THE FINDER: “Life After Death” Recap

The Finder has finally returned! It’s been a long month of waiting for new episodes, but it’s finally here and the wait was worth it. We open with Walter dancing at a party thrown by a hip-hop mogul, Big Glade, and Walter dances just like you might imagine he would. Big Glade and his attorney, Athena Brooks, want Walter to find the source of supposed new J-Stryke music being released on an internet podcast. The problem is, J-Stryke died 10 years ago. He was one of Big Glade’s big acts, and If he left behind tracks they belong to Big Glade Records. Walter isn’t interested in the case, but when he learns that the beautiful Athena has a history with Leo, he accepts. He thinks J-Stryke must still be alive, because the keyboard heard on one of the tracks didn’t exist at the time of his supposed death.

Walter enlists Willa’s computer expertise to track the source of the podcasts. While she’s busy with that assignment, Walter keeps Leo out of her way. He briefs Leo on the case on their way to visit J-Strike’s family. He tells Leo his theory that J-Stryke is still alive, but Leo doesn’t believe there’s a chance. J-Stryke bled out through his femoral artery after he was shot, he’s pretty much dead, dead. He died in his brother’s arms. At J-Stryke’s mother’s home, they learn that the family hates Big Glade and his attorney, they got all the publishing rights after his death. Walter notices that the brother is an alcoholic, and learns things went downhill for him after his brother’s death. J-Stryke’s mother insists that her son, whose real name was Booker, is dead. She touched his cold hands, she buried him. She then excuses herself, she has business to take care of, and it’s clear she’s through talking to them.

When he returns to the Ends of the Earth, Leo finds Athena, the attorney, waiting for him. Walter hadn’t mentioned her to Leo yet. She tells Leo she knew about Walter because she had kept an eye on him over the years. Nothing ever happened between them in the past, but there had been temptation. She brought their contract with Walter, so she and Leo can hammer out the details. They are interrupted by Willa, whom Walter sent to get the jukebox to use in one of his case studies.

Walter raps to test the equipment setup after Willa brings him the jukebox. Walter’s rap abilities are so good that Willa apologizes on behalf of white people everywhere. Walter plays a recording of the deejay who has been releasing J-Stryke’s music, and he can tell they are using a pitch shifter. He thinks the pirate is a little man, with a little voice, and he lacks confidence. It’s definitely not J-Stryke. Willa has narrowed down the pirate’s location by this time, and takes Walter for a little drive. The pirate is located somewhere within the boundaries of South Beach University.

Leo and Athena talk about old times. She tells him the whole J-Stryke thing was just an excuse to see him again, then kisses him. Big Glade arrives at Ends of the Earth, interrupting the moment and throwing his weight around. He insults the bar and makes some threats. Leo isn’t easily intimidated and seems ready to teach Big Glade some manners, but Athena steps in to drag Big Glade away.

Walter sets up one of his infamous reenactments, this time he and Willa are dissecting speech patterns and things to help them distinguish details about the pirates personality and any foreign phrases he might use. The phrase “where real music never dies” strikes a chord with Walter.

Walter watches some old video of J-Stryke, and sees a radio station logo behind him, it says “where pop music always lives.” He goes back to the pirates broadcast, and he has a realization. He calls Isabelle in to help. Together, they go to the radio station from the promo. Walter asks the receptionist for a young man, no friends, hard worker, parents immigrated from India, either part time student at SBU or a dropout, loves the world, hates himself, etc. She knows just who he’s talking about, Karim. When confronted with the broadcast and the amount of trouble he could be in, he admits someone calls him and he picks up the tracks at the playground where J-Stryke was gunned down. Isabelle tries to give career counseling to Karim on their way to the pickup sight, she thinks he should get a real job. While Walter and Isabelle ponder why that is the chosen locale, a black SUV pulls up and grabs Karim. Walter and Isabelle jump in Walter’s beat up old van and pursue them. Just when it seems certain they’ve lost him, they stop the van, just in time for Karim to land on top of it as he’s dropped from an overpass.

