# The Rookie - S02 - Rest of season thread - *spoilers*



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

So I've been doing so much schoolwork that I haven't had a chance to start new threads. I'm just going to start a rest of season thread. There's only the 2-part finale left to be aired at this point. Spoilers and speculation abound, so enter at your own risk.


Last episode (S02E18 - Under the Gun), we got Nolan and Harper getting stuck in a prison riot. Somehow, I would bet that they would have had orders not to go back into the prison to rescue the warden without a larger crew backing them up. Going in just increased the likelihood of more hostages. So that part's kinda meh.

But, for the most part, it was a good episode. I can't believe they had the van get stolen. I can't remember who was driving the van, though. I presume it was Harper since Nolan wasn't given crap for leaving the keys in it. 

We have Nolan's girlfriend getting back with ex. That was going to happen because Ali Larter got her own show. Nolan's love-life keeps getting short circuited by real world issues. I think Sarah Shahi left for her own Netflix show as well, but that could have happened after the fact. 

The supporting cast stories were great. Wonderful coincidence that there was an active shooter situation at the business of the programmer dude who could have wrecked Lopez's career. I really like her character. She's bada$$ but fun. When not on duty, she lets her hair down and lets go of the bada$$. 

Bradford has to decide whether or not to go to NYPD. I don't think it's going to happen, honestly. The writers seem to be setting up a Bradford/Chen pairing sooner or later. I wish they would remain friends, but as it is a tv show, the shippers are going to push that one eventually.

Speculation - will the writers/producers rename the show away from The Rookie? Or will they keep it? Will they rename it "The oldest rookie" or "LAPD: The Rookie Later Years"?


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

I was getting bored with the Nolan romance with his old girlfriend, so I like that that storyline may end. I think the set up was that Bradford”s girlfriend will decide to stay in LA. But these romance storylines are, IMO, the weakest part of the show. 
I was thinking the same about the name last season, but looks like they’ll now have the rookies “graduate”. They’ll probably have Nolan be a TO for a new Rookie.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Regarding the van: the kid could have hot-wired it... seems pretty unlikely a cop would leave the keys in the van like that.

Nolan certainly gets to smooch with some beautiful women... I get that he's a good looking guy and single at a "later age", but come _on_!

This episode was a bit more eye-rolling than most, but I'm still in!


----------



## irmolars (Dec 29, 2018)

One of the best shows on TV

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

irmolars said:


> One of the best shows on TV


_Broadcast_ TV


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Bradford's gf just got arrested. That might block her from the new job in NYC (plus hasn't she heard of Covid-19?).

Very surprised that a veteran officer transferring from the LAPD to NYPD would have to start from scratch. Makes no sense.

Ali Larter is just doing a movie. I think she'll be back.


----------



## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

For lateral moves across states, there's the fact that Bradford would have to memorize an entirely new set of criminal and vehicle codes, and state-specific legal rulings and precedents WRT police authority and behavior. Every state is different.

--Carlos V.


----------



## Azlen (Nov 25, 2002)

If anyone wasn't aware, Melissa O'Neill, who did the contrived American Idol thing a couple of episodes back, actually won the 3rd season of Canadian Idol, so she does actually have some singing talent.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

wprager said:


> Ali Larter is just doing a movie. I think she'll be back.


I'd be ok if the character did not come back.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

Tony_T said:


> I was getting bored with the Nolan romance with his old girlfriend, so I like that that storyline may end. I think the set up was that Bradford"s girlfriend will decide to stay in LA. But these romance storylines are, IMO, the weakest part of the show.
> I was thinking the same about the name last season, but looks like they'll now have the rookies "graduate". They'll probably have Nolan be a TO for a new Rookie.


I don't think you can be a TO immediately out of your Rookie year. They aren't qualified for that.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

wprager said:


> Nolan's gf just got arrested. That might block her from the new job in NYC (plus hasn't she heard of Covid-19?).
> 
> Very surprised that a veteran officer transferring from the LAPD to NYPD would have to start from scratch. Makes no sense.
> 
> Ali Larter is just doing a movie. I think she'll be back.


I think you've got some confusion on names. Bradford's gf got arrested, but he was allowed by the arresting officer to 'cite her out' indicating more of a traffic ticket. It probably won't be affected by that. COVID wasn't a thing during the time of filming, so, no, she hasn't heard of it.

