Directed By: Don Scardino
Written By: Richard Sweren & Aaron Zelman
Daniel and Rosa Alvarez are found murdered in their home, with Daniel's left ear severed. Briscoe and Green discover they were smuggling cocaine from Colombia and believe they were hit as a result. Their investigation into the smuggling leads them to Caryn Wyman, whose husband Jim is a U.S. Army Major. Talking with other Army Wives, the detectives learn she didn't fit in with them and rumors began spreading she turned to cocaine while living in Colombia. A more sympathetic wife explains that Caryn nearly died from a overdose, but she managed to keep both the OD and drug habit from her husband who was away at the time. With the corroboration of her imprisoned gardener, Wyman is arrested and charged with drug trafficking, with Green finding cocaine on her during the arrest.
Initially claiming to simply be an addict, McCoy and Carmichael discover her travel logs don't match her story and that she has been making regular trips back and forth to bring cocaine to the United States. Unable to lie her way out, she confesses that she started using cocaine for personal use only, but was approached by the Alvarez's to smuggle for cash. Being the wife of a U.S. Army Major would keep her above suspicion and search. It was easy money and she even became friends with the Alvarez's. Then she was confronted by a higher level dealer, Joe Pena, who forced her to start working for him, showing her Daniel's ear as proof of his ruthlessness.
Given probation and witness protection for herself and her husband, she agrees to a sting where Pena is busted. Although two witnesses who saw Pena at the apartment building where the Alvarez's lived and were murdered recant, Caryn gives the entire story in court, with the judge announcing cross examination for the next day. Caryn runs from her handlers and a manhunt commences. Caryn calls her husband from a diner and admits to him when he meets her there she has guilt over what she has done to him and his career. Unsure whether to go through with the cross-examination, Jim re-affirms his love for her and convinces her to testify. Weathering fierce questions about her character from Pena's attorney, she admits to her crimes and challenges Pena to take responsibility for his. The jury convicts and McCoy hopes that while the Feds can protect her and her husband from Pena's gang, he hopes Caryn can be protected from herself.
This episode contains examples of:
- All the Other Reindeer: A large reason why Caryn started using drugs. As an Army Wife, her only chance at friends were other wives, who didn't accept her into her into the group.
- Beneath Notice: As a military wife, Caryn's bags were never searched in her travels from Colombia to New York. This made her the perfect drug mule.
- Finger in the Mail: An ear, in this case. Pena cuts off Daniel Alvarez's left ear and shows it to Caryn as both proof he killed Daniel and his wife and to scare Caryn into working for him.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Inverted. Jim Wyman is a respected U.S. Army Major. His wife Caryn hides a severe addiction to cocaine and smuggles the drug into the United States for kicks and cash. He is genuinely caught off guard by all of this and is forced into Witness Protection thanks to his wife's recklessness.
- Functional Addict: Caryn Wyman is this, able to put on a cheery front even while battling a cocaine addiction so severe she even brings a bag of nose candy to a funeral. It's not until she is forced to help arrest Pena, testify against him, accept witness protection and see her husband's military career ruined that the weight of her addiction hits her and she becomes addled.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Caryn realizes that her addiction and smuggling will force her husband, who had nothing to do with her actions, to quit the Army and join her in Witness Protection, she has a breakdown and considers refusing to finish her testimony.
- Stupid Evil: Pena never seems to consider that trying to force the wife of a U.S. Army Major could backfire, especially after committing a brutal double murder of her original contacts that quickly gains the attention of the police.
- The Cartel: Pena runs one and kills the Alvarez's to take over the scheme they were running with Caryn Wyman.
- Witness Protection: Where the Wyman's end up after Pena is convicted.
