This episode was touted as a crossover episode with its sister show, The Rookie: Feds. The problem is that every single crossover this season has been anything but an actual crossover. None of the Feds cast members were in the Rookie episode tonight apart from a brief cameo by Niecy-Nash Betts at the end, nor did any of its storylines continue on in the Feds episode. Viewers could easily have watched one without the other and at this point, it is obvious that the producers are using the “crossover” term as a way to try and hook the OG Rookie viewers into watching the Feds. That may have worked the first couple of times, but at this stage in the game, viewers are wise to the plan and are insulted that the producers think they will be naive enough to buy in. At this point, if the Feds can't stand on its own two feet, then maybe it isn’t worth the effort. It certainly isn’t worth angering the OG Rookie fans in the process.
Lucy’s undercover career has been the elephant in the room for her and Tim for their entire relationship. Isabel’s return last week, really brought forth the harsh realities of the impacts that Lucy’s UC work could have on her relationship with Tim. Tim tried to reassure her that he would be okay, but the truth is that he has been through this before and he barely came out the other side the first time around. Tim is a protector and so far, Lucy’s UC gigs have allowed him to remain close by so that he can keep an eye on her and be available to swoop in and save her if needed. Long-term undercover assignments are a much different story and as much as Tim wants to support Lucy in fulfilling her dreams, he is scared to death of losing her.
Isabel’s visit last week did a lot more than shake up Tim and Lucy’s relationship, it brought the Mid-Wilshire crew face to face with Frank Tesca. He was released from prison in the last episode, and had his brother murdered to establish leadership. Taking down Tesca and his ghost guns sends Lucy on her first potential long-term UC assignment as unassuming plastics sales rep, Jamie Hall. Tim has a CI feed Tesca a story that Lucy is a felon, trying to make a fresh start for herself. He buys it and approaches her in the office parking lot. He needs access to plastics, and gets into business with her to get what he needs. Frank takes Lucy to dinner and an intense shoot-out takes place. To viewers and Tim’s obvious relief, Lucy remains unharmed but is visibly shaken by the event. Regardless, she is committed to the operation but it is clear that Tim is struggling and was hoping that she would tap out. Tim also comes close to being shot, which visibly rattles him. Lucy has such a way of connecting with people and she is able to connect with Frank on a personal level. So much so that she is able to figure out that he really poses no threat, and she ends the op.
Lucy confronts Tim about why he didn’t tell her about his close-call and it leads to the two having an honest, vulnerable conversation about their relationship. Lucy makes it clear to Tim that their relationship is not going to work if he can’t differentiate her from Isabel, and he confides in her his fear of losing her the way he did Isabel. Show runner Alexi Hawley has spent enough episodes foreshadowing that something big is brewing that will bring this storyline to a head. With only one episode remaining, it appears the moment is nigh. Will Lucy continue down the UC road? And more importantly, can Tim and Lucy’s relationship survive if she does? Hopefully those questions will be answered during the finale, and Hawley won’t end things on a cliffhanger. Chenford fans have waited long enough for the two to finally get together, they deserve to spend the summer hiatus basking in the glow of Chenford love, not agonizing over potential scenarios based on whatever a cliffhanger may bring.
Angela may have been forced to start her maternity leave by Grey, but she’s a workaholic and determined to continue working. Wesley is adamant that she rests, so she has to find creative ways to get the job done. That includes roping Aaron in on helping her finalize a robbery case. Aaron needs to acquire a suspect’s DNA without a warrant, and that takes some creative thinking and for Aaron, that means rummaging through several bags of the suspects garbage trying to find any usable piece of DNA. With everyone occupied, Aaron is forced to pair up with Smitty and the two end up making a stellar comedic duo. Thanks to Aaron’s large social media following, he gets a witness to give up the identity of the thief and in his pursuit to arrest the perp, he manages to stumble upon six other cases, closing seven in total. Aaron is on a roll, which should hopefully help him smooth things over with Grey, who was none too impressed with Aaron’s garbage picking or Tik Tok dancing (more on that below). Regardless, I sure hope we get more Aaron and Smitty team-ups because the two make for some entertaining television.
Elsewhere in the episode, Nyla began working on the case she took on to keep Skip Tracer Randy out of prison, an unidentifiable torso with no connecting body parts, and she recruits Nolan and Celina to help her out. The Medical Examiner discovers that the torso is connected to a hip replacement, providing Nolan and Celina with a lead. They head all over L.A. on the search for body parts and it is quite alarming how many limbs can be found in random places in L.A. The trio catch a break when a prosthetic limb is brought in, allowing them to ID their victim- an amateur shock-video maker who accidentally had his head blown off by two other amateur influencers. The trio head to the hospital to arrest the suspects, when one of them pulls a gun. Luckily, Angela just happened to be there for an ultrasound appointment and unassumingly takes down the gunman. It was a clever way to keep Angela relevant, despite not being on current active duty.
Regardless of its failed attempt at being a true crossover, the episode was a stellar stand alone and weaved all of the main cast into the episode seamlessly, despite their being three different storylines taking place. As well, Tim and Lucy’s phone conversation voice overs in snippets throughout her week of UC work was very clever writing!
Other highlights of the episode:
- Aaron agreeing to do a ClipTok dance in order to get a witness to talk, and Grey walking in while he is in the thick of it. Comedic gold!
- Celina looking through a dating app for a potential mate, and finding Smitty’s profile with a profile pic of his much younger self- priceless!
- Chenford’s laundry room hook-up….wow. I only wish we could have seen it instead of just hearing a thirsty Tim flirting with Lucy about it.
- Jealous Tim! Chenford fans are here for it!
- Nolan carrying dog treats, “a tip from a friend.” I miss you, Jackson West!
- Finally some mention of Nolan and Bailey's wedding- Celina's tarot cards suggest September and Nolan actually takes it to heart and pitches it to Bailey.
- Angela is having a girl!! Leave it to Aaron to spoil it for the couple, who wanted to be surprised...
- An episode without Bailey? Perfection. Did anyone even notice she wasn't in it?
Your turn, Rookie fans! I would love to hear your thoughts on tonight’s episode. With the season finale looming, what do you think will happen? Will there be a cliffhanger? Will Lucy’s UC storyline finally be resolved or will it linger into season 6? Comment below and follow me on Twitter @MiddleofCanada.
