2013
TV-14
1h

Summary A feisty Vancouver homicide detective tracks down the most cunning of killers by trying to figure out the often-unexpected motive to the crime. View more details

2013
TV-14
1h

Motive

Directed : Unknown

Written : Unknown

Stars : Lauren Holly Brendan Penny Kristin Lehman Louis Ferreira

All cast & crew

7.4

Details

Genres : Thriller Mystery Crime Drama

Release date : Feb 2, 2013

Countries of origin : Canada

Official sites : Official site

Language : English

Filming locations : Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Production companies : Lark Productions Foundation Features NBC Universal Television Distribution

Summary A feisty Vancouver homicide detective tracks down the most cunning of killers by trying to figure out the often-unexpected motive to the crime. View more details

Details

Genres : Thriller Mystery Crime Drama

Release date : Feb 2, 2013

Countries of origin : Canada

Official sites : Official site

Language : English

Filming locations : Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Production companies : Lark Productions Foundation Features NBC Universal Television Distribution

Photos

Warren Christie and Brendan Penny in Motive (2013)

Jessica Lowndes and Luisa d'Oliveira in Motive (2013)

Episodes

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Episode 1 • Feb 02, 2013

Creeping Tom

The killer: Tom, a high school student. The victim: Glen Martin, the popular singing science teacher at Tom's high school. Tom is an oft picked upon quiet student who plays the bass drum in the school's marching band. He likes to remain invisible as it allows him to be quietly subversive, as displayed by his favorite activity called "creeping": sneaking into houses and stealing a small memento just for the thrill of it. He introduces his best friend Willie to the activity, the house chosen this evening being the Martin's. As the Homicide Department investigates the murder, which was conducted by blunt force trauma to the head, they follow the usual leads such as his wife, Linda Martin, who was having an affair, but vows that she still loved Glen, and Linda's lover, a new immigrant named Arman Pozner. The questions become whether they will piece together the evidence, and or if Tom's nervousness will give him away. Meanwhile, Angie tests the boundaries of parenting with her son, Manny.

Episode 2 • Feb 09, 2013

Crimes of Passion

The killer: David Jacobs, a former public prosecutor and now the popular candidate for mayor, who has four weeks until election day. The victim: seventeen year old high school student Tiffany Greenwood, the daughter of David's long time friends, and David and his wife Grace's occasional babysitter. David killed Tiffany in a deliberate hit and run using the stolen car of Tiffany's boyfriend, the over-privileged Kevin West. As such, Kevin becomes Homicide's primary suspect, that belief strengthened when they learn that Tiffany just broke up with him. David, acting in the unofficial capacity of family friend, insinuates himself into the investigation through the prosecutor's office. His overzealousness, especially in wanting to prosecute Kevin without complete evidence against him, may become David's downfall, as Angie searches for what she believes is Tiffany's missing bag from the crime scene. What Angie and Oscar are unaware of is that David killed for what was in Tiffany's bag, that item which Tiffany discovered one night at the Jacobs' house while she was babysitting, and which, if made public, would destroy David's mayoral bid.

Episode 3 • Feb 16, 2013

Pushover

The killer: Ben Crewson, a mild mannered cruise ship terminal customs agent. The victim: Scott Hayward, a limo driver, who was found dead next to his still running vehicle in Stanley Park. The death was by a single gunshot wound. The life of Crewson, who most would consider a quiet, average Joe in every respect, changed when he recently met his current girlfriend Leanne, a waitress, at the diner where she works. Together, they dreamed of a better life for themselves. Hayward was the antithesis of Crewson: brash and cocky and who was considered the alpha male amongst the drivers in the limousine service where he worked. Angie and Oscar quickly piece together that the death has something to do with Scott's last fare, his standing regular Tuesday night appointment for lowlife lawyer Randy Sprague, their route always being the same: from the cruise ship terminal to the airport, with the only difference on the evening of the death being that final stop in Stanley Park. The determination of what Sprague does every Tuesday night is a major piece of the puzzle, however Angie and Oscar may not get the entire picture even though they believe they have their killer. Meanwhile, Angie lets Brian take part in his first ever interrogation, but it may not end up being quite what he was expecting.

Episode 4 • Mar 02, 2013

Against All Odds

The killer: Sarah Muller, a grocery store clerk who is going through a messy divorce and custody battle. The victim: Shawn Mitchell, a high powered lawyer, who was killed by a single stab wound to the abdomen in a late night break-in into his house. On the surface, the crime looks like a robbery gone bad, although the only thing that was stolen among a houseful of expensive items was a purse with a few dollars and a cell phone. As the Homicide detectives focus their investigation on people like Shawn's wife, Deana Mitchell, and Shawn's clients, especially the disgruntled ones like Jack Carlin, who have motive, they may not find the killer unless they focus on a mother who is barely making ends meet, who will do almost anything to retain custody of her daughter except accept help from her soon to be ex-husband, and who believes she can use her position at the store to get herself out of her financial predicament. Angie becomes distracted on this case by a personal issue, namely the arrest of Manny for public disturbance and extensive damage to property.

