It’s a running joke for the series that the closest we have to a modern-day Cagney & Lacey is Angela Lopez and Nyla Harper.
And it’s true, but it also puts it mildly.
Nyla and Angela are also inarguably the heart and soul of The Rookie, and the show is often at its best when they’re at the center of storytelling.
As far as The Rookie Season 7, it was a mixed bag of a season with highs and lows.
While the series threw everything under the sun at Harper (whether it made sense or not), it also completely sidelined Angela, reducing her to supportive roles and background cameos.
Mekia Cox emerged as the quiet MPV of the season as a result. She delivered one powerhouse performance after the next, no matter what the plot point.
But it was frustrating that Alyssa Diaz didn’t get similar opportunities — missed opportunities — as The Rookie’s most badass character remained on the fringes.
I would have happily traded in every single Monica sighting, Jason’s foolishness, literally everything with Bailey, and that entire Seth plot for more Angela screen time.
Why? Because on a series with a strong ensemble, Nyla and Angela still emerge as the heart and soul of the series.
There’s something about what these women bring to the table that draws me in time and again.
For starters, they have one of the most remarkable female friendships and partnerships on screen.
Angela and Nyla have one of the most authentic, emotionally rich partnerships on screen. It’s a genuine display of sisterhood within a genre that too often isolates, tokenizes, or forces women into petty rivalries.
But their partnership is so much more than what meets the eye. They’re two women in the prime of their careers and their lives. The Rookie actually allows them to have both — better yet, it allows both women to have both.
The series’ celebration of womanhood and motherhood is so rare that Nyla and Angela’s ability to thrive simply by being authentically, unapologetically, and multifaceted women feels nearly groundbreaking in its own right.
They’ve investigated murders while navigating contractions and kicked down doors while fielding school calls. And they’ve openly discussed this with each other as easily and naturally as they’d discuss the weather.
The normalcy in which The Rookie treats this — especially pregnancy — in a society that still struggles to hold space for women juggling multiple roles at once with no issue is almost a quiet type of defiance — radical in its depiction even.
They’re fantastic detectives, with a high case closure rate and an impressive array of skills between the two of them, and they have their work-life balance sorted out.
Within their partnership and friendship, we see these two incredible women serving as each other’s platonic soulmates.
Nothing warms the cockles of my heart more than seeing these two women so deeply immersed in each other’s lives off the clock every bit as much as on it.
They’ve forged their own family, finding genuine, mutual love, respect, and understanding within each other, which extends to their spouses and families as well.
It’s a wonderfully organic dynamic where they can work seamlessly together on cases and in the field while simultaneously confiding in one another about their deepest vulnerabilities, insecurities, triumphs, and challenges in every other aspect of their personal lives.
The Rookie genuinely grasps the culture of working mothers without demonizing or denigrating the characters in the process.
It never sets its sights on punishing them for wanting both worlds. The series is only interested in showing how they navigate them.
I love that this series allows Nyla and Angela to just be — to just exist, without punishing them for their ambition and drive or implying they’re somehow inferior mothers and wives because of that.
The Rookie never treats either of these women as if they’re anything less than strong, capable, inspiring, and badass. They never have to make themselves small or justify their actions or existence.
It’s even laudable how the series depicts the two balancing their work and home lives. It’s genuinely refreshing that The Rookie excels at telling similar plot points often reserved for men with Nyla and Angela, but with a feminist twist that’s authentic and engaging.
They aren’t just plopping them into traditional male roles or parts, but rather genuinely telling stories we’re most familiar with through the lens of womanhood, without moralistic overtones or forced writing just for the sake of messaging.
The Rookie gets it right when it comes to Harper and Lopez. They’re the strongest, most multi-dimensional, fully fleshed-out, compelling characters in the series.
They feel real, like women I know and love.
Nyla and Angela are full-spectrum portrayals of womanhood.
They are career-driven yet emotionally available as well. The two command respect and get it from everyone around them — they’re revered even.
Nyla and Harper still let themselves break down when life gets messy. Yeah, they’re strong and badass, but The Rookie never strips them of their vulnerability, softness, and humanity.
They are complex, complete women, which isn’t always commonplace for female leads on procedurals.
Instead, they get to be everything that women are, and they’re respected, loved, and cherished for it — by the writers, the actresses, and viewers.
Harper and Lopez aren’t just fan favorites, they’re the gold standard of what The Rookie does right.
And they’re certainly deserving of more spotlight, so let’s all hope they put some more respect on our girls next season.
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We don’t have a PR machine or a million-dollar budget — we have an undying love and devotion for Harper & Lopez, caffeinated beverages as fuel, and YOU.
If you’re reading, please say hello in the comments, show our girls some love on social media, or share this with a friend and fellow Rookie Fanatic. Every little action helps.
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