Jack focuses on a woman from the past who may have been the catalyst for the murderer's current killing spree; Betty decides to go all-in as Kent's partner, and together they troll a club in search of a victim; Karen is offered a job with Rolling Stone, which does not please Diver; a menacing old flame of Betty's reemerges and sets his sights on trying to reignite their troubled past; and Dianne finds herself in dire straits when her allegiances are questioned by a powerful drug lord.

Each season Wicked City will follow a different case set in a different noteworthy era of LA history, starting with a murder case from 1982 centered on the rock and roll, cocaine-infused revelry of the Sunset Strip. Alliances are formed between detectives, reporters, drug dealers and club-goers to solve a serial murder case.