The Rookie Season 5 Episode 15 Review: The Con
Jasmine Blu
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The only thing more terrifying than an Elijah problem is an Elijah and Abril one.
Most of The Rookie Season 5 Episode 15 had Angela and Wesley partaking in a bold, risky plan to take down two of their worst adversaries. It was near impeccable execution until it wasn't.
Nolan also spent the hour laying his mother to rest and providing equal parts humor and action as well.
Installments like this can be some of the best, but they also make you wish they'd focus exclusively on one storyline.
Once again, Nolan's storyline paled in comparison to what was happening back in L.A. with the collaboration between the L.A.P.D. and the Feds.
They had so many moving pieces happening at once, subterfuge, Angela's badassery, drama, and quality content all around.
In many ways, it was nice to take a break from the more personal aspects of the characters' storylines and focus on something like this that was heavily case-related and utterly fascinating.
Watching a plan formulate and everyone attempt to execute it to a tee is thrilling.
Angela Lopez is such a badass, and she always will be. When the series plays into that, they'll leave you on the edge of your seat.
Her confrontation with Elijah in his home in the middle of the night as the opening was a smart choice, setting the tone for the hour.
The intensity of that standoff between them was positively delicious. Alyssa Diaz and Brandon Jay McLaren play off each other incredibly well, and they were delivering during this installment with their every scene.
Elijah: If you're not here to kill me, then what?
Angela: I'm pregnant.
Eljah: Congratulations.
Angela: Save it. We both know what your end goal is. One day you're going to wake up and decide you're done playing with us and put my family in the ground.
Elijah: I would never.
Angela: I'm not wearing a wire; it's just us here. I tried to lock you up, I failed. You won.
They arguably stole the hour.
It was obvious from the start that Angela was approaching Elijah like that because she had a much bigger plan. But it was a surprise that it entailed F.B.I. involvement with some of The Rookie: Feds characters and an elaborate sting that could take down Elijah and potentially bring Abril down as well.
Who would have even anticipated reaching out to Abril? Wesley taking that risk was impressive, and as much as we talk about how badass Angela is, Wesley exudes some bravery and risk-taking of his own.
Things could've ended poorly when he met Abril over Guatemala, but his portion of putting their plan into play succeeded, and every other piece had to keep falling in line as the hour unfolded.
It was wise to fall back on Abril because it was one of the few times we saw Elijah genuinely fearful for his life and future. Her name sends chills down his spine.
The woman is a sadistic, well-executed force, and she has the power and ability to take Elijah down with the snap of a finger. Elijah narrowly escaped with his life last time, so the threat of Abril coming for him and dismantling his operation bit by bit was a very real one.
And all Angela had to do was plant those seeds of doubt to make Elijah paranoid. Paranoia is a person's worst enemy, and it's how they trip up.
Elijah grew more reckless as the hour progressed, and they definitely would've captured him because of that. He was laying down too many threats over the phone and behaving rashly instead of thinking things through; even his hitter was telling him as much.
This is my city. Abril makes her move on me; we send her girlfriend home in pieces.
Elijah
It was a perfect storm of little incidents that rattled him so much he had no choice but to take Angela up on her deal. A more calculated Elijah would've figured out his car was bugged.
As amusing as Thorsen's display with the headphones in the middle of the street was, it would've raised too many red flags for someone like Elijah, but his mind was preoccupied.
Monica's arrest threw Elijah off, too. It was about time they focused on the fact that she bribed a judge. Goodness, that woman is too arrogant and insufferable.
But she's nearing the end of her usefulness to Elijah, and as much as it's understandable why she was a crucial factor in this plan, it also feels like they're setting her up for her own death.
Monica: I never run from a fight.
Angela: Fight? Red, you won't even see it coming.
We can already guess that Monica is a dead woman walking, and her time is running out, but with their maneuver, it feels like the cops have expedited that potential death date for her, and she's cocky to heed Wesley's warnings.
If she's a supposed survivor, as he claims, she should be getting the hell out of dodge as soon as humanly possible. Because she isn't, it makes me wonder if she'll be crucial to taking down Elijah for good in the future.