LAPD to NYPD requires a learning of new laws and regulations. From the dialogue, it looks like he would have to go back through the academy and do a TO tour. After that, he would probably be promoted quickly, but that would take a couple of years at minimum before he would be eligible. It does make sense that it would seem like starting from scratch. My experience on my current job doesn't transfer laterally to other positions, so in many ways, depending upon where I go, I'm starting from scratch. It's a hard road.

Ali Larter has a new TV show. link


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> I'd be ok if the character did not come back.


I agree completely. She doesn't seem to have good chemistry with Nathan Fillion. Her character doesn't seem compelling. I don't care about her or her family history. It's either poor writing or a mismatch in on-set chemistry between the actors.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

Agatha Mystery said:


> I don't think you can be a TO immediately out of your Rookie year. They aren't qualified for that.


Yeah, I was thinking that none of these Rookies could be a TO in their 1st year out of being Rookie, then realized that not only is this TV, this is _ABC_ TV, so anything is possible


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

Agatha Mystery said:


> I agree completely. She doesn't seem to have good chemistry with Nathan Fillion. Her character doesn't seem compelling. I don't care about her or her family history. It's either poor writing or a mismatch in on-set chemistry between the actors.


I disliked that character from day 1


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Unbeliever said:


> For lateral moves across states, there's the fact that Bradford would have to memorize an entirely new set of criminal and vehicle codes, and state-specific legal rulings and precedents WRT police authority and behavior. Every state is different.
> 
> --Carlos V.


They have to qualify with new firearms too. Last time I checked NY required a custom 12-pound Glock trigger, which I'm sure is very hard to get used to.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Agatha Mystery said:


> Ali Larter has a new TV show. link


The Rookie but with cheerleaders, lol! Well, I guess once you've got a formula that works...


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Azlen said:


> If anyone wasn't aware, Melissa O'Neill, who did the contrived American Idol thing a couple of episodes back, actually won the 3rd season of Canadian Idol, so she does actually have some singing talent.


I've been a fan since Dark Matter.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Tony_T said:


> Bradford, not Nolan.


Oops, corrected.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Maybe Nolan's friend and former landlord will be back. He just got killed off on Cardinal.

jk


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

Still a big fan of the show. Thanks for the scoop on Melissa O'Neill being on Canadian Idol; during that weird scene my wife and I commented on how well she sang. . I won't miss Ali Larter's character and I don't think they had nearly the chemistry that he did with Sara Shahi's character (I admit to not preferring blondes though).


Pokemon_Dad said:


> They have to qualify with new firearms too. Last time I checked NY required a custom 12-pound Glock trigger, which I'm sure is very hard to get used to.


Holy crap, 12# trigger pull! Makes sense why so many NYPD shots miss.


----------



## type_g (Sep 9, 2002)

Now that Ali Liter is gone I hope that mean Stana Katic is next in line for love interest. Maybe she can be a detective  ( But I ain't holding by breath for that haha)


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

LlamaLarry said:


> Holy crap, 12# trigger pull! Makes sense why so many NYPD shots miss.


Yup. Meanwhile, last time I looked at this, the LAPD and Sheriff's Dept. were known for light-'n-smooth triggers that are more accurate, but cause more accidents.



type_g said:


> Now that Ali Liter is gone I hope that mean Stana Katic is next in line for love interest. Maybe she can be a detective  ( But I ain't holding by breath for that haha)


Oh Lord we'd definitely have to worry about light LA triggers then...


----------



## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

Azlen said:


> If anyone wasn't aware, Melissa O'Neill, who did the contrived American Idol thing a couple of episodes back, actually won the 3rd season of Canadian Idol, so she does actually have some singing talent.


Titus Makin, who plays West, appeared on the show Glee as a member of the Warblers singing group. So he can also sing and dance. I was wondering why she was picked to sing instead of him.


----------



## rharmelink (Dec 1, 2015)

type_g said:


> I hope that mean Stana Katic is next in line for love interest.


Are you being sarcastic? I thought there were issues between Nathan and Stana?


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

rharmelink said:


> Are you being sarcastic?


I think it's at least faintly possible.


