S4·E22 Old Friends

Episode recap

In the twenty‑second episode of the fourth season, titled “Old Friends,” a routine traffic accident quickly escalates into a complex homicide investigation. The episode opens with a truck striking a pedestrian on a city street, the victim collapsing beneath the vehicle before emergency responders arrive. Detectives from the precinct are called to the scene, where they begin a standard collection of physical evidence, interview witnesses, and review surveillance footage to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Initial findings suggest the impact was accidental, but the detectives’ deeper inquiry uncovers a surprising connection between the victim and a prominent baby‑food corporation. Records obtained from the company reveal that the deceased had been employed in a senior capacity, handling product development and distribution. Further probing uncovers that the corporation has recently taken on a new business partner, whose background checks raise red flags. The partner is identified as having financial ties to organized crime groups operating out of Russia, a fact that draws the attention of both the precinct’s organized‑crime unit and the district attorney’s office.

The investigation proceeds with the detectives securing financial documents, conducting covert surveillance, and interviewing corporate executives. Their efforts expose a pattern of illicit money laundering and intimidation tactics used by the Russian‑linked partner to influence the baby‑food company’s operations. The evidence points to a motive for silencing the victim, who had reportedly discovered the partner’s illegal activities and threatened to expose them.

With the case handed over to the district attorney’s team, prosecutors begin assembling a criminal complaint. They focus on charges of conspiracy, racketeering, and homicide, drawing on the forensic evidence, financial records, and testimony gathered by the detectives. The episode follows the procedural transition from police investigation to courtroom strategy, illustrating the series’ hallmark split between law