A former detective comes into the station with a homemade metal rocket and asks the team to reinvestigate his failed case: the death of the rocket’s creator, a 12-year-old boy named Danny Finch, who was found dead in a river in the woods the day after the 1969 moon landing.
Tropes:
- All of the Other Reindeer: Danny was a lonely little boy, a stereotypical nerd, who didn’t have a lot of friends. He was hoping his rocket would impress the neighborhood boys and get him accepted by them. It worked, a little too well.
- Asshole Victim: Malcolm Kent, Bobby’s older brother, and his friend Griff, who harassed Bobby & his friends to the point of threatening one with a pocket knife. Knowing that, it’s not hard to hear that one died in war and the other became broken.
- Ax-Crazy: Griff and Malcolm; see above and below.
- Big Brother Bully: Bobby’s older brother Malcolm and his friend Griff. They were vicious to Bobby and his friends, scaring them, taking their stuff, and threatening one of them with a knife. They were so sadistic, Bobby sees it a good thing that Malcolm became a Shell-Shocked Veteran and Griff died in action after being drafted to Vietnam.
- Blah, Blah, Blah: A variation, if one Played for Drama. In the midst of Vera's berating over his spinelessness, Bobby tries to justify that Chuck isn't all that bad. In response, Vera angrily retorts "Bah, Bah, Bah" before furiously remarking that Bobby's nothing more than a sheep following the herd, poetically framing how he doesn't take anything Bobby says seriously so long as it's meaningless babble about how Chuck isn't such a bad person.
- Challenging the Bully: When Danny’s rocket was stolen by two older boys who threatened him with a knife, he fought back, punching one on the nose and reclaiming the rocket. Not too bad for a little nerdy kid.
- Conspiracy Theorist: One of the suspects thinks the moon landing was a hoax.
- Driven to Suicide: Seth hangs himself in the interrogation room to keep himself quiet about Danny’s murder forever.
- Extreme Doormat: Bobby was so afraid of Chuck that he kept the truth about Danny’s murder for almost 40 years.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Chuck was the leader of the group, and the other two followed him without question. Then Danny came along and impressed them by suggesting they jump over the river cliff instead of going around like Chuck said. Danny jumped over and succeeded, and Seth and Bobby followed his lead instead of Chuck’s, who failed because he was scared. When Danny rescued him, it only rubbed salt in the wound because Danny had shown him up twice now, and he bashed Danny in the head.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Dick Wallace was this back when he was the mean hermit who lived in the junkyard and whom everyone was afraid of. Seeing that Danny was lonely and wanted to make friends, Dick gave him materials to build a rocket to impress them, since Danny didn’t have enough money. Forty years later, he remembers Danny fondly and is happy to hear his rocket worked. After the investigation is over, the rocket is given to him, and he puts it up in his office to remember Danny by.
- Laser-Guided Karma; Malcolm Kent was a Big Brother Bully with his friend Griff, who threatened a 12-year-old kid with a knife. Soon after, they both get drafted into the Vietnam War. Griff got killed in action, and Malcolm came home traumatized.
- Nice, Mean, and In-Between: Bobby is the nicest of the group, if not a doormat; Chuck is the meanest one, a Manipulative Bastard who killed someone out of jealousy and threatened his “friends” into silence; and Seth is in-between, because he’s deeply troubled and psychotic. He’s not very dangerous when on his meds, but he’s not harmless either.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Danny tried to save Chuck’s life from drowning when he fell into the river. Chuck repaid his bravery and selflessness by violently ending Danny’s.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Malcolm becomes this after serving in Vietnam. It’s easier to see him in this state when you find out that he threatened a 12-year-old boy with a knife.
- Teens Are Monsters: Malcolm and Griff are two bullies who regularly threaten younger kids with knives, including the former's younger brother Bobby.
- That One Case: The detective who worked on the case in 1969 has been haunted by his failure to avenge Danny. After he finds Danny’s rocket in the woods, he pleads with the detectives to reopen the case and succeed where he failed.
- Tragic Keepsake: Danny's rocket which is given to Dick.
