In one of the most shocking twists on The Rookie's history, Nolan received a call informing him of his mother's death.

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 14 ended on a sad note, and then the show went off the air for two weeks.

We are back to regular programming, and on The Rookie Season 5 Episode 15, Nolan is tasked with finalizing his mother's affairs.

Lopez and Elijah reach a turning point in their game of outwitting one another.

Spoilers for how the episode plays out promise an action-packed hour.

Nolan's mom is really dead.

What have you been watching if you didn't suspect that Evelyn might not be dead?

The first idea that came into my mind was whether this might be fake and part of one of her plans to swindle Nolan out of something.

Evelyn knew no boundaries. She was shameless was it came to conning people. The last time she and Nolan interacted, he had to send her away when she risked his job.

Who sells snake oil to the wife of her son's boss?

Clearly, there's nothing above her station, and faking her death is not a stretch.

But sadly, she really is dead.

When Nolan receives the phone call, the caller ID reads Foxborg Memorial Hospital. 

Contrary to other times when Nolan received a phone call from his mother, he never took it seriously, and this time he looked pretty shaken.

In this episode, he and Bailey travel to his mother's residence to get her affairs in order.

Nolan and Bailey find themselves in trouble.

Having lived Evelyn's life, it is without a doubt that she had made some enemies here and there.

Bailey and Nolan travel out of LA to get her affairs in order, and they are met with some startling revelations.

Some sketchy guys knock on their door and introduce themselves as Evelyn's acquittances. Evelyn had something that belonged to them.

The best guess is loot from a con.

They figured now she was dead; nothing stopped them from getting it. They come at a bad time and find Nolan.

Being a cop puts Nolan in a tough position. He knows how awful his mother can be and can't let these guys break into the house.

He and Bailey are planning on returning to LA in less than two days to continue planning their wedding, but it appears those plans will have to wait.

They must deal with the secrets and shady dealings his late mother left behind.

Even in death, she is still finding ways to ruin his life.

Elijah Stone vs. Angela Lopez

The Rookie has been building Elijah Stone slowly into one of the most dangerous villains on the show. Only Rosalind slightly surpasses him. His move is straight out of her playbook.

She embedded herself into John Nolan's life and antagonized him from proximity.

He has embedded himself into Lopez's life, doing the same thing. He is as ruthless as dearly departed Rosalind.

The only way to get someone like Elijah off the streets is to kill or catch him committing a crime red-handed.

Now, since the cops can't kill him, all they can hope for is that someone else does. And since they can't wait for something improbable, they must catch him themselves.

In the episode promo, Lopez joins him and promises to feed him intel from the inside.

That is quite unbelievable; Lopez could never break the law.

The only way this works is if this is a plan to catch him.

Britt Robertson guest stars as FBI agent Laura from The Rookie: Feds. The FBI is known for being thorough, and there is also no way they would help him take down his rivals, knowing that would strengthen his position.

This elaborate plan will blindside him; he won't know what hit him.

Evers is seen inside a jet talking to someone one can assume is one of Elijah's rivals. Evers impresses on him how powerful Elijah has become.

Maybe the plan is to play them both, and they'll either kill one another or incriminate themselves. Either way, it's a win.

The biggest surprise would be if Elijah bought the act. We know Lopez can be convincing in her cover, but this is not their first rodeo together.

He must be dumb if he wasn't aware that Lopez hates him. But again, he is egotistical, so he might think he broke her.

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

While Nolan and Lopez's stories are expected to take center stage in the episode, other existing storylines must be addressed.

Tim had his first successful day at Metro, but has he fit in well? His boss warned him it would take time before the other agents accepted him.

As the Metro liaison, he was given a small office that anyone in his station would not be satisfied with.

Will he start missing the LAPD and start resenting his new position?

If that happens? How will it affect his relationship with Lucy, considering that she is the one who orchestrated the plan to get him to Metro without his knowledge?

We have many questions, and it will be interesting to see how this will be handled.

Check out the promo video above.

Over to you, The Rookie Fanatics. How do you think this will play out? Will Elijah be captured once and for all?

Let us know in the comments section, and watch The Rookie online to catch up.

Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.