Plot summary
Veronica and Wallace (Percy Daggs III) watch a movie at her house. She questions him about Piz’s mood, while Keith enters and says he is currently unopposed in the Sheriff election. Piz runs up to Veronica and states that he has been chosen to be a guide for a rock star named Desmond Fellows. However, his show depends on some tapes Desmond is carrying with him, but when Piz checks him into his hotel room, they are missing. Piz calls Veronica for the case and runs into Logan in the elevator.
Desmond points to several potential suspects. Logan asks Mac for study help, and she agrees. Piz starts his show with Desmond, and it goes terribly, as Desmond uses racial epithets and makes sexual advances. Veronica and Piz track down a teacher, who denies involvement, but the pair find a flyer for a group that threatened to boycott Desmond’s show. Piz and Desmond talk about his past and start to make progress, but he ends up going to a party with Dick (Ryan Hansen) instead of playing guitar with Piz.
Logan and Mac continue to make progress on his business school report, but Mac has to call Max (Adam Rose) to continue. Desmond goes skinny dipping at his party, while Mac and Max flirt in front of Logan. Veronica discovers that Desmond’s bag was actually switched with another person’s. Veronica and Piz retrieve it, and on the car ride home, they briefly discuss their kiss at the party before playing a CD with some of Desmond’s unreleased newer material. Keith reconnects with Leo D’Amato (Max Greenfield), who presents a case involving the Fitzpatricks to him.
They stake out where the Fitzpatricks are, and Keith sees Vinnie Van Lowe helping them. However, they quickly learn that Vinnie is actually investigating the case and has trapped them in the store. Veronica and Piz supposedly get stuck in traffic and tell Desmond to play some of his newer songs until they get there, but they actually are at the concert venue and just want him to expose the audience to his solo material.
Desmond plays a show entirely of new songs, and the crowd loves it. Piz tells Desmond that he was there the whole time, but he does not react negatively. Mac, Max and Logan finish their report, but the professor cuts Logan off in the middle and dislikes it. Leo becomes a deputy again, while Vinnie enters the Sheriff’s office and states his intention to run against Keith in the special election.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Debasement Tapes. Exact single-episode scope verified in the source infobox; narrative paragraphs adjusted and reference markers, illustrations and non-story sections omitted.