Season 5, Episode 8 kicks off with Andy ranting to Sam about how mad she is at Oliver. Sam suggests she just talk to Oliver but Andy says she's going to put a smile on her face and pretend everything is okay. Sam reminds her she doesn't have a good poker face but Andy doesn't care. The conversation ends with a sweet exchange, but Andy is still upset.
Cut to Chris attending an addiction help meeting under the name Dave. When he's coaxed into explaining why he's there, he says his roommate suggested it to slow things down and help him gain some balance. "I have a stressful job," says Chris, "I lost custody of my son who turned out actually not to be my son. It's not that I'm an addict per se, but I'm feeling a little lost."
Chris tells Dov, who had been waiting outside for him, that he thought the meeting was helpful, though the sarcastic tone he uses makes Dov suspect he isn't taking it seriously.
Shoot to Nick at the station writing a warrant for a raid Steve is conducting. Nick requests to participate and Steve says he wants him to lead it. Then Traci, who'd been helping Nick, gets an email from Dex's lawyer stating Dex wants full spousal support, child support and sole custody. Steve assures her it's just a scare tactic but Traci says it's working.
Elsewhere in 15 Division, Inspector Jarvis tells Oliver that he thinks the Steve and Nick-led effort to raid a gambling ring funding gang activity is a waste of resources. Jarvis oddly wants him instead to double up patrols in an area where crime is rare and it's usually minor offenses anyway. Oliver tries to resist the suggestion but Jarvis won't take no for an answer. We can already see Oliver truly did make a deal with the Devil. He's under Jarvis's thumb.
During parade, Oliver reluctantly informs the officers that instead of the raid, the day's mission will be community patrol. Andy makes a rude comment out loud to which Oliver replies sharply. He then calls Dov out for blowing off a meeting he'd set up for him with someone from the intelligence department (Dov had been with Chris instead). Then he sarcastically praises Chris for actually being at work and tells everyone he is no longer going to be their sounding board and friend and that they all need to get it together.
In the next scene, as Gail and Andy are on patrol together, Andy rambles about Oliver's behavior. Gail responds with her typical sarcasm but in a more friendly way than usual, asking Andy if she "lost her magical sash that gives her super nice powers."
Back at the station, Steve is bummed about the raid getting cancelled but tells Traci they can get them next week. He then pulls Traci aside to talk about something. He presents surveillance photos of Dex at the very same gambling club they were going to raid. Steve says if Dex is caught there, he could go to prison. This doesn't sit well with Traci.
Meanwhile, Chris and Dov are on patrol together and they soon get a call about a car idling in a driveway with the door open for a long time. When they arrive, the scene looks suspicious. Enter the episode's criminal case.
The Case
The door to the house is open and there are signs of struggle or ransacking. Eventually they find Ewan, one of the homeowners locked in a room. He explains that he lives there with his wife, who is at the airport currently, and his stepson, who is at school. He says he forgot his passport so he hurried back home, found the house a mess and when he ran to his studio to check his music gear, he got locked in because the door is busted and you can't open it from the inside. He later tells the officer what was stolen--it seems to be random items--and that his wife Jacqlyn owns a PR firm.
Upstairs, Dov finds the stepson, Seth, bound and gagged. In the process of Dov getting his statement Seth expresses his distaste for his stepfather. Seth calls him a mistake his mom made, and then explains that he ditched school to get a new game console but it was stolen in the robbery.
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Back at the station, Oliver tells Sam he's having an existential crisis: He wants to be a granola bar guy but knows he's a candy bar guy in reality. Then he vents about hating the politics that come with his new position as staff sergeant and Sam reminds him of something Oliver himself tells rookies: be the cop you are, not the cop you think you are supposed to be. Soon Oliver tells Nick and Steve to proceed with the raid.
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The Case
Andy and Gail join Chris and Dov at the scene of the apparent robbery. The officers decide that the thief probably knows the family since "he" knew they would not be home and that the studio door was busted. Chris then sketchily steps away to make a call. When Jacqlyn arrives she is frantic, and as the officers are calming her down, Ewan comes down the stairs to meet her and downplays the incident like it's no big deal.
As Dov and the other officers continue to peruse the house, Dov ponders aloud how Ewan and Jacqlyn are a couple since Ewan is "the big chill" and Jacqlyn is "strung like a violin" kind of reminds me of Andy and Sam if you ask me. Then Andy notices that a window was broken from the inside, which means the robbery appears staged.
At the station, Chloe presents Sam with the family's financial statements that prove Jacqlyn's company is going under and collection agencies are already all over them.
Sam tells Ewan about Jacqlyn and that the robbery looks like insurance fraud. Ewan is surprised and eventually admits to having had a stash of weed in his studio that was stolen--that not many people knew was there.
