Ep 3. Dropping Bombs

Hayes Morrison and her team at the Conviction Integrity Unit delve into the case of Olly Barnes, a young man who was wrongfully convicted of killing his girlfriend, Chelsea. Olly has been in prison for over a decade and maintains his innocence, insisting that he loved Chelsea and would never harm her.

As the team begins their investigation, they discover that several key pieces of evidence were overlooked during Olly's trial. For instance, there were no blood stains on Olly's clothing or shoes, despite the fact that he supposedly killed Chelsea in a bloody struggle. Additionally, the murder weapon was never found, and the DNA evidence used to convict Olly was inconclusive at best.

As Hayes and her colleagues dig deeper, they begin to uncover a possible motive for someone else to have killed Chelsea. It turns out that she was working on a secret project at a defense contractor, and her research could have put her in danger. Hayes and her team start to believe that the real killer could be someone linked to the military or the defense industry.

Meanwhile, Hayes has her own personal drama to contend with. She is still struggling with the fallout from her own scandal and her relationship with her mother, who is running for Senate. Hayes' brother Jackson is also causing trouble, as he is dealing with addiction issues and has been arrested for stealing drugs from a veterinary clinic.

As the episode progresses, the team races against the clock to find new evidence and prove Olly's innocence before it's too late. Along the way, they have to navigate personal and professional obstacles, and they must decide who they can trust as they get closer to the truth.

In the end, the team makes a breakthrough and finds a new suspect in the case. However, they are faced with a difficult decision when the suspect is revealed to be a decorated veteran who served with Chelsea and has strong ties to the defense contractor where she worked. Hayes and her team must weigh the consequences of exonerating Olly and potentially implicating someone else in the murder, and they must consider whether justice is truly served in a case where so many lives have been destroyed.

Overall, "Dropping Bombs" is a tense and emotionally charged episode of Conviction that takes on important issues related to the criminal justice system, the military-industrial complex, and the personal struggles of its protagonists. The show's unique format, which blends elements of procedural drama with serialized storytelling, allows for complex character development and a nuanced exploration of complex social issues. This episode in particular showcases the strengths of the show's ensemble cast, its sharp writing, and its commitment to exploring difficult ethical questions.