----------



## Generic (Dec 27, 2005)

I think the writers had it wrong when they said transfer to NYPD. There is no transferring between law enforcement agencies. There is transferring within one agency. Bradford would have to apply to NYPD like everyone else off the street. He would have to have to go through the hoops and then NYPD could still potentially say "thanks but no thanks". Granted, he would probably have a leg up on most applicants but it still would not guarantee a job. I know of some large fire departments that sometimes hire someone with no experience over someone who has experience because it allows them to train someone their way avoids some bad habits the applicant may have picked up. Then there is the culture of the department. Does this applicant's personality fit in with our culture? It is likely Bradford would be hired but no guarantee.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Generic said:


> I think the writers had it wrong when they said transfer to NYPD. There is no transferring between law enforcement agencies. There is transferring within one agency. Bradford would have to apply to NYPD like everyone else off the street. He would have to have to go through the hoops and then NYPD could still potentially say "thanks but no thanks".


To me that sounds like pretty much exactly what Sgt. Grey said. That's why he called Bradford "boot" at the end.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

Part 1 of the 2 part finale down.

Red shirt crewmembers....*cough*....Rookies from the graduating class with our rookies whom we've never seen before are hard to get emotionally involved. The death of one and the betrayal by another one doesn't grab you emotionally. Detective Armstrong was shown at the very end as having shot the exposed mole. We're more emotionally involved in Armstrong, but not by a whole lot more than the red-shirt rookies. He's been in a few episodes, but just offering advice to Nolan about his relationships really hasn't brought him on as someone that would upset you, as a viewer, for him betraying the force. They either needed more of his character, or should have chosen one of the other rookies or TOs as the mole. Then their death/betrayal would have had more emotional weight to it, like the loss of the captain last season.

I will say, I hated Nolan's replacement TO at the beginning of this season. The writers did a good job humanising her character over the season. I actually like her now and enjoy seeing her on screen.

I hope the part 2 of the finale doesn't end on a cliffhanger. The series has been renewed for a third season. With the lockdown, I don't know when they will start filming the new season. I'm going to guess that it won't start showing until late 2020 at the earliest.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

I also immediately thought “Red Shirt”. 
I though Armstrong was the mole when the gun went missing, but they had me second guessing myself when the female “Red Shirt” went on the run.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

Tony_T said:


> I also immediately thought "Red Shirt".
> I though Armstrong was the mole when the gun went missing, but they had me second guessing myself when the female "Red Shirt" went on the run.


Yup. I figured they would go through all of the body cam footage and realize no one had taken the gun was wearing one. That would have left Armstrong as the only one there without a bodycam. Having one of the redshirt rookies do it was the red herring meant to hide Armstrong as part of the problem.

If they really wanted to not tease us that Armstrong was the mole, they should have left out the comments from what's her name serial killer lady.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Why do you think the rookie *didnt* take the gun?


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Armstrong was in the house with them when they arrested the older brother. He was clearly seen on other body cams. That's why Lopez crossed him off of her list. It was definitely the rookie that took the gun, that's why her camera was off.

However, you may recall it was Armstrong who urged Nolan to go to get in on the arrest rather than going directly back to the precinct to check in the evidence... he clearly was in on the plan to steal the evidence.


----------



## Howie (May 3, 2004)

I'd been thinking there was something hinky about Armstrong ever since he first came on the show. I wasn't too surprised.


----------



## pendragn (Jan 21, 2001)

Howie said:


> I'd been thinking there was something hinky about Armstrong ever since he first came on the show. I wasn't too surprised.


My wife and I have thought that since the character was introduced. But we can't decide if he's hinky because the character is hinky, or if he's hinky because the actor just isn't a good actor for this role.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

pendragn said:


> My wife and I have thought that since the character was introduced. But we can't decide if he's hinky because the character is hinky, or if he's hinky because the actor just isn't a good actor for this role.


Or maybe because you can't trust Michael from Lost.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

"WAAAAAALLLLLLTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

WAAAALT!

Maybe you thought he was hinky because he's a GREAT actor and was foreshadowing this turn so you didn't feel ripped off!


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

His whole relationship with Nolan was hinky (sorry if I'm not using/spelling this term correctly; I only know it from The Fugitive). What did they have in common to so quickly form this bond?


