When the undercover sting operation to flush out Danny's killer goes bad, there's a major gun battle in the streets of New York between police and a "made" man. Clark acts the hero, saving innocent by-standers, but takes a bullet himself. When Sipowicz guns the suspect down, he becomes a very reluctant New York hero — and finally receives a well-deserved promotion to Detective First Grade. Meanwhile, Rodriguez is furious when his seventy-year-old mother is mugged by a face from his past. When the Lieutenant from another precinct blows the investigation, Rodriguez has to make it personal in order to bring the thug to justice. Also, Medavoy and Jones try to solve an apparent serial-killer targeting NYU students and faculty, and uncover more than they want to about one of the victims.

Sipowicz and Clark investigate the murder of an irrational female Corrections Officer who tempted fate. What at first seems like a clean murder becomes murky when Clark learns her own disturbed mental state may have played a part in her own murder. After realizing she was murdered for her weapon, despite her mild lunacy, Clark makes the right decision and puts the shooter away. Meanwhile, McDowell is assigned a new partner, none other than Eddie Gibson, a detective who has a reputation for being incompetent. The two investigate the murder of another woman who may have been a victim of spousal or maternal abuse, with a surprising twist. When they learn she was both an alcoholic and suffered from multiple sclerosis, the killer turns out to be from her own family.