The Rookie Season 1 Episode 4 Review: The Switch
Christine Orlando
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The rookies switched things up on The Rookie Season 1 Episode 4 and ended up changing more than just their training officers.
One of those changes even had me tearing up at the end...but we'll get back to that in a bit.
John Nolan got paired with Officer Angela Lopez, Lucy Chen was with Officer Talia Bishop, and Jackson West had to ride with Officer Tim Bradford.
And as much as I enjoyed Nolan and Lopez, it was West and Bradford that had me anticipating the worst.
West: Tim’s going to eat me alive, isn’t he?
Chen: You? No, you’re a rock star. A legacy who excelled at the Academy. If Tim could create a cop in a test tube, it would be you.
But we all knew better and so did Jackon.
Because as well as West did with Lopez's tests of enraged junkies and violent Nazis, he still hadn't been under fire since the day he froze and nothing but bullets flying past him would tell us if he had beat back the terror.
Related: The Rookie Scores Full Season Order at ABC!
Do you think Bradford does that slam on the brakes and scream for the rookie to say their location with all of his boots? Probably, but I never doubted that West would pass with flying colors.
Unfortunately being smart won't help him survive when shots are fired.
I liked that Bradford had enough respect for Lopez to go to her directly and not simply go to Sgt. Grey.
And despite his tough as nails demeanor, even Bradford had to feel something when West begged for help in this The Rookie quote...
West: All I’m asking is that you try and fix me instead of just throwing me away.
Bradford: I don’t do lost causes. Now if I were you I’d prepare for tomorrow to be your last day on the job.
I wouldn't have blamed Bradford for calling out West despite the possible political fallout. If Jackson is going to freeze every time shots get fired, he's putting himself and other's lives on the line. No partner will ever be able to trust he'll have their back, and that's unacceptable.
On a side note, please tell me I wasn't the only one who yelled out "Hodor!" or "Hold the door" when actor Kristian Nairn appeared on screen as Wallace.
As much as I applauded when Jackon came to Bradford's rescue at the end and didn't freeze up, he still didn't fire his weapon. Somehow I don't think that West's issues are over.
Seeing Nolan paired with a new T.O. was fun. Lopez and Bishop go about things differently, and I loved that Lopez was working Nolan to get her garage door fixed while also declaring the shop a quiet zone.
Nolan's definitely a talker. How long do you think he can honor the quiet zone rule?
Nolan trying to hold on to that book while attempting to chase down the escapee was silly. Possibly losing the book to capture an escaped criminal who just took down two guards seemed like the kind of common sense John Nolan should possess.
I kept waiting for Sgt. Grey to show body cam footage of Nolan fumbling with those pages, but I'm glad they didn't go for the easy gag.
The pairing that bothered me the most was Officers Bishop and Chen.
I kept wavering between which one I was annoyed with more.
At times it felt as though Bishop was trying to strong-arm Chen into breaking up with Nolan. Not only did Bishop seem certain that this could ruin Chen's career but that her entire focus should be on her training and being in a relationship was nothing but a distraction.
I also felt like Chen was too wishy-washy about her feelings. It seemed as if she needed Bishop's blessing and if she had given it, Chen wouldn't have thought twice about continuing this romance.
Nolan: When I first met you I had just turned my life upside down and I was, I was lost. I was alone. Everything was alien to me but then you turned me right side up again and you gave me the confidence not just to endure the challenge but to actually enjoy them and I'm so grateful for that. But now that we're here I just don't think...
Lucy: Um, are you breaking up with me?
And then Nolan annoyed the heck out of me too by trying to play the white knight and break up with Lucy for her own good.
Yes, the guy's got a hero complex, but there are worse things. I wish he would have tried to have an honest conversation about the risks to Lucy's career instead of deciding for her.
I have been struggling with this decision for weeks because I really like you and you just ripped off the band-aid like it was no big deal.
Lucy
That said, I found myself tearing up during their break up scene, that's a good sign considering I've only had four episodes to become invested in them.
These are two people who care about one another, and their heartache could have been avoided.
But Lucy Chen was second-guessing herself into knots, and that came mostly from youth and insecurity. She fell into her career trying to annoy her parents and then was surprised when she found a job and a man she loved.
Bishop made her feel as though she had to choose between the two, and I'm not sure that's the case. I agree that Lucy would take the brunt of the backlash as the female cop, but I wish she and John would have talked everything over before she walked away from a relationship that appeared to make them both happy.
That doesn't come around every day.
I knew that the rookies wouldn't give up anything about their new training officers, and that was probably part of the overall test. If it weren't, I think Grey would have given them all cavity search detail.
So what do you think TV Fanatics?
Was Lucy right to break up with Nolan? Was it something she had to do, or did she let Bishop push her into that decision?
And have we seen the last of Jackson's panic attack under fire?
Check back for my review of The Rookie Season 1 Episode 5, and until then, you can watch The Rookie online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
