Found Season 1 Episode 7 offered yet another riveting missing person’s case, and one that most people didn’t think deserved the time of day.
Rachel and her nephew Lucas arrived at M&A to report that her son, David, was missing as she was desperately looking to find him and reunite with him before she succumbed to her cancer diagnosis.
However, Rachel left a key piece of information out—David was an addict, a tidbit that made Dhan a little hesitant to take on the case. He didn’t necessarily disclose why he felt so passionately about not looking for an addict at first, but it was clear that he had some experience dealing with those who don’t want to be found while they are out seeking their next high.
The case also proved to be very personal to Gabi, which is why she was so determined to find David and give him one final moment with his mother. Audiences later found out that Gabi’s father spiraled into alcoholism after she was kidnapped, and it wasn’t easy to shake once she was found. The addiction strained their relationship, and unfortunately, she didn’t get to the hospital in time to see him before his death.
Ergo, Gabi wanted to right the wrongs and give this family the chance she never got, though it meant that she broke a handful of rules and pushed away the people that she should’ve been leaning on.
Gabi was pretty insufferable throughout the episode, though her tough exterior and powerful approach make it easy to forget that she was once a victim as well who has her own fair share of trauma to work through. It’s far easier to judge her for ostracizing her loved ones and putting up walls than it is to try to understand where she’s coming from. Of course, that doesn’t excuse her behavior either.
Her “found” family deserves the truth—they are all in this together, and they’ve all gone through battles of their own so they’re much more understanding than she gives them credit for. They’ve built their whole business on the desire to help people, but transparency is the key to trust. They’d follow her anywhere and do just about anything to protect her, but she needs to keep earning that devotion and trust by being honest with them about what she’s going through.
Getting everyone on the same page proved to be much more useful than keeping them all in the dark.They are better together. Once they understood Gabi’s motives for going above and beyond to find David, they also began to realize that there was something much more sinister going on in this situation—David wasn’t just an addict, he was someone who was being held hostage by his cousin. Gabi had a hunch that this might be the case, and like I say, you always have to follow that gut feeling.
The signs were all there, however, so it was a little frustrating that no one picked up on them as quickly as they should’ve. Jessie, the owner of the sober living home was giving off such shady vibes and was way too eager to submit “Mike’s” stay to his insurance. When it turned out that he was running an insurance scam by taking advantage of those who were turning to him for help, it was the least bit surprising.
And then there was Lucas, who was determined to get them off of the case by any means possible, going as far as firing them and getting protective orders against them. Gabi wasn’t scared off by his attempts, however, and it’s a good thing because they were never actually his clients. They were employed by Rachel, so Gabi had every right to continue with her investigation.
The biggest clue that they missed was when David testified after his sister’s death, and Lucas was pretending to be supportive when he was, in fact, controlling the narrative. The little brush on the shoulder didn’t look innocent at all, and I’m surprised Margaret didn’t pick up on the behavior as he was a walking red flag, but she has been preoccupied so I’ll forgive her.
Thankfully, all the clues that they gathered by going around the red tape proved to be helpful as their theory that Lucas killed Alisa and was attempting to silence David was correct.
FOUND — “Missing While Addicted” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Jean St James as Rachel Hall, Shane Coffey as Lucas — (Photo by: Steve Swisher/NBC)
David wanted to come clean to his mother about the secret that was driving him to numb the pain with drugs, and when Lucas found out that he’d be outed, he drugged his cousin and locked him up in the guest house, hoping to wait out Rachel’s death so that no one would ever know.
They managed to get David to Rachel’s bedside in the nick of time, and after he confessed to knowing how Alisa really died, a weight was lifted off of both of them. With the guilt of her death no longer plaguing them, Rachel was able to pass peacefully, with her dying wish of holding her baby boy’s hand fulfilled thanks to Gabi’s dedication.
It was an extremely moving moment, not just for audiences but for Gabi as well, who knew that while she couldn’t change her own outcome with her father, she could help others get the closure they needed.
