Well, we did have some good, bad, and Oscar during this aptly titled season finale!
Oscar reappeared during The Rookie Season 7 Episode 18, finally posing more than just an unforeseen threat when he nearly killed Nolan in the desert and escaped.
The rest of the hour saw some of our favorite characters wrapped up in fun action sequences while dangling that Chenford carrot for the thousandth time.
It’s Official: Miles Is a Delightful Addition
As we know, The Rookie Season 7 introduced two new rookies, and we should’ve known that the odds of keeping both of them were slim.
But after the bizarre story arc with Seth, which resulted in that tragic conclusion, and after spending so much time with Miles, it’s a relief that he’s the one we get to keep.
He’s evolved the most during such a short period, and lights up the screen every time he’s on it. Deric Augustine is charming and has such easy chemistry with everyone around him, resulting in him feeling like an integral piece to this Rookie family.
While it felt like this entire Eastern Front attack was only there to give him and Celina something to do, it was still fun and exciting.
Miles Gets in on the Action, and It’s a Blast
Inarguably, it was among the best moments of the hour.
The poor guy wanted to enter the complicated dating scene after spending most of his life with his ex-fiancée Camille and couldn’t fathom how confusing everything was.
He was right to feel frustrated by how bitter Bradford seemed. They’ve come to such a great place in their mentorship that it was easy to forget that they aren’t exactly friends. Bradford wouldn’t hesitate to flex his authority over Miles and lay down threats as he deemed fit.
Seriously, Bradford, leave Miles alone! He wasn’t wrong.
But alas, proof of just how easily Miles has fit into this unit comes in the form of his camaraderie with Celina and Lucy. Both women were willing to go to war for him the second they learned how that date went pear-shaped.
I have to give a shoutout to Stevie Lynn Jones, whom I still recall from the final season of Animal Kingdom, for playing Lena to perfection. It was great to see the actress again.
Are Celina and Miles Potentially a New Ship?
Miles’ instincts were impressive, and I loved that it drove him to reach out to Celina, who could set aside her usual numerology and other such fun things and realize that Lena was dangerous.
She had her jacket on before she even finished reading the wrap-sheet, and as much as I miss Thorsen, Miles adds something different to the unit, and she and he have a different type of chemistry.
Hell, I wouldn’t be opposed if Celina ever decided to ditch her annoying boyfriend Rodge and ride a cowboy. I meant try a cowboy, but I digress.
You wouldn’t have to twist a girl’s arm to push the Miles/Celina agenda.
The shootout and car chase were pretty damn epic, and I loved that Miles got all of this action. He’s a great cop, and when it comes to this station, you must earn your keep with fun, dangerous scenarios like this. Has any of them ever had a normal first date?
Lucy was the ultimate badass as a sergeant, rallying the “Dream Team” and sending them to Miles before the Eastern Front took out one of their own, and that’s the type of action that can make a Rookie finale fun.
Harper Commandeers a Teen and a Drone (That’s Our Girl!)
Sadly, it was all there was for most of the characters, but it was good.
Harper also had some great action-packed, fun moments, and it’s always Harper at her absolute best.
She and Nolan have such a great dynamic that really hits whenever they’re working together, and no other person he could’ve taken on that motel stakeout with him who would’ve come in clutch and tracked him down like Harper.
When she saw his blood and the phone, you could sense that she was willing to rain fire and brimstone on everyone to find Nolan. She basically said to bring the world down to resolve this, and Harper is such a ride-or-die, especially with the people she cares about most.
Outside of her family and Angela, I can’t think of any other person she’s that passionate about. Their bond is so special.
The teen with the drone was adorable and such a scene-stealer. Harper’s promise to his mother that she’d keep him safe was a great moment because we knew she meant it.
He was eager to help and did so in many ways. He also handled the situation well, considering the full shootout.
ENOUGH with Oscar
Those were great moments, even if the result was frustrating.
Oscar’s escape is frustrating.
Nolan beating him up and coming that close to capturing him while still getting the diamonds should have been a triumphant end to the story.
Yet, after serving as this unseen threat looming over the entire season after being the big bad in The Rookie Season 6’s Finale, we’re right back to where we were with Oscar getting away and not knowing when he’ll reappear again.
I get that the actor is charismatic, and Oscar is a generally fun, sassy villain who is amusing, but The Rookie has a bad habit of holding onto these types of characters for far too long.
By the time they finish with Oscar, we’ll all hate him, dread his screentime, and want him gone. The Rookie always ruins a good thing by running it into the ground.
They have some of the best villains onscreen, but their issue is that they never know when to wrap things up with them or let them go.
Monica’s Reign Needed to End Last Season
And this brings me to Monica.
As if the hour ending with Oscar on the lam for the millionth time wasn’t bad enough, we also learn that Monica struck some type of deal with multiple federal agencies, including Homeland Security, and she gets full immunity.
It’s ridiculous. Bridget Regan plays the heck out of the role, and when she glided into the courthouse with that smug expression like a panther on the prowl, it was memorable, and I get why The Rookie writers enjoy her so much.
But Monica is another villain who has long since worn out her welcome. It’s no reason why they can’t nail her down and lock her away.
Instead, we have the Justice League of Wesley, Angela, and Nolan outraged, appalled, and already plotting because Monica must have a lucky rabbit’s foot hiding somewhere the sun doesn’t shine.
The Rookie Hangs onto Its Villains Too Long
The woman is about to get away with literal murder, and she somehow has more lives than a bag full of blind kittens running through traffic.
Sorry, Miles Penn is rubbing off.
Regarding cliffhangers, it’s underwhelming that we’re basically rehashing last season’s finale. We’ve gone an entire season and are only down one villain.
At the very least, The Rookie needed to choose. They should’ve swung the axe the way our favorite networks did towards scripted primetime hours and gotten rid of one of them.
We should not be heading into another season, as we still have to deal with Monica and Oscar.
The Chenford Conundrum Continues
But then we also shouldn’t be going into another season where they keep Chenford in this unresolved place. It was old before the arc even started in the first place.
Celina is the ultimate Chenford fangirl, shipping the pair and trying to do whatever she can to bring them together, and both are at least ready and willing to do so.
Tim was finally laying it all on the line with Lucy at the end, after being a total grump for most of the episode because he couldn’t figure things out or whether he should make the move.
But he couldn’t get an answer because Lucy fell asleep. It’s like the writers are trolling the Chenford shippers.
However, this entire arc has felt that way for them.
I’m still trying to understand why they broke up in the first place.
It was a contrived breakup followed by a bunch of random pieces and points, and that rewrite that had them suddenly acting like the power dynamic was a significant factor when that came out of the blue.
Tim apparently did all of his “Big Boy” work offscreen and is now an enlightened man ready to be a great partner because he has the proper tools.
Dragging Chenford’s Situationship Along is Past Old
And don’t get me wrong, they’ve tried to sell that as best as possible without giving us the screentime, but it still happened offscreen.
At this point, maybe Chenford will get together next season, or they’ll find a way to drag it out again. Lucy casually mentioned that she’d be fine staying single for a while, but that could’ve been something she just said.
It’s just that they can’t squeeze the toothpaste back into the tube, you know?
They gave us Chenford briefly and now have spent more time trying to walk it back. It’s gotten so old that I honestly lost interest in it a long time ago.
Why are we spinning this wheel for so long? It’s tiresome.
Over to you, The Rookie Fanatics.
How did you feel about the finale? Are you annoyed that both Monica and Oscar are still around?
What are your thoughts on Chenford? Let’s discuss!
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