sums of money to Chloe without telling Jessica, who may have felt that Chloe was now manipulating Ava in order to receive the bulk of the inheritance. This information, along with an important aspect of a now grown up Chloe's being, places Jessica at the top of the suspect list. However, the rationale for the killing is a little more complicated. Meanwhile, Chief Wells has requested Internal Affairs in the form of Sgt. Saunders to investigate Oscar's interference in the Tim Kelly case, Oscar's move which was all in an effort to protect Brian.
Episode 11
Natural Selection
44 mins
The victim: twenty-three year old Liz Kerr, a product of the foster care system, a college graduate and currently a coffee house barista. The killer: Seth Armstrong, the father of Liz's friend and coworker Rachel Armstrong. Liz's dead body is found by her boyfriend Ron Dacksell in her apartment. The two participated in medieval live-action role play (LARP) battles, with Liz killed by the mace Ron used in those LARPs. The detectives have many people to contact for the investigation based on the number of people who Liz called or called Liz recently on her cell phone. They find that Liz was a free spirit and had many friends and lovers, about which she was open to all those involved except perhaps Ron, who probably thought they were exclusive. As such, Ron moves to the top of the suspect list as a potentially jealous boyfriend. The detectives also discover that everyone who knew Liz loved Liz, whether they be friends or lovers. In that friends category is Rachel, who seems to be the opposite of Liz in that she lives a sheltered life with her conservative parents Seth and Dana, who believe in family values in the traditional sense. Passed down to Rachel from her parents is the belief in abstinence until marriage. As Rachel and Liz's friendship becomes more of a focus for the detectives, they begin to suspect one of the Armstrongs as being the killer. It is Liz's threat to their family unit that is the probable motive, with their outward Christian fundamentalist values masking their true beliefs. In the process of the investigation, Oscar and Angie accidentally learn some information about Ron's counsel, which leads to further issues between Oscar and Chief Wells. And as Jack will soon be heading back to London, he and Angie talk about their future, which if there is to be one will probably mean a change of job and residence for one of them.
Episode 12
Chronology of Pain
44 mins
The victim: Judge Natalie Rodman, one of Angie's old law professors and someone who was instrumental in her changing her life around and getting into police work. The killer: Lexi Moore, one of Judge Rodman's new law clerks. The case, which starts off as an arson call at Judge Rodman and her writer husband Brent Rodman's house, has Angie as acting Staff Sergeant with Oscar's retirement, Brian trying to avoid Sergeant Saunders who wants to speak to him, and both Angie and Brian being reunited with a now more mature face from their professional past. The arson in question was an exploding barbecue, which the arson detectives discover was a purposefully set "bomb" of sorts in the form of three hidden butane tanks planted inside the barbecue which would explode when ignited. The Rodmans believe that if it was indeed a murder attempt, Judge Rodman was the target as the known chef between the two of them, and as she probably has many enemies that have come before her in her court. Eventually, Judge Rodman dies from the internal injuries suffered from the barbecue explosion, those injuries which were not evident on the surface and which were irrevocable in that medical attention would not have saved her. After Judge Rodman's death, Angie is certain that she was not being totally forthright in the post-explosion interview. Angie will learn why when she begins to uncover some unsavory issues from the Judge's past. Angie and Brian also uncover Judge Rodman's ties to a young offenders boot camp called Nature Bound, which they believe is integral to discovering the murderer and motive. As they get close to concluding the case, Angie contemplates a first in her life as a detective, and Brian makes a decision with regard to Sergeant Saunders' want to talk to him.
Episode 13
We'll Always Have Homicide
44 mins
The victim: Trent McAllister, the owner of International Bailiff Services, a company that specializes in high end repossessions. His mangled dead body is found next to a helicopter he was probably repossessing, he killed by being caught in the helicopter's moving rear rotor. The killer: Lexi Moore, the young woman who three years earlier killed Judge Natalie Rodman and mechanic Mark Duff, the two associated cases still unsolved. The Metro Vancouver Homicide Department investigating the case is comprised of Sergeant Gavin Saunders, and Detectives Paula Mazur and Mitch Kennecki. Some stray cat hairs at the crime scene tie this case back to that of Judge Rodman's. As such, those who worked on Judge Rodman's investigation are called back into service for this case, those being Sergeant Brian Lucas with Internal Affairs, and Paris-based Interpol Agent Angie Flynn. This case is a bittersweet reunion for Angie with Oscar, as besides Oscar's want for Angie to return to Vancouver permanently to work for him as an investigator for his company called Tabula Rasa which helps those unfairly convicted, he represents Duncan and Bally Anderson, two people of interest in this case as McAllister's estranged son-in-law and daughter. That estrangement is due to McAllister successfully getting Duncan charged and convicted of sexual interference eighteen years ago when Duncan was nineteen and Bally sixteen, despite the fact of the closeness of Duncan and Bally's ages and their relationship being consensual. That conviction still haunts them to this day, and also affects their son Thomas Anderson as the offspring of a convicted child sexual molester, for which he is constantly taunted. This case adds a complication to Duncan and Bally's lives as they long told Thomas that his maternal grandfather was dead, not wanting him to know that he was the cause of Duncan and therefore by association their family's problems. Thomas, an aspiring on-air radio DJ, finding out about the role his grandfather played in his family's problems and divulging that to his radio station mentor, Shawn Bailey, and Shawn's girlfriend Lexi may provide the link for those investigating the case. The ultimate questions become how determined Lexi is to protect herself as the perpetrator of these crimes, and how determined Angie is to solve especially Judge Rodman's murder this second time around, Angie who has a limited amount of time before she needs to head back to her current Interpol job in Paris.