Walter and Isabelle end up in police custody. Athena shows up to get them out, and Isabelle has questions. How did she spring them? Athena told police that they were traumatized by the attack on Karim, and their requests for counseling fell on deaf ears. Isabelle refuses to lie about law enforcement officers. That’s no problem for Athena, she’ll let her stay. She does give them the reports on J-Stryke’s murder before she leaves to meet up with Leo. Isabelle remarks that J-Stryke gets murdered, and it makes him famous, at least for a little while. After discussing the murder, Walter and Isabelle decide they’re ready to get out of the jail.

Athena and Leo arrive back at Ends of the Earth after their date. He is resisting her advances, tells her he has to check on Willa. She tells him it’s time he got back to the real world instead of hiding out at that bar.

Walter has a dream, and in it he’s a kid and he’s standing on a record player. He sees young J-Stryke rapping and ordering his little brother to write while he raps. The little brother holds up his pen and black inks spills out of it, turning into an ominous black-robed figure. J-Stryke runs into the figure and disappears. Walter awakens and says he knew it, J-Stryke is alive!

Walter and Leo go back to the bar run by J-Stryke’s family. His brother, Trey, is at the bar and tells them they aren’t open yet. When they play a tape of J-Stryke, they get Trey’s attention. Walter remarks that he’s the other half that no one knows about. Trey wrote the lyrics. He and J-Stryke had the same vocal qualities. He recorded the new tracks, then leaked them to the pirate. Trey says that after 10 years his brother is mostly forgotten. All J-Stryke wanted was immortality, Trey tried to give him that. Walter asks Trey is the one who shot J-Stryke, and if he drinks because of guilt. Trey confesses about the night J-Stryke died. He killed him, but he didn’t murder him. J-Stryke wanted him to shoot him in the leg, it was just a stunt to get street cred and improve sales. J-Stryke died in Trey’s arms, and told him “This is not our fault.” But Trey does feel guilty. Even God doesn’t forgive you for killing your brother. Leo tells him God didn’t forgive Cain because he lied about what he did. If he wants forgiveness, he needs to tell the truth. Trey tells them he buried the gun under the horse on the playground.

Leo asks Walter if he took this case so that Leo could hook up with Athena. He appreciates Walter’s concern, but he chooses his own life, and his choices aren’t Walter’s fault. The words remind Walter of J-Stryke’s last words…”our fault” not “your fault.” It wasn’t J-Stryke’s idea to get shot in the leg. They go to see big Glade and Athena. They have the tracks, but Walter isn’t in a hurry to hand them over. Leo tells them there were unanticipated expenses to discuss, like the damage to Walter’s van when Karim was thrown onto it, and ruining Trey’s life by talking his brother into taking a shot in the leg to make Big Glade a millionaire. It’s increasingly clear that Big Glade doesn’t know what they are talking about, but Athena is a different story. Big Glade tells Athena she’s cold, then hands the gun he carries over to her. He says she’s going down a road he’s not going down. She orders Leo to give her the hard drive, and he knows she’s means it. Leo won’t back down. Athena puts the gun down, and tells them she’s smarter than that. In fact, she says she’s smarter than all of them.

Big Glade goes to see Trey and his mother. He wants Trey to stay on with Big Glade Records. Then, with Walter and Leo’s encouragement, Trey asks to be alone with his mother so he can tell her what really happened the night J-Stryke died. Walter watches from a distance as their mother breaks down upon hearing the news.

Walter and Isabelle go back to the playground and dig up the gun, then call the police to turn it in. Trey finally comes clean to the police about what happened that night. With the murder weapon in their possession, the police call in Athena for questioning.

Back at the Ends of the Earth, Walter and Leo are debating music when Trey shows up. Walter called him there, wanting to introduce him to Karim. Trey knew who Karim was, and that he was a big fan. That’s why he chose him to play the music. Karim majored in music management, and it happens that Trey is looking for a manager. Leo notes that as much as he claims otherwise, Walter cares about the clients.

The Finder airs Fridays at 8/7c on Fox.