Ep 1. In the Dark

In the Dark is the first episode of the third season of Without A Trace, an American police procedural television series. The show stars Anthony LaPaglia, Poppy Montgomery, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Enrique Murciano, Roselyn Sánchez, and Eric Close. The episode originally aired on CBS on September 23, 2004, and was directed by Hank Steinberg.

The episode begins with Samantha Spade (Poppy Montgomery) and Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) investigating the disappearance of a young woman named Sarah Marie Conroy. Sarah, a 21-year-old student, has been missing for four days, and her last known location was a park in Brooklyn. Samantha and Jack arrive at the park and start interviewing witnesses and family members. They discover that Sarah is a promising student who was about to transfer to a prestigious university.

The team splits up, and Martin (Eric Close) and Vivian (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) track down Sarah’s roommate, who tells them that Sarah had been depressed lately and that she had a fight with her boyfriend, Tim, before she disappeared. Meanwhile, Elena (Roselyn Sánchez) and Danny (Enrique Murciano) talk to Sarah’s parents, who are devastated by their daughter’s disappearance.

As the investigation unfolds, the team uncovers a troubling past involving Sarah’s family. Her father, Tom Conroy, is a successful businessman who has a history of shady dealings. He had a mistress, and Sarah’s mother had been struggling with alcoholism. Sam and Jack begin to suspect that Tom may have something to do with Sarah’s disappearance.

The team discovers that Sarah had been working on a story for her journalism class about a drug dealer who was operating in the park where she was last seen. They track down the dealer and find out that Sarah had been digging too deep and had subsequently been threatened. They also find out that Tim, her boyfriend, had been working in the park and that he had lied to the team about his whereabouts.

Danny and Elena find a witness who saw Sarah talking to a man in the park. The team releases a composite sketch of the man, and they soon receive a call that leads them to an abandoned building. They go in and find Sarah, who has been beaten and tied up. They rescue her and take her to the hospital, where she is treated for her injuries.

In the end, the team discovers that Sarah’s father was not involved in her disappearance, but that the drug dealer who she was investigating was responsible. He had beaten and kidnapped her, but was caught and brought to justice. The episode ends with Sarah’s family reunited and grateful to the team for bringing their daughter back.

Without A Trace is a gripping police procedural that follows the investigations of an FBI Missing Persons Unit. In the Dark is a tense and engaging episode that showcases the team’s expertise in solving complex cases. The show is known for its well-written scripts, strong performances, and realistic portrayal of law enforcement work. Fans of crime dramas will find this episode and the series as a whole to be a must-watch.