Ep 3. Under the Influence

Under the Influence is the third episode of the second season of Major Crimes. The episode opens with the discovery of a dead body in a park in Los Angeles. The victim is identified as Brandon North, a high school student who had gone missing the previous night. The detectives of the Major Crimes Division are called in to investigate the case.

As the team delves deeper into the case, they discover that Brandon was last seen at a party where drugs and alcohol were being served. The detectives suspect that Brandon died from a drug overdose, and they start to question the attendees of the party. Among the party-goers is Brandon's best friend, Alex, who is visibly shaken by his friend's death. The detectives also speak with the party's organizer, a college student named Jamie, who denies serving drugs to anyone at the party.

The investigation takes a twist when the detectives find out that Brandon's parents had put him in a rehab facility for drug addiction only for him to return home after completing the program. The detectives now believe that Brandon was using drugs again and that his parents were not aware of it. When they start to investigate the rehab facility, they discover that several other teenagers who were in the same facility as Brandon have also died from drug overdoses.

The team now has to figure out if there is a connection between the rehab facility and the recent deaths. The detectives interview the staff members at the facility and begin to unravel a complex web of deceit and corruption. They discover that the facility's director had been prescribing medication to the patients without proper medical justification. The medication was not only addictive but was also being sold on the street. The detectives now believe that Brandon and the other teenagers died from overdoses of the medication.

As the detectives gather more evidence, they put together a case to take down the facility and its corrupt director. The case comes to a head when they arrest the director for prescribing the medication illegally. However, the detectives also find out that the director had a connection to the party organizer, Jamie. The detectives confront Jamie and discover that she was working with the director to sell the medication to teenagers at parties. Jamie is arrested, and the detectives have successfully solved the case.

Throughout the episode, the team faces various personal challenges. Lieutenant Provenza struggles to bond with his new foster child, Rusty, who is struggling to deal with his past. Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson also makes an appearance in the episode and offers her assistance to the detectives.

Under the Influence is a gripping and emotional episode that highlights the dangers of drug abuse and the corruption that can occur in facilities meant to help those struggling with addiction. The episode has a strong plot and excellent character development, making it a must-watch for fans of the show.