Description[]
On the fifth anniversary of the shooting death of 15-year-old Skill Jones in North Philly, Miller, who was the first person on the scene, notices another victim's box next to Skill's: 14-year-old Madison Reed had been shot and killed at the exact same minute on the exact same day in Chestnut Hill. Seeing a possible connection, the squad reopens both cases. Meanwhile, Vera pays a heavy price when his long working hours interfere with his relationship with Toni.
Synopsis[]
2002 Skill Jones and Madison Reed are outside their schools. Reed hopes a boy named Michael Ellis will ask her to the dance. Skill recites some kind of poetry. Shots ring out at 8:03 A.M. Both Skill and Madison are dead. Kat Miller runs up to Skill and he dies in her arms. Both cases went cold.
Present Rush, Valens, Jeffries and Vera walk along a Philadelphia sidewalk. Jeffries says Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Thomas called him. Vera says she's hot and Scotty replies "if you like that type." Vera is also the number one laughing stock after he mentions Toni Halstead and bringing her to the ballet. Miller meanwhile is at storage. Rush visits her to see what's up.
The two talk about the murders of Skill and Madison. This day is the fifth anniversary of their deaths; they were both shot outside their school on the same day at 8:03 am. Are they connected, the detectives wonder? But Skill went to a public school in a poor neighborhood while Madison went to a tony private school.
They talk to Lt. John Stillman about the cases. Madison was shot with a .357 and was last seen with Michael. They are both curious about the murders being linked. Miller decides to visit Toomey Nelson, a crackhead and former informant from those days. There with Vera, Nelson flashes off a necklace called the "dream catcher". He says that Skill was one of the only people who gave him respect. He recalls a night where Skill and another drug dealer torture Champ, who was also a drug dealer who invaded their territory. Skill is forced to take Champ's ear off, which he does. It happens only a few weeks before Skill's murder, after New Year's Eve.
Rush and Scotty talk with Michael. Michael tells them that weeks before Madison was shot, Michael came over to her house saying his mom can't come over to book club. Madison's dad left weeks before and she's depressed about it. Madison's purse falls over and vials and needles come out. Madison tells him not to say anything which he agrees. We also see the mom, Shirley Reed. The drugs might connect her to Skill's murder.
Vera talks with Toni and reminds her of the "life of a cop". The ballet tickets are expired and Vera says that he won't miss it again, the same thing he said last week. They talk about Andre and how Skill is not that much older. The talk eventually leads to Vera being dumped.
Rush says that meth might have kept Madison up during nights and Skill might be her dealer. Then the name Gibby Hanes comes up. He was arrested for drug charges and was a schoolmate of Madison's. Maybe Gibby was connected to Skill. Then Madisen's mom comes in pissed because they think Madison might have been a druggie.
Miller and Jeffries decide to talk with Skill's grandpa. He says that Skill's parents both were gone because of drugs. He recalls the night where Champ's ear was cut off by a player. Skill's clothes and hands had blood on them. Skill says he wants out of the gang and to find peace. The gun is not the answer it never was and never will be. Skill's gun was also a 357 Glock.
Rush and Valens talk to Gibby. He says he dealt some meth at his school and pot from his sock drawer. He claims he was cool because he wasn't a jock but still had something. He also said he dealt drugs so he could get laid. He stopped after almost blowing up his mother's stove. He says he brought her to North Philly for money and sex also so she could get some drugs. Madison found her mother there and she'd been there for 2 days.
Rush and Stillman talk to Shirley. They show her Skill's photo. He was one of her dealers. She mentions being at rehab where she and Madison talk. The rehab cannot admit Shirley because the center is full. Shirley later goes out and gets high.
Miller and Vera visit Skill's school. Vera admits Toni dumped him. They talk with Skill's teacher. She recalls an incident where she assigned Skill to read out loud but Skill couldn't, making the other kids laugh at him. Then Michael calls Skill.
Jeffries and Stillman talk to Michael. Michael says he needed Skill's help in order to find Madison. Michael says Skill wouldn't help at first but they soon found her. She was looking for her mom. She also took some drugs while there. Skill and Madison talk and Madison offers him her necklace. The same dreamcatcher necklace Toomey had. Michael says Skill planned to sell the gun to Gibby.
Miller interrogates Toomey and Scotty and Lilly interrogate Gibby. They all eventually get Toomey and Gibby to confess. In 2002, Toomey shows Skill his brand new gun which he found in a dumpster. Skill said that he didn't want to be like Toomey. Toomey then shoots and kills Skill. Gibby shows his gun to Madison but Madison calls him a loser. Gibby then shoots and kills Madison.
Gibby and Toomey look at each other. Shirley goes to rehab and sees Madison. Skill's grandpa sees Skill at the school studying. Michael stares at school. Vera sits at his desk sad about Toni, but Scotty offers him a beer and they have a toast. Kat sees Madison and Skill giving her grateful smiles.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kathryn Morris as Lilly Rush
- Danny Pino as Scotty Valens
- John Finn as John Stillman
- Jeremy Ratchford as Nick Vera
- Thom Barry as Will Jeffries
- Tracie Thoms as Kat Miller
Guest Cast[]
- Ernie Hudson as Moses Jones
- Jeremiah Birkett as Toomey Nelson
- Lucinda Jenney as Shirley Reed
- Alexa Nikolas as Madison Reed
- Tristan Wilds as Skill Jones
- Jodi Carlisle as Miss Boyd
- Graham Hamilton as Gibby Hanes
And[]
- Sonja Sohn as Toni Halstead
Co-Starring[]
- Melody Butiu as Clinic Worker
- Rickey T. Chaney as Champ
- Thomas Kasp as Michael Ellis (2002)
- Jordan Potter as Michael Ellis (2007)
- Christian Redd as Dealer #1
Notes[]
Music[]
All songs are performed by U2
- Beautiful Day
- Window In The Skies
- Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
- Running To Stand Still
- Bad
- Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
- MLK
- Closing Song: With Or Without You
Season 4 Episodes |
Rampage | The War at Home | Sandhogs | Baby Blues | Saving Sammy | Static | The Key | Fireflies | Lonely Hearts | Forever Blue | The Red and the Blue | Knuckle Up | Blackout | 8:03 AM | Blood on the Tracks | The Good-Bye Room | Shuffle, Ball Change | A Dollar, A Dream | Offender | Stand Up and Holler | Torn | Cargo | The Good Death | Stalker |