Rookie Blue - Open Windows (Season Premiere) - Review

Welcome back to Rookie Blue Season 6! Or as I would like to call it, Season 5B. A lot happened during the previous season of Rookie Blue. 15 got blown up, Andy and Sam were very happy and very much in love, Oliver became a white shirt, Dov and Chloe called it quits, Chris was barely in the season, Holly was leaving for San Francisco and Gail was ready to be a mum. And the biggest cliff-hanger of all, is Marlo really pregnant with Sam’s baby or not?

Let's just address the pregnant elephant in the room. Yes. Marlo is 4 months pregnant. And yes, it is Sam’s baby. I know some McSwarek fans must be disappointed and even slightly miffed over the baby drama, afraid Marlo’s going to ruin their relationship, but I don’t think so. Marlo’s not showing up at 15 to break McSwarek up. She’s there to do her job. She wasn’t going to tell Sam (although he has a right to know), but since she’s going to stick around because of the bombing case, it’s probably wise to let him know before she starts showing. Instead of dwelling on the hate and dislike for this storyline, we should focus on how Andy and Sam are going to cope and move on as a couple. If/when they manage to come out of this mess together, they would be stronger and better than before. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

We pick up a month after the bombing, everybody’s back at work like the first day of school. Sam and Andy spent 3 blissful weeks at Oliver’s cabin. Dov has been working with Marlo on closing the case, but we learn that Ted Macdonald wasn’t connected to the bomb and there is a chance it is an inside job. Throughout the episode, we see that Dov and Marlo has established some sort of friendship. It was Dov who found the sonogram last season, he’s the only person in the division to know about Marlo’s pregnancy yet he kept it to himself. I like this friendship, I just hope the writers don’t cross that line. I’m still hoping for Dov and Chloe to get back together.

I might be the minority, but I’m actually pleased that Marlo’s sticking around. Marlo Cruz is a character who deserves to be more than being a part of the McSwarek drama. She’s a pregnant bipolar cop who’s trying to solve probably the most important case this season. Baby drama aside, I’m happy to see Marlo and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her this season.

And why do I think it’s the most important case? Because my theory is that someone from 15 planted the bomb and the higher ups have something to do with this. Probably Duncan’s stepfather, Commissioner Santana and maybe even Inspector Jarvis.

That’s where Juliet Ward comes in. Turns out, she’s not really a transfer from Vancouver P.D., which also explains the reason behind her bailing on Nick the last time we saw them. I think she's investigating the cops at 15. At the end of the episode, we see her getting into a car with someone I presume to be her handler of some sorts. What do you guys think of my theory?

I hope they delve deeper into police corruption at 15. I want to see the gang sticking together and facing the challengers that would make or break their careers and even their relationships with one another. Will they struggle with power and authority? Will justice be served? It would be a great storyline.

Nick’s training for ETF. It seems like he has made up his mind at the beginning of the episode, but I have a feeling Juliet might be a good enough reason for him to stay. We’ll see how it plays out this season. Nick deserves some happiness.

Finally, a storyline for Chris. He’s doing well and going to meetings, except he’s dating a married cocaine addict, who happens to be the Inspector’s wife. That’s going to be messy. I just hope Chris isn’t going to get hurt or fall back into doing drugs. He deserves to be happy too.

Last season, Gail had gone through some pretty major character developments. She doesn’t do boys anymore and she’s ready to be a mum. That hasn’t changed, she’s still trying to adopt Sophie and although given little screen time this week, Gail delivered my favourite line this episode. “Oh hey, it’s just me, Gail. I’m a nice, single homosexual police officer standing in front of a swing set trying to look both playful yet responsible.” I hope being a mum doesn’t take away her snark.

Case of the week is a touchy one. There’s a sexual predator on the loose breaking into people’s homes. Unfortunately for him and Andy, he targets a cop (Traci) who happened to be spending the night at Steve’s. The suspect got away, but not without a fight from Andy.

This episode touched on rape and sexual assault towards women. As a young woman myself, I’m grateful the show managed to convey the message that it is no woman’s fault if she gets sexually assault in her own home. And always make a police report. It might help the police and stop the next woman from being a new victim.

Naturally, a detective from the Sex Crimes unit takes over the case from the guys at 15 but it doesn’t sit well with them. Taking matters into their own hands despite orders not to, Andy and her fellow cops failed to catch the guy responsible and I don’t know if this is going to stretch out into the next few episodes. I hope so, they need to find him and put an end to it. Hopefully the guy hasn’t skipped town.

Last season, we saw the rookies being preoccupied with their own drama. I think the theme for this season is moving on. Everyone is moving on in different directions, with their relationships, careers and family. What’s going to make this season interesting is how they are going to overcome their obstacles while trying to move on as a person and as a team. The heart and core of the show are the rookies. Since the first season, we’ve seen them grow and evolve together into the people and cops they are now, and I want to see it in the last season, if season 6 is indeed the last.

The 5 rookies are what make the show special (sort of like Grey’s Anatomy) and I really hope we get to see the band back together this season. There are rumours that this might be the last one and I wouldn’t be surprise if it is. I just hope the writers give the characters the endings they deserve.

As for this episode, it didn’t feel like a season premiere. Probably because it wasn’t meant to be one.

What about you? What do you think of the premiere? What do you want to see in the rest of this season? What are your hopes for the characters? Do you think this season should be the last? Leave a comment to let me know!

The U.S. premiere of Season 6 airs on June 25th.