Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0
4.1
This hour could have been called Miles Penn and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.
It was Valentine’s Day on The Rookie, and they certainly knew how to sprinkle in as much drama, shock, and awkwardness as they did romance and sweetness for many of our favorite couples.
And, of course, there’s also the fascinating conflict that raised my hackles regarding Nyla, Wesley, and Liam Glasser.
They really went all out for Valentine’s Day, and that explosion was enough to have a person on the edge of their seat. It was also one of those rather random, unexpected plot points to have roughly 15 minutes before the episode ended.
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that The Rookie can do something as outrageous as that without it actually becoming a full-blown plot point or cliffhanger.
The “point” was that their jobs are insane sometimes, and you end up crossing paths with arsonists with boundary issues and obsessions with women they can’t have.
Sometimes, that’s all it takes.
The explosion at least gave us some harrowing, nail-biting moments, as well as those filled with grit, bravery, and adrenaline.
It’ll never go unsaid that the ladies of The Rookie aren’t badasses. Celina had a shard of glass in her arm and still managed to kick down a door and drag her “buddy,” Miles, to safety.
And Lucy was operating on pure adrenaline when she pushed a desk off Tim and helped him hobble to safety.
Of course, Nolan was great, too. But that’s nothing new. Although it at least got some recognition and scolding from Bailey.
Speaking of Bailey, it seems the series is leaning into this DC thing. It’s the first time since Bailey’s appearance that the show has actually tried to address her flaws — the ones that drive many viewers absolutely insane.
Perhaps they deserve some kudos for finally diving into that, even if they did it in such a messy, insufferable manner.
Initially, Bailey was still in her feelings, but by the end of the hour, she was willing to give up the job to DC. Her speaking with Luna must’ve caused her to reflect.
And Bailey concluded that while it’s perfectly reasonable and essential for couples to compromise, and sometimes one person has to give up something, Nolan is usually the one doing all of that.
But Nolan gave her the greenlight to go to DC anyway for this sudden dream job of hers. And frankly, his line of thinking makes sense.
By now, it’s clear that Bailey jumps from one thing to another and ends up getting bored at some point.
And he’s basically banking on Bailey being Bailey. Nolan is playing the long game, knowing that nine times out of ten, Bailey will return to LA anyway because the job won’t be what it’s cracked up to be, or she’ll want to be back home.
The question is whether Nolan will be waiting for her if that happens. It’s a long shot, and it does seem like Bailan has resolved their issues yet again and is in a good place.
But you can’t blame a girl for still happily being distracted by the potential that Nolan and Genny have. They would just be so perfect together, and their scenes together felt like the perfect tease.
Luna and Grey also seem to be in a solid place for the moment, even if Grey is still having a hard time with Luna always working. While I’m glad Luna’s advice helped Bailey out, their situations weren’t the same.
It makes perfect sense that after decades of putting herself on the back burner to raise a family and dealing with Grey’s job, Luna would find her own thing and want to pursue it and be happy and fulfilled outside of the home.
It’s not fair that Grey just took for granted that she’d be waiting for him when he decided he wanted to step away from his position. But at least he’s seeing what it’s like on the other side and taking steps to make it work for both of them.
We also had Chenford being adorable as they celebrated their first Valentine’s Day together by trying to get the perfect gifts for each other.
They’ve become so domestic together, and it’s just nice to see them both so happy. It took so long to get them to this place.
I love that Genny was the go-between, navigating both of their neuroticism about buying each other gifts, all the while dealing with the nightmare that is LA traffic. Genny is just such a gem, and we need more of her onscreen.
Lucy tracking down Tim’s favorite sci-fi book from when he was a kid and getting a signed copy was so sweet, and it was a pleasant surprise to see how sentimental the whole thing made him.
His freaking out that Lucy’s expensive Korean skincare products still hadn’t arrived was hilarious, but the earrings that perfectly matched the necklace were a beautiful and thoughtful gift, too.
Let’s be real here, the gift is that they freaking love each other so much. Everything else is just a little bonus.
What’s a gift when you have two people who would literally die for each other?
But then, that’s also what made Miles and Celina so great during this hour, too. I may never get off the Miles and Celina agenda, and they could easily be playing the long game here.
Of course, Celina was so messy during this hour. Dodging the curse was one thing, and I can understand why she felt guilty.
But the fact that she knew that tech lab guy was totally into her, and she just played it to her advantage during The Rookie Season 8 Episode 5, and still invited him to the gathering, sending mixed signals, was insane.
I felt awful for him. Everything she’s done so far has been so flirty, so naturally, he thought she was into him. He was as disappointed as I was when Rodge showed up.
It was a plot point that almost made Celina look bad because she’s not usually insensitive like that.
Rodge returned, which was meh, but he at least had some supportive boyfriend moments that made him tolerable. I begrudgingly appreciate that he isn’t the jealous type.
He asked if he had anything to worry about, heard he didn’t, and went about his business, totally secure.
They seem happy together, but again, when you can see the Celina/Miles potential, he’s just a bump in the road.
Of course, my favorite pairing of the hour was Wesley and Lopez. I love that Wesley isn’t even a cop, but he’s a protective husband with reflexes, and he batted that man down like hewas nothing to protect his wife.
Goodness, I love Wesley.
It looked great, too. Even if it was worth an eye roll when he apparently scored a podcast interview with Joe Rogan, for I guess appealing to the narrow view of what masculinity looks like with that move.
Wesley will be a great DA, but it’s hard when you’re under so much scruinty and people will dissect every move you make.
Also, Vivian is lowdown for leaking the information about Glasser to the victim’s father before Wesley could speak to him. Weaponizing a tragedy like that to stick to scruples to Wesley because she’s mad is insane.
The Rookie has never met a villain it doesn’t like to bring back, so Glasser’s resurfacing in some capacity isn’t the least bit surprising. And in this one instance, I’m actually fine with it.
The vibes between him and Nyla were too good not to capitalize on more. They were captivating to watch, and they did leave you wanting more.
Of course, it sucks that it’s like that. Glasser should be in prison, and Nyla should not be under the scope because of the words she said to him when he was arrested.
His attorney is looking for any loophole he can. And I can never get over how well Sean Patrick Thomas can play annoying, antagonistic characters.
I hate that this situation is already causing issues between Nyla and Wopez. Angela is so fierce when it comes to her best friend, who is her family, that she was ready to go to war with her own husband about getting IA involved.
And Nyla loves her friends enough to understand and want to distance herself if necessary because she knows this puts more strain on Wesley while he’s running.
His involvement in this is already an issue because of how close he is to her and his previously facing scrutiny for bias.
I think the idea of Wesley as DA was great, but it’s just now hitting everyone what it entails and how many sacrifices can come from it. Bias claims because he married a cop won’t go away.
This is only the beginning.
But as long as nothing gets in the way of my family, I’m good. Bring it — we all know Glasser doesn’t stand a chance against Harper.
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