The Finder Episode 1.08 Life After Death

Walter is dancing in a club when rap label owner Big Glade and his lawyer, Athena Brooks, ask him to listen to a tape of Internet DJ W-Squared. On the tape, the DJ plays a previously unreleased song by murdered rapper J-Stryke. The DJ then promises to air more over the next four days, which marks the tenth anniversary of J-Stryke's death. Glade claims that this music is his label's property, so Athena asks Walter to find these long-lost tracks.

Walter refuses, but when Athena explains that she's an old friend of Leo's from back when he was married to his late wife, Walter relents, adding that he believes J-Stryke is still alive.

Walter returns to Leo's bar and asks Willa to determine DJ W-Squared's broadcasting location. When Willa says that this violates her terms of probation, Walter explains about Leo's past relationship with Athena. He says that he'll distract Leo while she does finds the DJ.

As Walter and Leo listen to J-Stryke's music while driving to his mother's restaurant/bar, Leo notes the connection between J-Stryke's rapping and jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron. J-Stryke's mother, Ms. Estelle, and his brother, Trey, are angry that Glade owns all the rights to J-Stryke's music, leaving them with nothing. When Walter notices that Trey is an alcoholic, Estelle says that Trey was a student at M.I.T. whose life took a wrong turn several years ago.

Athena arrives at Leo's bar, which discomforts him. He was tempted to cheat on his wife with Athena, but he's a changed man. Walter interrupts, saying that the DJ's voice was deepened by a pitch shifter, so he's a little man with a little voice who lacks confidence. Meanwhile, Willa has determined that DJ W-Squared's broadcasts originate from a nearby college station.

As Athena admits that finding J-Stryke's music was just an excuse to see Leo again, Walter and Willa listen to W-Squared's last broadcast. Walter concocts an elaborate checklist of words heard on the tape to determine the DJ's personality-type, noting that the broadcast ends with "Where music never dies. WNKW."

Glade interrupts Athena and Leo because the DJ has played another J-Stryke song. When Glade pulls a gun, Leo stares him down and orders him out. Meanwhile, Walter watches a vintage TV commercial in which J-Stryke cites WNKW as the place "Where pop music always lives." Walter asks Isabel to meet him there.

When Walter describes the DJ's appearance to the receptionist, she directs them to Kareem, who denies being W-Squared. After Isabel threatens to deny Kareem's access to the college station, he admits picking up those J-Stryke songs at the playground where the rapper was killed. When they go to the playground, Kareem is abducted. Walter and Isabel give chase, but the driver eludes them, then tosses Kareem onto the roof of Walter's van.

Athena gets Walter and Isabel out of jail. She says that Kareem only has a broken arm from the incident and that Glade wasn't behind the abduction. She also gives them J-Stryke's homicide file: One gunshot wound in the leg that hit his femoral artery, which caused him to bleed to death in Trey's arms.

When Athena and Leo return from a date, he spurns her advances, saying that he's changed, but she hasn't. Meanwhile, Walter dreams about one child rapping while another writes everything down - until they're interrupted by a Grim Reaper-like figure.

Walter and Leo return to Ms. Estelle's restaurant/bar. Noting that they share similar vocal qualities, Walter identifies Trey as the person who wrote J-Stryke's lyrics. Trey admits that he recorded new tracks and gave them to DJ W-Squared because after ten years J-Stryke has been forgotten and he'd hoped to give his brother the immortality he'd always wanted.

Walter accuses Trey of killing J-Stryke out of jealousy over his brother's fame; he says that Trey's alcoholism is guilt-related. Then Trey explains that J-Stryke gave him the gun and asked to be shot in the leg so he'd gain street credibility and increase his record sales. Trey reluctantly did this, but he couldn't stop the bleeding, so he buried the weapon at the playground and told police that his brother was the victim of a drive-by shooting. J-Stryke's last words to his brother were: "This is not our fault."

Sick of these deceptions, Trey gives them all the tapes he's made. Leo says that if Trey wants forgiveness, he has to tell his mother what really happened. Leo notes that since Trey is the source of this intellectual property, the rights could be tied up in court for years.

When Walter and Leo meet Glade and Athena, Walter accuses Athena of talking J-Stryke into getting shot, thus making her millions. Glade realizes that this is true and hands Athena his gun. Athena demands the tapes, but Leo refuses, saying he's not the man he used to be and that "redemption isn't reversible." Athena drops the gun.

Walter and Leo give Ms. Estelle the tapes. Leo advises her and Trey to stay in business with Glade. Trey tells Estelle everything, and they exchange teary-eyed hugs.

After Walter and Isabel dig up the murder weapon, Athena gets jailed for providing the gun.

Trey enters Leo's bar. He's been sober a month, got an advance on royalties, and wants to pay Walter what he owes. Leo refuses the money. Kareem enters. He's got a degree in music management, and Leo suggests that he become Trey's manager.

Walter admits to Leo that he only took the job to make him happy by reuniting him with Athena, who turned out to be evil. Leo wants no further favors from Walter. But Walter says that he'll never stop trying to make Leo happy.