Critic’s Rating: 4.3 / 5.0
4.3
What do the kiddies say? Finally, some good food.
The Rookie Season 8 Episode 16 was a smorgasbord of all the things that make this series so quintessentially The Rookie, as well as many of the things that make for a fun hour.
“Out of Time” felt like our reward after some lackluster installments, and even the hour featuring Glasser and Monica prominently didn’t feel like overkill.
Glasser continues to be a problem. It’s typical of The Rookie to milk its villains for all that they’re worth, but given all of this lawsuit stuff, it was reasonable to check back in with Glasser.
And, naturally, a man who has killed as many people as he has will have some enemies. The series does something that at least aligns with the difficulties of being a cop.
Sometimes, you have to actually protect the horrific monsters that you’d rather throw in a cell, under a prison somewhere. And thanks to someone who attempted to kill Glasser, Los Angeles’ resources had to go toward actually keeping this man safe.
Boo and hiss, I say! On one hand, Seth Gabel is just so damn good as Glasser, and for his performance alone, he’s interesting to watch.
But on the other hand, just let one of these villains die and let’s be done with it!
Nevertheless, thanks to his antics this time, we had a strong hour, and an intense one too, with so many delicious twists and turns, and we’re no closer to having some answers about much of anything.
Initially, it seemed like Glasser’s ex-wife was the one who deliberately arranged for an attack on his life, so she could prove in court that it was too dangerous for Glasser to have shared custody. Because his being accused of being a serial killer isn’t enough!
Like, it’s mindblowing that a woman has to work that hard to keep her crazy ex from getting custody of a kid he doesn’t even really want. Because it’s all about him just getting back at her more than anything!
And if it were merely about that, and her doing everything she could to prevent him from securing custody, I wouldn’t have even blamed her. But shockingly, that wasn’t the case, though it was a nice red herring.
The next best theory was that Glasser arranged for his own hit so he could toy with his ex and the police at the same time. And I would’ve bought into that, too, especially when they brought his ex in because she had the same gun used in the shooting.
But they threw us off again, and that wasn’t the case either. We had the child of one of Glasser’s victims really going on a rampage, trying to kill him and doing so poorly, and next time, if you can’t do the deed properly, hire a professional, I say.
Because how did everyone catch a damn bullet but Glasser?!
The twists and turns with this case were great, and because of all the tension between Glasser and the police, it made the interactions interesting to watch in that teeth-gnashing way that had you genuinely sympathizing with Nolan and the others.
Initially, it was frustrating that they took the villain who is most closely fixated on Nyla and set him in Nolan’s custody. It felt like a possible arc that would have them shifting away from Harper when she deserved to be in the spotlight.
But Harper didn’t need to be anywhere near Glasser, given the lawsuit, and it also freed her up for one of my favorite scenes of the hour when she spoke to Glasser’s wife.
Harper’s conversation with her got me tingly, because I love when characters in police procedurals aren’t blindly worshipful of the justice system and act as if they don’t know how it works. As a Black woman, Harper knows very well how it works.
And she didn’t shy away from keeping it real with Glasser’s wife, pointing out that she knows this same system would paint Glasser’s ex out as a “crazy woman” and she’d easily become a victim of the system, while a man like Glasser would somehow bend it to his will and be out scot-free.
Harper knew she was telling the truth and was able to cut through the noise of this woman assigning blame to Harper and all the fear, and have a genuine conversation. They both know very well what it’s like to fall victim to Glasser’s manipulations and ragebaiting.
And that’s why I’m conflicted about whether his ex took off with Noah, whether he arranged something, or whether his legitimately crazy girlfriend, Daisy, did something.
Harper’s talk could’ve led Glasser’s ex to believe that the system will inevitably work against her, prompting her to flee instead.
But it could also mean that she wanted to stay and fight and do things the strategic, smart way, but someone else made sure she wouldn’t show up at that court date because Glasser would automatically get his way otherwise.
That’s the cliffhanger we’re on, but so much was going on, I can’t even process that one fully.
So, again, it’s too bad that Glasser is still alive. Now, we’ll have to deal with him and his obnoxious lawyer playing more games to get their way.
And something tells me Nolan taking a bullet for him won’t mean anything to the likes of Glasser in the end. But is anyone else annoyed that they just… never showed us Miles again?