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Well, they're approximately the same age, both divorced, and both cops. So that's not nothing.


----------



## Generic (Dec 27, 2005)

I had the impression that Nolan somewhat looked up to him, at least initially. He was a detective with some experience on the job.

Spoiler for the season finale.



Spoiler



See the return of serial killer Rosalind Dyer in 'The Rookie' season finale sneak peek


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

The actor was great in the role. Sometimes he was a good mentor and sometimes you wondered what he was up to. Hate the character, not the actor.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

madscientist said:


> Well, they're approximately the same age, both divorced, and both cops. So that's not nothing.


Divorced cop in the late 30s to mid 40s. Probably a fairly large pool. Nolan is the only one still in long sleeves.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

wprager said:


> Nolan is the only one still in long sleeves.


Nope, Nolan is in short sleeves. All three rookies got to short sleeves. Jackson got bumped back to long sleeves for a while shortly after, but he's back to short sleeves.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Long sleeves when they first met, and he almost immediately asked for Nolan.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

Howie said:


> I'd been thinking there was something hinky about Armstrong ever since he first came on the show. I wasn't too surprised.


Hinky? He practically screamed "bad guy" to me and my wife from the start.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Last ep, how disappointing. If I wanted to watch bad things happening to people over and over again, I'd watch "Ozark".


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

The first 15 minutes of the episode were basically a rehash/recap of the previous one. It really wasn't needed. I felt like they had to pad the episode to fill it out more.

Considering the fact that the crime family has been getting off for more than the one rookie year of Nolan and the red shirt chick (Erin?) introduced in the last episode, there's no way that the police department wouldn't think more people are involved. 

I've read that the show runners want to fast track Nolan's character in the next season a bit, so I imagine that this will clean up in the first episode or two. With Nolan being alive, the scenario that Armstrong thought out won't work as well. As a rookie, his TO should also have been with him when he went to the prison. It makes no sense that she would have let him go without her.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

I just loved how Nolan parked his car in front of Armstrong’s house. 
I guess “Nobody Walks in L.A.”


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

I was annoyed by John busting up his house as if he cold not tell the difference between a wall he hung and painted and one an unskilled guy did an hour previously. 

I'm in for next season, but they better wrap up the frame job quickly.


----------



## Donbadabon (Mar 5, 2002)

I liked the recap at the beginning, since it showed what we didn't see him do in the previous one. I liked how it showed his increasing panic as things spun out of control.

The setup job was pretty dumb. Nolan's prints won't be on anything. And please TV shows, stop ripping open shirts to show bullet proof vests.


----------



## LlamaLarry (Apr 30, 2003)

Donbadabon said:


> And please TV shows, stop ripping open shirts to show bullet proof vests.


Yes, this!


----------



## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

For one of the few times in this series, I was just kind of bored, and my mind kept on multi-tasking. The writing?


----------



## logic88 (Jun 7, 2001)

So Nolan doesn't have any security in his house? If I was a cop, I would have cameras everywhere.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

So Armstrong doesn't have any security in his house? 
If I was a _crooked_ cop, I would have cameras everywhere.


----------



## SNJpage1 (May 25, 2006)

I think they ruined the show by setting up Nolan to take a fall. Armstrong should have just shot himself and end it there.


----------



## GAViewer (Oct 18, 2007)

Tony_T said:


> So Armstrong doesn't have any security in his house?
> If I was a _crooked_ cop, I would have cameras everywhere.


 That was my thought, a crooked cop with lots of dirty money would spend some of it on a great security system.

Another thought I had was when Armstrong told John that he needed to hurry to his house because of all the evidence that was hidden there, John should have been able to say "No problem, I have had my phone in voice record mode since I showed up."


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Not nearly enough people do that. You can automatically record all your phone conversations. Most recording apps include silence suppression so you can leave them on all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an app which would record a "sliding window" where with just one tap you could get it to penalty store the current such window and continue sliding along. So I have on permanently and only store clips when something interesting happened.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

"Nolan, we know Armstrong tried to frame you, and you found the mole and Erin's killer, but you didn't follow protocol, so you'll have to remain a Rookie for another season year."


