The Rookie Season 1 Episode 14 Review: Plain Clothes Day
Christine Orlando
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Our rookies have survived 100 shifts but little did they realize the 101st would be the most difficult one yet on The Rookie Season 1 Episode 14.
Plain Clothes Day proved the observer effect, which means the mere act of watching something will affect what is being observed.
No doubt, our rookies were affected by their observers.
They've ridden with their training officers for 100 shifts but having the T.O.'s out of uniform, observing and judging changed everything.
Take John Nolan for example.
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Officer Nolan is usually the one who takes the time to listen to everyone and figures out how to help, but not today. Today, Nolan saw his future in the LAPD on the line and his goal was to make detective in the Robbery/Homicide division within five years.
Nolan's laser-like focus on that ambition caused him to miss things and inadvertently dismiss someone who needed his help because he didn't feel as though he could take the time to listen.
Suddenly Nolan sounded a lot like Officer West, goal driven and fixated on making the next arrest. Nolan was treating the day as though it was a numbers game and it backfired, almost costing a woman her life.
I have little doubt that once Nolan feels as though he doesn't have so much to prove, he'll stop feeling the need to act like a super cop.
One of the highlights was hearing Bishop lay it out for Nolan in this The Rookie quote:
[to John Nolan] Stop trying to be like the other rookies cause you're not. Jackson is 20 years from having his first colonoscopy and Lucy has never even owned a pet let alone raised a kid. You’re a grown man, fully formed. So stop treating it like it’s a liability and treat it for what it is, a strength. Sure, you can be annoying and you talk way too damn much but you also listen to people’s troubles, to their complaints and that kind of empathy can’t be taught, it can only be earned. So if you really want to make detective the only way to do it is to be you.
Officer Bishop
All of the rookies had their issues as they worried over being one of the 20% who washed out on Plain Clothes Day.
Jackson was more concerned about beating his daddy's record for most arrests which made the dead battery in the squad car all the more appropriate.
Lopez's snarky comments while flipping through fashion magazines made me love her all the more.
Look on the bright side, I’m sure your Dad doesn’t hold the record for longest automotive delay.
Officer Lopez
Jackson's attitude that cataloging evidence wasn't real police work was both expected and annoying.
Yes, the administrative parts of being a cop aren't nearly as exciting as being on the street but they are no less important.
Making the arrest doesn't matter much if the paperwork isn't done correctly and a criminal walks on a technicality. I expected Jackon to understand that.
I'm still a little confused as to why Officer West was allowed to hand over the victim's watch to his wife.
He said it was found in the hallway and not in the bedroom where the murder occurred but wouldn't that mean that the watch most likely fell off his hand in the hallway?
Couldn't it be evidence of the struggle before the murder?
At the very least, I hope that West got permission from someone higher up before he took that watch out of evidence and handed it over.
I wasn't the least bit surprised when Detective Wolf hit on Talia. After saving his life and being there with him when they watched his partner die, she wanted to make sure Wolf was doing okay.
Bishop's concern as a colleague was misinterpreted as romantic interest which she was quick to correct. Bishop has made it clear in the past that she has no desire to date anyone connected with law enforcement.
That said, I'm very curious about Bishop's personal life. We know she had been dating a married man and that she grew up in the foster care system but the details have been vague at best.
Talia Bishop comes across wise beyond her years and I definitely want to know how she became that way.
Finally, we get to Officer Chen who vacillated between second-guessing herself and overcompensating and it almost lost her her job.
I was surprised that Lucy didn't make the connection between the peeping tom she arrested and the blue van next to him.
It seemed obvious to me that it was his van. I suppose it was just an oversight on her part due to nerves.
After Bradford explained the importance of the sex offender's van, I suspected that he would have had it impounded when Lucy didn't but they are lucky that the guy's friend hadn't gotten there first.
Of course, whatever sleazeball he was texting probably didn't want to risk a run-in with the police either.
When Officer Chen later responded to the barking dog complaint I sympathized with her.
First off, the guy was being purposefully belligerent as he harassed and tried to bait her. It had me wondering how Bishop or Lopez would have handled the same situation.
Second, I felt her pain over having to leave the dog because although the guy was being a complete ass, kicking dirt and yelling at the dog wasn't illegal.
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I don't know what Bradford thought he was going to accomplish by going back.
Did he think the guy would react differently to a male police officer who was being conciliatory?
Lucy put her entire career on the line when she decided to check the garage.
If there had been nothing there, she would have been brought up on charges of harassment and as a rookie, more than likely been fired.
Thankfully, the risk paid off, but the Captain was quick to point out that she won't allow her officers to threaten anyone.
The LAPD's reputation is still recovering from its past mistakes and she'll allow no leeway for bad behavior in her house.
All in all, our rookies survived Plain Clothes Day but one important question was left unanswered.
Was Nolan finally allowed to make his own decision about lunch?
Check back in for my review of The Rookie Season 1 Episode 15 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.