It was already puzzling enough that he was transporting Glasser, and Nolan was on his own. Not only is he a damn ROOKIE, but he was just practically caught on his body cam not being sympathetic enough about the attempt on Glasser’s life.
After all this time of Miles being MIA, the shooter shoots him, in the arm, I guess, and then we just never see or hear about him again. Why did they act like Nolan was the only one shot?
I would’ve traded in one of the Bailey and Nolan scenes for one where we saw anyone checking in on Miles at the hospital. Why do they have my guy in banishment? What gives?
The Glasser element isn’t over, and neither is Monica, of course. That woman plays more sides than a Rubik’s Cube, and it’s exhausting. But damn, does she always look stunning while being ruthless and evil.
Every time they show her, it’s like she’s walking down a runway or doing a Pantene commercial. Crime rarely looks so good.
Monica never finds an ounce of chill, but even I didn’t anticipate her screwing over Aidan’s right-hand Sam like that and getting him popped in a parking garage!
She’s so calculating, conniving, and ruthless, but so much of it is her never really thinking about how dangerous the games are she’s playing until something like that happens. It’s like she did it for kicks, just to be self-serving.
But the reality of her moves and manipulation hit the second Sam caught a bullet to the chest and head, and now she’s once again bitten off more than she can chew. That her pretty little head didn’t end up in that trunk next to him was a minor miracle.
Now that she has seen the name on her car, she looks shook, so I’m betting that Monica is going to go on the run again, and the task force is going to be all over her. But I need Grey and Garza to dig deep and lock in.
Because, as great a villain as Monica is, we cannot go another season with her evading capture and in the wind!
As cold-blooded as she was with that henchman, she still has her soft spots. Her sending Wesley and Sean a lucrative client for their struggling pop-up law firm was actually endearing. There are times when having a pet baddie in your back pocket helps, I suppose.
And Wesley back on his Defense grind is exactly where he belongs! He and Angela are at odds during the work day, which is always when they’re in their sweetest spot.
Not only do they both get to be sexy and competent in their respective fields. But it’s like the ultimate foreplay for them.
Wesley was all hilariously sheepish, and Angela always feigns annoyance, but the role play they probably do later? Yeah. Love me some Wopez.
The case was hilarious. Ethan was just a drunk, hot mess with way too much money and horrible friends who led him to trouble.
When he opened the door, and the body was just lying there, I couldn’t stop laughing, and Wesley and Sean, trying to debate how much they even needed to know, were too funny.
But Ethan being stupid enough to buy appliances and get caught cutting up a body was too much. What a great case to initiate Sean into the world of defense.
Wesley and Sean make a great pairing, and I actually hope we get to see more of them practicing law together.
And for the Chenford Cherry to wrap all of this up. We knew it was coming, but it’s so sweet that Tim is planning to propose to Lucy.
I still have beef with how much of his growth and evolution happened off-screen because we barely got to see his therapy process. But I love that we get the aftermath.
The Tim Bradford we have now is a man who has truly been doing some work, and the fact that he’s so eager to settle down with Lucy says so much.
It also speaks volumes that he was so worked up about trying to tell his mother he couldn’t use his grandmother’s ring. They haven’t really leaned into the dynamic between Tim and his mother as much as I expected.
But it’s been nice to see these little glimpses, and they were very sweet in this episode. She’s so excited about Lucy, and she’s eager that she’s finally in a good place in their relationship where she knows and gets to be a part of these things.
Of course, that eagerness led to her giving him the most hideous ring ever.
Tim consulting with his work sisters about the ring, and going through such an elaborate process of closing blinds and minimizing interference just to show it off had me cracking up.
And the only thing better than Angela’s reaction to a possible proposal was Nyla being so brutally honest about how hideous that ring was!
Finding a nice loophole by telling his mother the ring was fake was nice, though, and now we have to wait and see when the actual proposal comes and what the real ring will look like then.
The hour gave us a dash of all the things that make The Rookie fun, from the action and twists to the humor and romance.
And the setup promises stronger hours to close the season!
Over to you, The Rookie Fanatics. Did this feel like the series righting the ship near the finish line?
Why do you think they keep shafting Miles this season? I’ll see you below in the comments!
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