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

I am disgusted beyond belief. So much stupidity. And a stupid cliffhanger. At this point I don't even want to see a next season. And this was one of my favorite shows. So disappointing.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

It was a stupid cliffhanger. Last season's cliffhanger was better. This one just shows stupidity. You would hope that common sense would kick in. Since the cliffhanger is about Nolan, he's the main character, so they are not going to have him be in deep doo doo (at least, not for long), so the suspense isn't there. The cliffhanger should have been over one of the other side characters with Nolan involved. Kind of like Chen getting abducted and trapped in the drum. That would have been a better cliffhanger for the season ender.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Maybe the writers left due to the pandemic and a 3rd grade drama class wrote the episode.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Was this intended as the season finale? Or was it the result of a pandemic shortened season?


----------



## justen_m (Jan 15, 2004)

LoadStar said:


> Was this intended as the season finale? Or was it the result of a pandemic shortened season?


Well, it is sort of a cliffhanger. Which I hate. When the new season starts, I probably won't watch until I hear online that the issue of Nolan being framed has been resolved, and the show is back to the normal I enjoyed before the mole-thread was introduced.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

I'm just wondering if they had intended to make it a cliffhanger season finale. It's listed as episode 20, and most (but not all) full TV seasons are 22 episodes.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

I think it was intended but not 100% certain.


----------



## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

The show hasn't been renewed or canceled. Most of the bubble shows seem to being renewed.


----------



## Agatha Mystery (Feb 12, 2002)

lew said:


> The show hasn't been renewed or canceled. Most of the bubble shows seem to being renewed.


There have been a couple of the actors who have stated that it was renewed. I did see an article stating that the show was renewed, but found another one that said they were waiting. Last year, the renewal order didn't come until about a month after the finale appeared. I believe the ratings were better for season 2 than 1. The writers need to step it up a bit and figure out which direction they want the show to go.


----------



## Tony_T (Nov 2, 2017)

_More Cowbell_


----------



## Mikeguy (Jul 28, 2005)

Agatha Mystery said:


> The writers need to step it up a bit and figure out which direction they want the show to go.


More girlfriends and boyfriends for Nolan and the other rookies/officers!!!


Spoiler



Yeah, that's been so successful thus far.


----------



## Generic (Dec 27, 2005)

Season 1 appeared to have only 20 episodes so I am guessing 20 episodes this season was not pandemic related. I am also guessing that since there are more on location shoots that it is more expensive to shoot so less episodes?


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Some shows starting cutting down to 20 episodes per season last year and the The Rookie was one of them.
I have to assume that this season was also planned for 20 episodes all along.
(Which means they probably had all episodes shot when the lockdown orders came down.)


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

There was a HomeCon panel with the cast on twitch today. Just by luck I saw a couple of tweets just before it started. Nothing earth shattering, but it certainly sounded like they all expected to be back for another season. They had the three boots, the three TOs, the sargeant and the show runner/writer.


----------



## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

LoadStar said:


> I'm just wondering if they had intended to make it a cliffhanger season finale. It's listed as episode 20, and most (but not all) full TV seasons are 22 episodes.


_Entertainment Weekly_ had an interview with the show's creator and this question was specifically addressed. Here's the relevant part of the article:


> *ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: *The coronavirus pandemic has shaken up season finales for many shows. Was this your intended stopping point, or did this end up becoming the finale because of production being shut down?
> 
> *ALEXI HAWLEY: *We got super-lucky, because our last day of shooting [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom shut down the state. So this is exactly what our end goal was. But we only do 20 [episodes]. I guess the people who did 22 got cut short, but we just got in under the wire.


----------



## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

lew said:


> The show hasn't been renewed or canceled. Most of the bubble shows seem to being renewed.


Renewed...


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Amnesia said:


> Renewed...


No surprise, really.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Just don't "Renew" the writer(s) of the last episode.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

DouglasPHill said:


> Just don't "Renew" the writer(s) of the last episode.


Hopefully, they will be busy going back to 6th grade.


----------



## andyw715 (Jul 31, 2007)

I'd like to see the two eps run side by side to see if any of the overt actions in the finale were hinted in the prev ep


----------



## Malcontent (Sep 5, 2004)

Bump.....

*Season 3* starts tonight.


----------