Episode 5 • Mar 09, 2013

Public Enemy

The killer: Chloe Mighten, a clothing store clerk. The victim: Jack Bergin, a raw food advocate, who was trying to build a business empire off of his food advocacy. He is treated like a rock star by many of his followers not only because of his beliefs but also because of his charisma and good looks. He was killed while sitting in the hot tub inside his home, the perpetrator, who broke in through a basement window, using a stun gun which electrocuted him. Nothing obvious was missing from the house, but the Homicide detectives know that whoever the killer was looking for something. In actuality, Chloe gained entry into the house as she befriended Jack's lonely wife, Lila Bergin, which was all a plan to get at Jack. But as Chloe did not find what she was looking for, she plays a fine line of searching through the house at other times when she believes Lila is not watching. Finding that item may be key not only for Chloe but for the Homicide detectives in discovering the killer and his/her motive.

Episode 6 • Mar 13, 2013

Detour

The killer: Torontonian Barry Ketchum, who recently celebrated his one year sobriety at his AA meeting. The victim: Eric Chase, a mortgage broker, who was killed one evening outside his office by strangulation. Homicide lucks out when Betty discovers the killer's DNA under Eric's fingernails. Homicide looks at Eric's family life - including his new marriage to Ronnie Chase, and being awarded sole custody of his son Chad Chase over his ex-wife, Claudia Powell, an activist who lost custody largely because of her chronic unemployment - and his professional life, where potential clients may have despised him for turning down their mortgage requests. Eric was a seemingly well liked man, so Homicide believes that the tension between Claudia and Ronnie played some role in Eric's death, especially as Claudia has open hatred for the police, although they also know that both women are physically incapable of the killing. Partly through eyewitness accounts, Homicide is led to a low level Toronto drug lord named Tony Denato as the killer. Homicide eventually learns more about Denato which causes some problems in the investigation. Angie decides to go out on a limb to capture the killer on her own. Meanwhile, Manny, for the first time, asks Angie about the identity of his father, that information which Angie still does not feel ready to divulge to him.

Episode 7 • Mar 20, 2013

Out of the Past

The killer: Dr. Monika Harper, a pediatric surgeon, who emigrated to Canada from the Czech Republic in 1995. The victim: Hank Cousineau, a news shop owner who was once in the military, with one of his assignments being on the UN peacekeeping mission in the Balkans. Hank was killed in the back of his store by his throat being slashed, from which he bled to death. By the extremely straight and singular wound and Hank's dead body position, Betty and Homicide determine that his killer looked Hank straight in the eyes while he was sitting in a chair while his throat was slashed. Homicide initially believes that his killers are a group of young men who were demanding protection money from local shopkeepers, Hank who used his own form of justice in the matter. But Homicide's focus changes to that of the Harper family when they find that over the past week Hank's routine had changed drastically, which was overtaken by him stalking the Harper family: Dr. Monika Harper, her husband Professor Desmond Harper and their son Phillip Harper. Homicide can't find any connection between Hank and any of the Harpers until they find out a little more about Monika Harper née Sukova and what happened to her pre-1995, which makes the motive for killing Hank much clearer.

Episode 8 • Mar 27, 2013

Undertow

The killer: Charles Stanwyck, a building contractor. The victim: Taylor Hollis, a post-graduate student who dealt drugs on the side. Taylor, whose dead body was found in a remote area which was not the kill site, had blunt force trauma to the head, but was killed by asphyxiation from what looks to be a plastic bag held over his head. Once they ID him and find out more about him, Homicide believes his death may have something to do with his relationship to one of his former students, Sunita Rand. Sunny is engaged in what will be an arranged marriage by her traditional South Asian widowed father, Vijay Rand, but eventually admits that she and Taylor were in love and that she was planning on running off with him. Despite he having an airtight albeit seemingly manufactured alibi, Vijay, who states he knew nothing about Taylor and Sunny's romantic relationship, then becomes a suspect as his whole life, which includes current major renovations to his restaurant, would be shattered if Sunny didn't go through with the arranged marriage. Further evidence points to Taylor having been in the vicinity of the restaurant just prior to his death, at a time when Charles, the contractor, would have been there. However, Homicide has no motive tying Charles to wanting to kill Taylor. They may have to dig a little deeper into Charles' life to find that motive, his life which includes a diabetic wife Nancy Stanwyck, both who are still mourning the tragic and accidental death three months earlier of their adolescent son, Riley Stanwyck.

Episode 9 • Apr 03, 2013

Framed

The killer: Marion Reader, an aging woman with a bad back, whose twenty-eight year old mama's boy of a son, Owen Reader, came back to live with her to take care of her. With her telephone sales job and his online selling of military memorabilia, they are now unable to make the monthly mortgage payments on her long time house. As a side hobby, she does kitschy folk art: paintings of her cat, Mathias, inserted onto existing painted canvases. As a means to earn more money to make those mortgage payments, she attempts to sell her folk art at a local café. The victim: Julia Conrad, a girl Friday at a high end art gallery. Julia is found dead shot point blank apparently when she was out for her morning run. Homicide's initial suspect is Julia's boss, who is openly disapproving of Julia's plans to open her own art gallery, which would then be "the competition". But when they learn the gun that was used to kill Julia is pre-WWI vintage in poor condition, the fact of such a reported stolen gun by Owen Reader leads them to the Reader house. Although they learn of a connection between the Readers and Julia, they have no motive or logical reasoning to suspect either of the Readers. However, the extent to which Owen and Marion will go to protect the other may bring that motive to light.

