Ep 3. Task Force Red Dog

In the Line of Duty season 1 episode 3, titled "Task Force Red Dog," follows two stories that intertwine. The first story begins with an FBI agent, Will Graham who recently lost his partner in a drug bust gone wrong. Graham is forced to partner up with a new agent, Terry Dodd, who has a past of working with the controversial "Red Dog" task force. The Red Dog task force is a special unit formed to deal with drug-related crimes in the south. But, the unit has a reputation for being corrupt and racially biased. As Graham and Dodd investigate a new drug ring in Alabama, they slowly uncover the extent of the Red Dog task force's corruption. Concurrently, in Georgia, a woman named Rita Sanders is brutally murdered in her home. The second story follows Detective Jim Ellis and his partner, Roy Coley, as they investigate the murder of Sanders. Their investigation leads them to uncover a bigger conspiracy in the local police department.

As Graham and Dodd dig deeper into the drug ring, they encounter a lot of resistance from the locals, and their questions get them noticed by the Red Dog task force leadership. They face constant threats and intimidation tactics from members of the task force as they try to gather evidence. Dodd, who has a complicated past with the Red Dog unit, struggles to keep his emotions in check as he is reminded of the previous corruption within the team. Graham, on the other hand, is the more level-headed one, always trying to gather more evidence to prove their case. They both realize how challenging it would be to successfully bring down the task force without proper evidence.

Meanwhile, Detective Ellis and his partner are investigating the murder of Sanders. They follow leads from her family and interview everyone who had access to her house. The case takes an unexpected turn when they discover that Sanders was being surveilled by her neighbor. Further investigation reveals that the neighbor was a crooked cop, and he was surveilling Sanders because he was part of a larger conspiracy within the police department.

As Graham and Dodd confront more suspects, they are met with resistance, and the Red Dog task force tries to interfere with their investigation. They struggle with the ultimate decision of whether to confront the task force head-on or to wait for more concrete evidence. The situation is complicated by Dodd's past with the unit and Graham's recent loss of his partner. On the other hand, Ellis and Coley's investigation lands them in the middle of a conspiracy within the police department. They face threats and intimidation tactics from higher-ups in the department as they try to uncover the truth.

In the end, both investigations come to a head, and Graham and Dodd are forced to make a difficult decision. They are faced with the ultimate choice of whether to pursue justice or turn a blind eye to the corruption in the task force. Meanwhile, Ellis and Coley uncover the truth behind the conspiracy within the police department, which puts their own lives in jeopardy. The episode ends with a dramatic turn of events that leaves both investigations at a crossroads.

In conclusion, "Task Force Red Dog" is a compelling episode that showcases the difficulties faced by law enforcement officers in their attempts to fight corruption within their ranks. The episode's intense storyline provides a glimpse into the challenges faced in the fight against drug-related crimes and police corruption. The parallel investigations into the drug ring and the murder make the episode engaging and keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.