Her death may be the way they eventually lock him away for good. Of course, getting to that point will be infinitely more complicated now that the two baddies have teamed up unexpectedly.
They had a perfect shot, and it took so much to get them to that point of siccing Elijah after Abril's people, only for it to go pear-shaped because people litter and Thorsen kicked a bottle.
They had me holding my breath as Elijah approached the house, and the cops and feds were moving in on him, waiting for their moment.
Things could've gone wrong in so many ways. It was nerve-wracking that Celina was the stand-in, and she was in the line of sight and could've gotten shot. Because profiling is great, but it's never foolproof.
Everything about that moment hinged on Elijah doing things as they expected him to, and if he had given his hitter the word to shoot up the house instead of wanting to do the deed himself, people could've been dead.
It was heartbreaking when that bottle rolled across the concrete. Elijah is a man who trusts his instincts. He ignored the warning signs of his hitter, whose hesitation about making a move on the house was clearly valid.
Angela: I'd rather not have this baby in prison, but if you turn me down, I won't wait for Abril. I'll do whatever I have to to protect my family, and I'll make it hurt.
Elijah: Understood.
But he couldn't ignore his gut when he heard that bottle. The second he retreated, one knew it would be a while before they'd get a chance like this again if they ever did.
I felt for everyone as the entire sting fell apart before their eyes. One can only imagine how guilty Thorsen will feel about all of this. The withering look Lucy shot him was unlike anything she's exuded before, and I would've shrunk down triple my size if I were on the receiving end of it.
Angela was beside herself because she knew how she's made things infinitely more dangerous for herself and her family. After all, this fell through. Not only is her battle with Elijah not over, but it's reared up.
She and Wesley have Jack and a baby on the way to protect, and she knows that Elijah would've wiped out her and her whole family before... there's little stopping him from doing that now.
But she and Wesley aren't interested in running. Neither of them back down from a fight, and they have a massive one ahead of them. The final Wopez moment was endearing. They go through hell and back together but always have each other.
And they both balance each other out and can match one another step by step.
As much as The Rookie relies too heavily on revisiting the same big bads, McLaren has put in some incredible work as Elijah, and things have picked up enough where one is too invested to mind the redundancy of that choice.
Elijah and Abril working together -- it doesn't bode well for anyone within the series' universe, but it sure does for the audience because the prospect of it is thrilling.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we had the storyline with Nolan and Bailey.
Yes, it's sad that Nolan's mother died, which required some follow-up. But everything about their storyline killed the momentum of the episode set up with Elijah and Angela.
The hour would've been excellent if it didn't have to jump back to Nolan and Bailey in Pennsylvania in a plot that felt all too familiar from their other vibe-killing adventure during The Rookie Season 4 Episode 22.
Fortunately, no one made Nolan feel bad for how he reacted to his mother's death or his desire to wrap things up quickly and get back to his life.
Nolan: Stacy, are you okay?
Stacy: I'm starting to think you're bad luck.
Nolan: Yeah, I get that a lot.
It's a relief in that regard. Everyone knew Evelyn well enough to understand Nolan's feelings and echo those sentiments too.
Evelyn was a consummate scammer and trouble magnet; even in death, she brought that directly into Nolan's path.
Evelyn in the heroin game didn't seem to surprise Nolan too much. And the whole thing with guns, faulty generators, and such was all right up her alley.
Josh posing as Nolan had its amusing moments, as well as everyone wanting Nolan to leave town immediately since he was bad luck. And Nolan reaching into that drug runner's waistband for his gun was worth a chuckle.
The militia shootout out the house had some action, and Bailey and Stacy got in on the phone and were good sports about it.
But overall, there was nothing of interest about the storyline, and the hour could've done without it and focused exclusively on what was happening back in L.A.
For whatever reason, whenever Nolan steps foot outside of L.A., his storylines feel like annoying filler that highlights how often he disappears in his own series.
Over to you, Rookie Fanatics. What did you think of the plan, and how it fell through? Are you worried about Elijah and Abril teaming up? Sound off below.
You can watch The Rookie online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
