Part two of the season four finale picks up right where last week's episode left off. Kevin Ford has driven Oliver's squad car to an empty lot in some kind of field, with Oliver tied up in the trunk. He removes the car's tracker and knocks out Oliver once again.
Cut to Sam and Andy in a squad car with Marlo. Marlo insists to Sam that she hasn't seen Kevin since the night before his neighbor beat him up. Nick calls Andy to tell her about Marlo's basement: the walls are covered in maps, notes, pictures, etc of Kevin—it looks bad. Nick says no one has seen it yet, he's still waiting on Oliver. Andy just tells him to keep her posted and then tells Marlo they need to talk about Nick's discovery.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Dov finally tells Wes that he's dating Chloe and when Dov defends his delay by saying he was caught off guard, that he didn't know about Wes, Wes says "I'm not sure if that says more about my relationship with her or yours." Dov agrees, clearly annoyed with the still-unconscious Chloe that she's kept such a huge secret from him. Then, after further discussion, Wes implies he's still going to go for Chloe.
At the station, Kevin's lawyer tells Frank, Traci, and Luke that Kevin is out of his mind. She says he attacked her at the hospital when she told him filing a lawsuit against police for unjustly persecuting him would take a while. The nurses said he'd suffered brain trauma, which Luke noted meant the potential for erratic behavior, paranoia, trouble with impulse control. The lawyer then said he blamed 15 division and he'd said he wasn't going to stop until it was over. Chris and Gail are sent to find Kevin's brother, and everyone else is ordered to track down his white panel van.
Steve approaches Gail and tells her to be safe, in what is one of their first and only sibling moments since Steve came into the picture. Chris says he has her back—always has, always will. (Chris and Gail reunion in the future?) Then Holly approaches them to see Gail, but when she tries to embrace her romantically, Gail shakes her head, embarrassed. Gail leaves a dejected Holly without so much as a hug.
Elsewhere, Sam scolds Marlo for leaving all that evidence up at her house but points out that at least she can probably help them find Kevin and Oliver. Andy then tells Sam that she and Nick can't reach Oliver on his cell or radio and dispatch said he's been parked at the same location for 45 minutes. Andy and Sam go to the address and find the removed tracking box, realizing Oliver has been taken.
At Kevin's place, Luke finds evidence of 'final acts,' and a hit list taped to Kevin's computer: Marlo, Sam, Oliver, Andy, Chloe, Dov and Nick. Then, Andy and Sam meet up with Frank and the detectives at Marlo's place, where they share information; Oliver's cell has no signal and Kevin's van was found around the corner. When Traci calls them in to see something, Frank tells Sam and Andy that they are to remain at the station until Kevin's apprehended. Once in Marlo's basement, Traci assesses that Marlo has every file on Kevin going back three years. Sam tries to play it off like she just followed up on a hunch, but Luke is not satisfied so Sam admits that Marlo slipped but she's back on her meds. When Luke asks about the medicine, Andy explains Marlo's condition and that she's convinced Kevin Ford killed the little boy three years ago. Luke is pissed as hell and storms off, ordering them to box up Marlo's evidence in case it helps them track down Kevin.
Meanwhile, soon after Dov begins to talk to Wes about what happens relationship-wise when Chloe wakes up, the doctor comes in and tells them they want to operate on a clot that Chloe has, but there is a serious risk of increased swelling during the operation that could lead to brain death. Wes asks about other options, and the doctor says it might dissipate naturally, but if it doesn't, it could lead to neural damage or paralysis.
At the station, Frank tells Sam, Andy and Nick to stay put, while everyone else is sent to look for Oliver's squad car. Gail then tells Luke that she and Chris have brought in Kevin's brother Abe.
In the interrogation room, Abe says he hasn't seen Kevin in a week but admits he knew he was spinning out. He then accuses them of giving Kevin a hard time, later insisting he doesn't know where Kevin is.
Cut to Kevin tying Oliver up to some kind of metal structure in a big empty room. As Oliver comes to, Kevin booby-traps the entrances. He tells Oliver he knows him and Oliver points out that he was the one who called EMS for Kevin, to which Kevin says "funny considering you put him up to it." He goes on to say, "that bitch [Marlo] has it out for me and you're part of it so don't, just don't." Then he mentions the list and how he's already got Chloe but wishes he'd gotten Andy too. Oliver tries to talk him down but Kevin just hits him again.
Meanwhile, in a squad car, Chris tries to assure Gail that they'll find Oliver. She gives a surprisingly heartfelt speech about wanting to hear Oliver tell another dumb joke and Chloe to wake up so she can make fun of her to her face. "That's life as it was, life as it should be... we've had it very, very easy," says Gail. Chris points out that last year was rough but Gail says it feels like it happened to someone else, and how she handled certain things seems stupid now. Chris philosophically says "Maybe that's part of the plan... I'm just saying when it's dark enough you can see the stars." Here lies the name of the episode... I love when they do that!
