New Blood, as it was aptly named, introduced some new boots (see what I did there?) to the ground in tonight’s hour of The Rookie.
It felt fitting after taking a look at the wonderful changes in our favorite’s lives last week as Jackson & Chen adjusted to post probation work time.
Shall we dive in?
Our experiences inform who we are
I know how that sounds somehow both vague and straightforward, but it applied deeply to this episode of the Rookie. Between Professor Ryan’s stalker and Tim Bradford’s new rookie Katie we got a look at some different perspectives.
To start with, Fiona Ryan had a creep leaving her messages which were “harmless,” until the psycho smashed out her car windows with a see you soon note. Like the brilliant person she is, she wasted no time reporting this to the police, whose careful watching revealed a former student taking photos across the street.
Despite the creep factor, she defended his legal rights, leading only to his detainment and an emergency restraining order. Sadly that safety didn’t last long after her home address, phone number, and license plate were posted to the internet with a message of attack.
I’d be lying if I said attacks like these didn’t feel true to real life, but what I admired about Fiona Ryan is her refusal to back down in the face of the brazen attempt to scare her. After what happened to her and her grandmother, it’s no wonder she chooses to do what she does in the world.
Sadly that kind of work doesn’t go unnoticed by racists, and especially white supremacists, whether on television or here in the real world. Thankfully when it comes to fiction, we get to see the kind of police officers who are here to help, literally as Nolan called for it when she came under attack in broad daylight with cars and assault rifles.
I admire John Nolan for many reasons, but first and foremost, his desire to help goes hand in hand with his stubborn nature of following through on that desire. As a police officer, there’s no shortage of opportunities to do so, even in the face of a h*ll of a lot of danger on a near-daily basis.
Which is why I’m hoping the show cuts him some slack, but I’ll touch on that in a little bit.
How our day begins it not always how it ends
For our two new boots, surprisingly, neither of them went past the first day. Well, maybe less so for Larry, whose gun went off during roll call, but for Tim’s new boot, Katie, I admit I didn’t see that coming.
Tim Bradford is well known to be an effective torment as a training officer, but when it comes to Katie, a former Army officer, he immediately shifts gears to adjust to what his boot needs on the ground. Which quickly catches the (jealous) eye of one, Lucy Chen.
It quickly became less of a surprise given Tim’s own military experience that Katie would need to learn the difference between being a military soldier in enemy territory and being a police officer doing their job. Criminals may be breaking the law, but at the end of the day, they are people who sometimes need to be helped as much as they need to be cuffed.
What I really loved was him taking the time to show how she can find peace in her present, even if it’s just focusing on a lady bug’s spots. His approach to her training lay in assessing what he believed she needed to be able to do the job.
Which he straight up explained to Lucy, who questioned him being so “nice” when he was a nightmare in the beginning to her. Granted, as a Chenford shipper, I didn’t mind him slipping in a compliment, but Lucy going from annoyed to understanding to happy in under a minute was certainly enjoyable.
Sadly the point was moot as Katie decided to resign in order to find a different path that had the peace Tim showed her with that ladybug. It hurt when I could see Tim really wanted to help her, but ultimately him respecting her choice meant more.
Final Thoughts
- I know I focused on other things, but the subplots this week had some really good character moments that just make this show for me.
- Lucy being the kind, insightful person she is immediately took in Tamara when her jerk of a cousin kicked her out because her new place wouldn’t be ready for two months. Calling her family felt exactly right, and simultaneously made me melt in my seat.
- On a side note, Tim Bradford playing literal mediator for a wedding for his best friend Angela is the best kind of comedy there is. Especially with Wesley, who he’ll hang with just to get a glass of water, haha.
- If there’s one request I would make of the Rookie, it’s, GIVE JOHN NOLAN A BREAK.
- First, he loses all chance of being detective, is extended in the Rookie program, and now his only son collapses in front of him with an apparent reappearance of his heart issues. Henry better be okay, you hear me?!
The Rookie airs on Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.