The Rookie Season 5 Episode 19 Review: A Hole in the World
Jasmine Blu
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Blanca finally has justice.
The Rookie Season 5 Episode 19 revisited the case of Celina's sisters and others like her, which offered many of the things we love most about the series.
And the continuity carrying over was on point.
We knew they wouldn't delve into the death of Celina's sister if they didn't intend to explore and most likely find some closure within it.
And they didn't disappoint.
The disappearance of young Olivia, ironically on the day that Celina's sister disappeared, was a case that got the ball in motion for concluding what amounted to a decades-long serial killer.
It was the biggest lead that they've gotten on the case in a while after however long Celina has spent looking into things. Nolan has been with her along the way, managing how to filter information to her and getting her to stay focused and not get overly attached to the point of her judgment getting clouded.
I understand now. You left once, and the world ended, so you never left again. Guilt is what kept you locked away and the only way out is to tell the truth.
Celina
It wasn't long before one could piece together that the twist was that it was a police officer involved in all of this. And once we met Joel, it solidified the deal.
I can't think of anything more confusing and heartbreaking for Celina than the man who inspired her to become an officer in the first place being the one behind the worst tragedy in her life.
Almost instantly, Joel gave off bad vibes, and Nolan picked up on it where Celina couldn't.
He was too easily willing to throw the rules and procedures aside for the investigation, inserting himself into it where he didn't belong so he could get an information jump and justify why his DNA would be at a scene.
He was quite transparent with his overly eager behavior. The shoe thing was a dead giveaway, and it speaks to how observant Nolan is that he even noticed that.
When he got to the station for questioning, he was wearing something totally different.
The sitdown between Harper and Joel was a great scene. Harper is so good at what she does, and she had this difficult task of trying to get a read on Joel and garner information on him that was growing more incriminating by the second while also not letting him know that she was onto him.
Joel: If you ask me, we're far too lenient on parents.
Harper: You get no argument from me there.
Joel: CPS is overwhelmed. Even when there is abuse, the parents get them back most of the time.
It's a difficult task on a regular day with a suspect, but it was infinitely harder when he's a fellow officer and knows how these things work.
They had to be so strategic with everything they did, which made it a slippery situation, and all the work they put in to investigate Joel was so engaging from start to finish.
They couldn't hold him without Joel knowing what was up, though he figured things out anyway. And from there, it was a matter of trying to get ahead of things with him.
Drew is the perfect patsy. He was clearly a sexual offender with some issues who wasn't on the up and up himself based on the toy doll they found.
But it made him an easy out for Joel as he planted Olivia's toy bunny there.
Fortunately, they figured out that Drew wasn't responsible for Olivia's disappearance despite Joel's attempts to frame him.
Harper was stuck on her gut; most of them were.
Joel was slick. His divide-and-conquer method was clever in splitting the surveillance teams up and then jumping on a motorcycle.
But even he couldn't hold up against the combination of the team and Metro doing their diligence.
Celina was critical to the case. She gave them a better read on the situation and could build more to capture Joel.
It was a significant moment when they spoke to Celina's mother and learned that, like with some other cases, she met Joel before her daughter went missing, and he let her off the hook for her drug use.
In Joel's mind, he was saving these kids, taking these girls, not unlike his daughter he lost in a custody battle, from terrible parents who were too consumed with drugs to be reliable.
But the killing must've come into play when the kids were terrified by this strange man who took them away from their parents, and they acted as any kid would.
The moment they weren't appreciative enough of him "saving" them from their bad home life, he killed them for it. It's so twisted.
Olivia would've been next if they didn't get to her in time. And despite Celina allowing her feelings to interfere multiple times during the investigation and Joel being the blind spot for her, she was the one who got him to let Olivia out.
Olivia's connection with Joel also puts the one she has with Nolan into perspective. They have an unusual dynamic that sometimes lends itself to Nolan being paternal with her, and it's like she's constantly craving that type of bond and looking for it where she can.
The messed up thing is that Joel was ready to die but wouldn't have ended it by his own hand. Instead, he opted for suicide by cop, making Tim seal his fate and further traumatizing Tim in the process.
Thorsen: I never expected a police station to be so much like high school.
Lucy: I know, except now I'm one of the cool kids.
The case resolution means that Celina and her mother have some long-awaited closure, and it was beautiful to see that Celina's mom could make it out of the house and visit Blanca's grave for the first time since she died.
And the two women can work on mending fences and forgiving themselves and one another, with Celina recognizing that she doesn't have to feel Blanca anymore to know that her sister is at peace now.
I feel for Bradford after that case. You could tell that Metro is taking a lot out of him. He can barely remember the days anymore, and his schedule and Lucy's are at odds.
He was in his head a few times trying to run this investigation, and even though it appeared he made the best calls with tailing Joel and not risking civilians' lives to catch him, there's the second-guessing he does that is concerning.
And now he's in his head about taking Joel out. It's seriously impacted him. It won't be surprising if this is something that lingers for him.
Meanwhile, Smitty, with all of his funny antics, apparently was onto something about another detective potentially jeopardizing Lucy's run at detective.
She deserves this more than anyone, and she's great at it. She has the backing of Angela and Nyla, and she's repeatedly proven herself.
She's made for this, but it's messed up that she could reach a roadblock in her career because of her five-trade game to get Tim into Metro catching up to her.
Not everyone takes kindly to someone else meddling in their careers and trajectory, so as frustrating as it is, it's also understandable that this could cost her something.
They wouldn't introduce this if they don't intend to play around with it more, so I look forward to this potential arc and how it impacts Lucy.
And since there was a very recent discussion about how these jobs could ruin relationships, it also wouldn't be surprising if their schedules and whatever may come from IA regarding the shooting put a strain on Chenford.
I do not doubt that they'd get through anything that challenges them, but it's still a rollercoaster ride incoming.
Grey: Hey, you know you had to take the shot?
Tim: I know.
Grey; Just because he wanted to die doesn't mean he wasn't dangerous.
Tim: I know.
Grey: Is there anything I can do?
Tim: Can I get back to you on that?
Grey: Take your time.
Over to you, Rookie Fanatics.
Did you like how they wrapped up the case of Blanca's murder? Do you think there's an ominous tone to Tim's career or Chenford? 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.
