The Rookie Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Standoff
Christine Orlando
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The truth matters.
But as Oscar Wilde once said, "The truth is rarely pure and never simple." The Rookie Season 1 Episode 9 offered a good example of just that.
Unfortunately, the truth became a liability the moment Lucy hid her and Nolan's relationship and break up from Internal Affairs.
Of course, when I think about it, she's probably not the only one who hid that particular fact. If we assume that Bishop got asked many of the same questions about Nolan's personal life, then she must have kept her mouth shut about the rookies' romance as well.
Lucy being at John's home when Kyle attacked him really didn't change anything, except perhaps her presence distracted the gunman for a second or two allowing Nolan the upper hand.
Granted, Lucy could have chosen to stay, but Nolan told her to flee the scene before the police arrived to keep them both from being outed. That made it feel all the more unfair when Nolan later decided to come clean because he felt the truth mattered.
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Nolan thinking that Commander West would have let them both off the hook seemed incredibly naive and one hell of a risk to take with both his and Lucy's careers.
But at heart, Nolan is a boy scout, so I wouldn't have been surprised if he had come clean and hoped for the best.
Luckily, that never happened because all hell broke loose at Bronson Estates.
Sgt. Grey: What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at the hospital?
Officer Bradford: Because I can’t do brain surgery but I can catch the guy who put that bullet in her head.
Bradford must have wished he had taken the extra firepower in with him because the Death Wish analogy turned out to be spot on. That was the bloodiest encounter we've seen these officers in thus far.
Certain moments really struck me from this extended firefight.
First, do officers keep metal plates on hand for extra protection in their bulletproof vests?
Second, where did Bishop learn how to cauterize an artery? Do they teach that at the LAPD Academy along with basic first aid and delivering babies?
Third, and most importantly, Officer Jackon West was firing back!
West didn't freeze for even a moment while being shot at by multiple gunmen and thank goodness because, if he had, he and Lopez would probably be dead.
In the end, you could feel Jackson's fear and relief when he hugged his father. I hope we get to see more of them because, so far, I've enjoyed what little we've seen of the father and son duo.
Meanwhile, Chen ended up helping deliver a baby, certainly nothing you'd expect to do in the middle of a violent ambush.
But as she told the pregnant woman in this The Rookie quote, it wasn't a part of anyone's plan:
I know, your birth plan didn’t involve a cop and your couch but I promise you I will protect you and your baby.
Officer Chen
It was clear that Vance didn't give a damn about the mother and was only fixated on getting his child.
And what was that beautiful young woman doing in a relationship with a sleaze like Marcus Vance? I suppose stranger things have happened, but the more I looked at the two of them, the less that hook up made any sense.
Chen's above quote made it clear that she wasn't going to let a bullet to her vest stop her from protecting that child, and it's always fun to see the big guys writhing on the floor after they've been pepper sprayed.
At the hospital, it was apparent how much Bradford still loves Isabel, no matter how much damage her addiction has done to them both
For as tough as he is, when it comes to his wife, Bradford wears his heart on his sleeve and everyone from his fellow officers to Sgt. Grey can see that.
I didn’t know that rock bottom had a basement.
Isabel
Can Isabel climb her way back to being sober? It's a long shot but if so, it would be the one upside to taking a bullet to the head.
In the end, Commander West decided that Nolan was a good cop and let the mystery voice Kyle had heard in Nolan's home go without further investigation, thus closing the case in Nolan's favor. Nolan being a friend of Jackon's and helping save him that afternoon certainly must have played a role in that decision.
I expected that all of this turmoil would put John and Lucy on the outs for several episodes; I'm happy to see that I was wrong.
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Learning how to be friends and not friends with benefits can only help them in the future if they do get back together.
Even if they don't become a couple once again, having a good friend to talk with about this job has to be positive for both their mental health.
I'm sure I've said it before, but The Rookie Season 1 gets better and better with every episode and once again, I can't wait to see more.
If you're already craving more, you can watch The Rookie online any time here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