At the station, Andy and Sam find parking tickets written for Kevin's van among Marlo's files, and when they look up the location, they find four more tickets for the same intersection—from the past week. Abe tells Luke and Traci that they lived around there as kids and their father worked night shifts as security for a church there. When Traci asks if there's a reason Kevin would go back to the church, Abe admits that his father would take one of them to work with him some nights and implies he'd sexually abuse them. "It's how you deal with it that matters," said Abe. "I put myself together, but Kevin fell apart."
Meanwhile, Kevin prepares to shoot at police when they arrive at the building we now know is a church. He starts telling Oliver about what happened with his father and manically yells, "I never touched that kid, people who do that are sick and I hate them, and now people think I'm the one thing that I hate the most."
Steve, humorous as usual, expresses concern for Traci, who's preparing to go to the church. As he's rambling, Traci kisses him and then invites him to dinner after it's over.
The police arrive at the church and as they enter through the only entrance not booby-trapped, Oliver warns them about Kevin, but no shots are fired and all they find in the building is Kevin's rifle.
Elsewhere, Dov is trying to convince Wes, who has final say, that they should let the doctors operate on Chloe but Wes refuses, claiming Chloe wouldn't want it and Dov would know that if he knew her better.
Back at the station, Nick tells Marlo they found Oliver but not Kevin, and says they have officers at every other location he might go, including his brother's cabin. Marlo says he's not going to go there, he used it as his alibi in the case of the murdered child and it didn't add up then. She says Abe had claimed they'd spent the weekend there together but there was no evidence of it and witnesses didn't see any vehicles there the whole time. After considering, Marlo suggests that maybe she was looking at the wrong brother in the murder case.
Cut to Sam telling Andy he's going home. Andy tries to stop him, pointing out that Kevin's still out there. He tells her that's why she should stay put, to which Andy says, "Oh but not you... you're bulletproof." Eventually, Sam breaks down and says, "I can't be here anymore with you... it's my fault. I screwed it up over and over and over again. Andy, I want you to be happy... more than anything I could ever want for myself and you are, with him. And that means... I gotta go."
He turns to leave but when they walk outside they see Oliver's squad car and realize Kevin is in the building. They split up and search for him, as Kevin easily makes his way through the office, disguised as an officer.
Nick and Marlo are following the possibility that Abe is the real perpetrator of the murder three years ago. As Nick steps through the doorway on his way to talk to Abe, Kevin appears in front of him, gun raised. Before Kevin fires, Sam calls out and Kevin shoots Sam instead. Nick then shoots Kevin. Andy rushes to Sam and gets into the ambulance with him. Along the way, Andy tells him about a night they were together when she cried from a bad dream and Sam grabbed her, half-asleep, and said, "I'm right here, I'm gonna hold on to you and I'm never gonna let you go." Andy says that she knew right then that she'd never feel more loved or more known. "I love you," says Andy. "You're my story Sam..." Then she kisses his forehead. I want to be happy for the former couple, but poor Nick.
At the hospital, Dov learns the doctors couldn't convince Wes to let them operate on Chloe, and Wes has demanded time alone with his wife. Dov is helpless.
Back at the station, Luke tells Marlo they're moving Sam into surgery and then says they're going to have to deal with what's happened with her. He sends her home and before she leaves, she sees him go into the interrogation room with Abe, tell him Kevin's dead and begin asking him about the murdered child, Marcus Hartley.
Elsewhere in the station, Holly approaches Gail. This time Gail embraces her and introduces her to Chris and Steve. Later, Marlo finally breaks into tears when she's cleaning her locker and sees a picture of her and Sam. I'm not sure if she's upset because she blames herself for him getting shot, or because she knows she lost him to Andy... probably both.
In the closing scene, Andy apologizes to Nick, presumably for her reaction to what happened. In his usual great-guy fashion he assures her she needn't worry. Then he tops his list of noble acts by volunteering Andy when the doctor tells Frank only one person can see Sam, now that he's out of surgery. But when she walks away he finally lets his cool facade be replaced by a look of heartbreak and anguish. In the final moment of season four, Andy looks on emotionally as doctors try to stabilize Sam.
What an emotional ending to an emotional season. It's incredibly frustrating that we now have two love triangles to worry about and won't get to see what happens with them for almost a whole year. But I suppose that's the point of season finales—to frustrate you into counting down the days. I fear, am excited for, but most of all, am eager to see what happens in season five of this exciting, endearing show.
Image credit: ABC Medianet