A couple of scenes later, Dov talks to Seth again. Seth blames the robbery on his stepfather and his drug business, which Ewan runs without Jacqlyn's knowledge. He also mentions how poorly Ewan and Jacqlyn get along.
Back at the station Andy and Gail get Jacqlyn to admit her financial problems. When they then tell her that they believe the thief is connected to Ewan and his illegal activities, Jacqlyn is shocked to learn her husband's secret, but asks where the pot was hidden.
Cut to Gail and Andy informing Sam that Jacqlyn hid a motion triggered nanny cam in the studio because she thought Ewan was cheating. Sam tells Gail to follow up the lead and Andy makes a comment about Jacqlyn hiding her feelings. Sam says she's taking the path of least resistance like Andy is with Oliver. Andy retorts, "or you... with everything." It's a playful exchange but it touches on a huge issue Andy has with Sam. Might this issue arise again to wreck their relationship once more?
Later, as Dov talks to Gail on the phone, he goes through the video footage until they see a clear image of the suspect and Gail tells Dov to bring the camera in to the station to try to ID the culprit.
Soon Chris walks into the room and asks Dov if he's seen his phone; (earlier Dov had been on the phone trying to reschedule his meeting when Chris's phone received a text). Dov says "yeah, good news your dealer texted, you can pick up your blow after shift, bad news you should really put a password on your phone... and we solved the case, thanks for your help." As they are arguing about Chris's problem yet again, Seth walks in the room and sees the suspect on camera. At first he has a look of recognition but then swears he's never seen the guy before. Seth then walks away. Chris and Dov continue arguing; at some point Chris tells Dov "it's not like I'm your junkie brother." The fight is interrupted when they hear a gunshot. Seth had tried to kill himself but somehow he's alive and has enough strength to tell Dov that the guy in the video is his friend Tim. They robbed the house to get enough money to run away but they panicked when Ewan came home and tried to cover it up.
As Chris and Dov are trying to save Seth, they smell gas; the bullet hit a gas line. They decide to risk moving Seth and get out of the house, but they find themselves locked in the studio. Chris plies through the sheet rock but passes out from gas inhalation before he fully succeeds. Dov picks up where Chris left off and manages to get through and open the door. Chris wakes up and they manage to get Seth outside where EMS, firefighters, Sam and Andy and other officers are waiting for them. EMS thinks Seth will survive.
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The Raid
As the robbery case unfolded, Steve and Nick worked on the raid. After Steve told her about Dex, Traci arranged for Dex to meet her. She shows him the evidence of him at the gambling ring and tells him not to go or he'll be arrested. He apologizes and claims it's how he's covering his legal fees. Traci just asks him to keep the tip between them, and Dex swears he will.
However, later, Steve, Nick and their team find the gambling room at the restaurant empty during their raid, with donuts and coffee on the table with a message. It's clear the criminals were tipped off.
When Steve tells Traci what happened, she admits to warning Dex but says Dex promised not to tell anyone. Steve is furious and points out to Traci that Dex is a liar and he continuously lies to and plays Traci. He walks away angrily but at the end of the episode, when Oliver asks Steve how the raid failed so badly, Steve stops Traci from confessing her sin and takes the blame. Oliver is not happy about having to tell Jarvis the news.
However, Traci later discovers Steve had been tailing Dex before surveilling the gambling ring-- the raid was all about arresting Dex. Steve says he was just looking out for her but Traci is furious. Will they get past this?
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After the robbery case is concluded, Dov tells Chris he is going to tell Oliver about his drug problem. Chris tries to stop him but Dov says, "the more I help you keep your secret, the longer you avoid dealing with it. Eventually you won't know how to deal with it and I'll find you hanging from the ceiling or dead from an overdose. I lose you either way." So Chris promises that he'll go talk to Oliver even though it means he'll probably be fired.
Chris leaves and Chloe approaches Dov asking to talk to him but he is too upset over Chris and rudely brushes her off, to Chloe's dismay.
Elsewhere, in the locker room, Gail encourages Andy to forgive Oliver.
Andy realizes Gail is right and finally confronts Oliver. She gives a cute speech about wanting to be over it and trying to become happy again by pretending she is and then asks Oliver if he's actually okay with what happened. Oliver says he's not and that he's on Andy's side. He looks as if he might tell Andy about the deal he struck and why, but he doesn't. Andy accepts the words he has said, though, and before she leaves, Oliver expresses his gratitude for her forgiveness.
It's a cute, touching scene, but we'll see what happens when Duncan is back in the mix...
Tune in to ABC August 14 at 9 p.m. for the next episode of Rookie Blue to see how all these relationships survive further complications.