Of course, everything comes at a price, and Gabi’s actions proved that she was willing to hurt the ones she loved in order to get what she wanted.
In the final moments of the episode, Trent, who celebrated the win with M&A, arrives at her doorstep to inform her that by stealing the name of the CI, he was suspended and would likely be fired pending an investigation.
Gabi is solely responsible for possibly destroying Trent’s career, and though he’d have a spot alongside her team, it’s useful to have someone in law enforcement on their side. She should’ve never taken advantage of not only the kindness he showed her and his willingness to help out and do the right thing but also his feelings for her, as it’s very obvious that she can sway him to do just about anything as he feels deeply for her.
And I guess the fact that Trent helped put two people behind bars—Jessie and Lucas—who they didn’t have on their radar prior to Gabi’s case, didn’t actually matter.
The episode underscored that Gabi uses people in the name of doing the right thing, which, in turn, makes her kind of a monster, as Sir suggested.
And yes, I was wondering if Gabi was stressed out that Sir would start screaming and thrashing while Trent was in the house. I would assume she’d soundproof the basement, but if Sir can hear what’s happening upstairs, surely, Trent would be able to hear any noise coming from downstairs also?
Does this prove that Sir doesn’t actually want Gabi to free him? Does he like being held captive because then he can be with her?
Their dynamic is interesting, to say the least, and while we don’t know much about what led to her kidnapping, I have this feeling that it wasn’t random at all.
I’m inclined to believe that they knew each other somehow—maybe he was her father’s co-worker? He seems to know an awful lot about Gabi’s relationship with her father, including that he wasn’t there for her after her mother died, forcing her into a caretaker role instead. It’s possible he simply stalked Gabi for months prior to taking her, but according to the stats, a kidnapping by family members or someone you know accounts for 49% or so, which makes me think this was not random at all. He even knew exactly where to find Gabi’s father to take picture proof that he wasn’t out looking for her, but he underestimated Gabi’s love as all she saw was that her father was wearing gloves and taking care of himself, which in turn gave her hope.
I’m as eager as everyone watching to learn more about the backstory that led them to this moment, in addition to how Sir ended up in Gabi’s custody. How did she manage to track him down and lock him up? Did she have help? Moments from prior episodes have led me to believe that Dhan assisted.
How long has it been since Sir has been captured?
Lacey mentions that Gabi has been acting differently since her father’s death, which, according to the timeline, was only a few months ago. It’s fair to assume that it’s around the same time she locked up Sir, which would explain all the lying.
And truly, it’s the lying that’s going to be the end of her as everyone is picking up on her behavior, particularly Lacey. She realizes something changed and knows that Gabi is hiding something, so it’s only a matter of time before she figures it out.
Gabi has so many people in her corner, supporting her, championing her, and praising the good work that she’s doing, but all of that would be completely destroyed if they found out that she’s keeping someone locked up in her basement. It seems to be a reality she’s increasingly struggling with herself as she’s realizing her actions are hurting a lot of people.
She can’t play the trauma card forever, especially not in this case to justify her actions. It’s a twisted and dangerous game, one that’s better left to the law to handle.
Plus, there’s no denying the fact that Sir definitely still has power over her—their dynamic is give and take, but when he told her to stop because he wanted to help with the case, she immediately came to a halt.
She seeks out Sir’s help on her cases—sometimes on cases she herself could totally figure out alone—almost as if she’s seeking out his approval.
Either way, it’s not going to end well for Gabi as suspicions are already growing, and she can’t keep pushing people away forever.
Other great moments included Zeke reaching out to Dhan after he opened up about his late friend Mike, who died from his amphetamine addiction, and Margaret mustering up the courage to put Jamie’s missing poster up on the wall at M&A, making him an official client. Also, who else is happy to see them address what they are taking shots of each week during their successful toast?
What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy the case of the week? What are your thoughts on Gabi and Sir’s dynamic?