When a gay man is murdered, seemingly the latest victim of a string of hate crimes, Brenda must confront prejudices inside and out of the LAPD. But when the perpetrator of the crimes turns out to be something quite different than expected, and has an alibi for the latest murder, Brenda must dig deeper to discover if this crime is part of the string, or a crime of passion disguised as a hate crime. Meanwhile, Flynn and Taylor step up their efforts to undermine Brenda once again, but with unexpected effects, as the team begins to rally around Brenda. Provenza's quirks begin to emerge, and we meet Terrence Hynes, a County Coroner's Forensics Support worker with an odd sense of humor. On the home front, Brenda finds herself with some new charges when her (male) Kitty has kittens.

Brenda finds herself involved in a cover-up of her own when she helps the PHD investigate a non-priority case. Why? Because the deceased woman was found in Provenza's garage. Once again, the team finds themselves racing against the clock before the LAPD brass discovers what they're up to. Will Brenda be able to protect her team and their hard-earned trust?

Once again, the PHD finds themselves wading through suspects in the murder of the star witness in a capital punishment case. When Estelle, Pope's angry ex-wife, spills the beans about Brenda to her team, Fritz begins to wonder how she really feels.

Resulting from the showdown in the murder room, Brenda finds herself taking some involuntary time off. When she is asked to help a friend solve a murder that is linked to a terrorist group, Brenda works to find the killer and still keep it under wraps. Meanwhile, Commander Taylor jumps at the chance to break apart the PHD while Brenda is away.

Glad to be back with her team, Brenda focuses on finding a terrorist-linked suspect. Working with the CIA, who also wants their hands on this suspect, Brenda realizes that she was given false information, and wonders if she's been set up. To prevent herself and the PHD from falling prey to a sinister plan, Brenda must untangle a web of lies to determine who she can trust - before it's too late.

Brenda finds an opportunity to visit home when she attempts to track down a witness who disappears to Atlanta. Unfortunately, once she finds the witness, her holidays with family take on a whole new meaning.

Returning to L.A. proves to be a challenge when Brenda's witness remains hesitant, causing her to be creative. The fallout left behind in Atlanta leaves Brenda's parents picking up the pieces while Fritz becomes buried underneath all the stress.

Det. Julio Sanchez' little brother Oscar is shot and killed, leaving Julio beside himself with grief and seeking his killer any way he can, which threatens the investigation.