Episode 10 • Apr 24, 2013

Fallen Angel

The killer: Felix Hausman, a young man who has had trouble finding his place in life. Having just been fired from his latest job, Felix has tried to make a living through high stakes gambling. But he was hoping that his life would turn around by some information provided to him from his father's old partner, who is currently in prison. Felix grew up in St. Roch Orphanage, since his father left him when he was a child. The victim: Father Noel Barnett, the tough but caring parish priest at St. Roch, he who was basically Felix's father figure growing up. Father Barnett was found dead in the church with blunt force trauma to the head and his throat slashed. Father Barnett managed to call 911 just before his death, but the call was barely audible. Angie and Oscar have to decipher some cryptic information in Father Barnett's day planner to discover his last movements. They learn that he was working on a domestic abuse case of the Sopressas, Rita Sopressa who he managed to get into a protective shelter away from her abusive husband, Mario Sopressa. But it's what Father Barnett gave Rita on which to survive on her own that leads Angie, Oscar and Brian to what Felix is looking for as the salvation to his life.

Episode 11 • May 01, 2013

Brute Force

The victim: former Olympic boxing gold medalist Mark "Machine" Mason, the co-owner of and chief trainer at Machine's, a fledgling boxing gym which doesn't look like it will survive unless changes are made in the business plan. The killer: Joey Mason, the recently wheelchair-bound other co-owner of Machine's, its chief "ideas" man, and Mark's brother. Mark was found in the gym stabbed to death in the back, but not before his knee was savagely beaten. The dead body was reported by Joey. The Homicide detectives initially look at anyone who had a key to the gym as a suspect, although that thought quickly goes out the window when they find out that the gym door was broken, meaning that anyone could have gotten into the gym with ease. Mark's missing Olympic medals, which were prominently displayed, are thought to be the initial motive for at least the break-in, the primary suspects then being disgruntled competitors and vagrants. But when Joey is caught in a lie, Angie focuses her attention on him. She just has to determine the best way to draw him out, which includes the unwitting use of Mark's grieving widow Beth Mason, who has her own love/hate relationship with Joey. In doing so, they may also also uncover the true nature of Mark and Joey's relationship, at least from Joey's perspective.

Episode 12 • May 08, 2013

Ruthless

The killer: Sonia Brauer, a newly married travel agent recently moved to Vancouver. The victim: Brendan Kendall, executive assistant to Jimmy Ramsay, the head of Cybrex Plastics. Brendan's dead body is found in his hotel room of the hotel where Cybrex is holding their corporate strategizing meeting. Betty surmises that Brendan was poisoned by cyanide, which leads to Angie believing the killer is a woman. Initially, Homicide believes Brendan's murder has something to do with the Cybrex meeting, especially as Ramsay had a communications lock-down in and out of the meeting, including no telephone calls and/or Internet, and it was deemed that Brendan had a hidden cell phone. But when they determine the method that the cyanide was administered, they come to the conclusion that Brendan was not the intended target. They have to find out which of Cybrex's other employees at the meeting was the target, and who might want to kill him/her, especially as the killer will probably find out the intended target is still alive. The hotel surveillance cameras and Lucas doing a bit of deducing of his own on the nature of Cybrex's meeting may provide a clearer picture of Sonia as the killer and her motive.

Episode 13 • May 15, 2013

The One That Got Away

The victim: seventeen year old Nathan Conroy. The killer: twenty-something Cam Radcliffe, who lives with his Uncle Dave and works at Dave's wrecking yard. Nathan's dead body is discovered buried in an urban park, he who died of an abdominal stab wound. However, the lack of blood at the site indicates that he was not murdered at the park itself. When Homicide IDs the victim as Nathan, they learn that he was convicted for possession of a deadly weapon four months earlier and that he was court ordered to enter into therapy with a Dr. Kate Robbins. Angie is familiar with Dr. Robbins as the doctor was a key expert witness at a manslaughter trial over ten years ago at which Angie was a juror prior to her becoming a police officer. Dr. Robbins' testimony was what convinced Angie to change her mind as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant, who was acquitted. That defendant was a young man named Cameron Radcliffe. The dump site for this current case is within clear view of Dr. Robbins' office. A witness provides information about a suspicious vehicle in the area of the park at the time the body was probably dumped, that vehicle belonging to Cam, who they learn is still in therapy with Dr. Robbins. They are certain that Cam is the killer, but only Dr. Robbins may be able to provide them with the motive. This case is especially difficult for Angie not only because she questions her assessment at that trial which may have led to a murderer being set free, but also because Nathan is around Manny's age, Manny who is just about to head off on his first overseas vacation which includes a stop to visit his biological father Mark who he has yet to meet.

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