Ep 5. Clear History

In the fifth episode of Wisdom of the Crowd season 1, titled “Clear History,” Jeffrey Tanner (Jeremy Piven) is on a mission to clear his daughter Mia's (Abigail F. Cowen) name from a suspicious social media post that links her to a jewelry heist. After receiving a tip that a jewelry thief may be aware of the identity of the real culprit, Tanner's crowd employs an unorthodox strategy. They use Mia as bait by posting a fake social media post claiming that she knows the identity of the true thief.

As anticipated, the thief falls for the ruse and contacts Mia, making arrangements to meet in an abandoned warehouse. The team quickly uses their game-changing software Sophe to locate Mia; they disarm the thief and retrieve the stolen jewelry. However, the success of the mission is short-lived when Mia's joy at being cleared of any wrongdoing is suddenly replaced by concern for the thief's welfare.

The man who committed the theft is revealed to be a struggling artist who has been commissioned to create a painting for a wealthy collector. The artist had no intention of committing a crime, but he was unable to complete the painting on time, and the collector threatened to cancel the contract and leave him with nothing. Desperate, the artist staged the theft to buy himself more time to complete the artwork.

Tanner is conflicted between wanting justice for the robbery, and empathy for the thief’s plight. He believes the legal system can help the artist, but Mia feels that the blame lies with the system itself, which gave the wealthy collector too much power over the artist's career. She argues that the real culprit is the art world, which values artists according to their profit margins, rather than allowing them to express themselves without pressure to conform to trends and commercial viability.

As the episode unfolds, tensions rise both within the crowd and between Tanner and Mia. The ethical dilemmas raised by the case cause Mia to question the values of her father's app, while Tanner struggles to find a way to remain true to his vision while navigating the complexities of real-world issues.

Meanwhile, the subplot involving the murder investigation of Sara Morton continues to develop, introducing a new character in the form of the lead detective's former partner. The episode also features some slick action sets, including a thrilling car chase sequence, as well as some touching moments between Tanner and Mia, who remain the heart of the show.

“Clear History” is a thought-provoking episode that delves into issues of morality, justice, and the relationship between art and commerce, all while keeping viewers engaged with tense action scenes and the mystery surrounding Sara's murder. It exemplifies the strengths of the series, which lies in its ability to balance thrilling procedural elements with complex character development and social commentary.