In what could only be described as horror movie meets cop procedural dramedy, The Rookie’s season finale was unlike anything the show has ever done before. The suspenseful hour packed an adrenaline punch that kept viewers on baited breath from start to finish, and ended with a double cliffhanger that, due to the Writer’s Guild of America strike, could mean several months before fans are served with any resolution.
Aaron and Celina’s shared passion of Dungeons and Dragons was discussed earlier in the season, but I’m sure neither of them could have imagined that an innocent night of playing their favourite game, could lead to both ending up on the brink of death. The two are heading home from a late night gaming session, when they hear noises down a dark alley and decide to investigate. Perhaps Celina should have listened to Aaron’s insistence that if they go looking for trouble, they will find it. The two are accosted by assailants wearing hideous masks, which will likely leave some viewers with nightmares. Aaron watches as Celina is attacked from behind by one of the men, and they waste no time shooting Aaron in the back. Before the men took off, one of them whispered a creepy riddle in Celina’s ear that thankfully she registered, despite going in and out of consciousness.
Bailey is called to the scene and discovers Aaron laying on the ground being cradled by Celina, who is barely conscious. If viewers thought that they would get a quick answer as to whether or not Aaron would make it, they’d be sorely disappointed. Scenes of his life-saving surgery were woven throughout the episode, and news of his prognosis would not be revealed until the very end. Celina, meanwhile, recovered from her bump on the head and was quick to blame herself for not calling the disturbance in before she and Aaron entered the alley. Nolan provided her with some of his trademark calm, level-headed advice, but as Celina sat and watched Aaron cling to life, it was difficult for her not to feel somewhat guilty.
In the middle of the intense drama, Angela was already at the hospital in labour as Aaron is wheeled into the E.R., barely clinging to life. As Celina is wheeled into the hospital, she fills Nolan in on the riddle that the masked man whispered to her. Although Nolan is clearly shaken with concern for Celina and Aaron, he knows that it is more important to Celina that he try and figure out the riddle, rather than sit by her bedside.
During a station briefing where the Mid-Wilshire crew worked to determine whether or not the hits were targeted, Nolan was brave enough to ask out loud the question that was surely on everyone’s mind- were the attackers done? The officers at the station are like family, and watching one of their own cling to life, not knowing if another person that they care about could be next, was almost too much to bear.
Just as suspected, the attacks were targeted against officers at the station. As the officers tried to get some much needed rest at home, they found themselves attacked unsuspectingly. Bailey and Nolan were attacked at home and managed to shoot one of the assailants, but did not immediately recognize him. In a truly terrifying turn of events, Nolan’s call to warn Nyla came too late, and she watched on the baby cam as one of the masked assailants grabbed Leah from her crib and fled. Thankfully, the killer wanted nothing to do with the baby, and left her by a tree much to Nyla and James’ immense relief.
Meanwhile, Angela and Wesley managed to solve the riddle and traced it to an old theatre production, whose costumes were sold to a man by the name of Roy Gracco. The officers are lured to a home and find Roy Gracco dead. Thankfully, Nolan realized it was a trap before an officer could detonate a live bomb. The threat, however, was far from over. Lucy volunteered to investigate one of the suspects and Tim went with her as back-up. The two shared a cute moment as they each talked about how grateful they are to have each other as their six. The moment didn’t last, as they were suddenly accosted by several masked men, carrying weapons and shields. In a scene that looked like it came straight out of fight club, Lucy and Tim worked together to take down the men and get out alive. Tim and Lucy are bad ass cops on their own but together? They are absolutely amazing! The two of them alone managed to reduce the threat, just as Nolan and Nyla arrived with back up.
The final scenes of the episode revealed the mastermind of the attacks to be a man that served 90 days for elder abuse. As the Mid-Wilshire crew asked themselves how a man like that could not only mastermind such an intensive plot, but afford to pay several assailants, two men in a black car are seen driving down the freeway, celebrating the fact that their plan worked. They managed to distract the police while the real threat got away. Although not much was revealed about the threat, it will surely be a big part of the storyline for season six. The real cliffhanger, however, was Aaron coding just as the credits rolled. Despite the intense cliffhangers, the ending did have one good moment, Angela and Wesley welcomed their baby girl.
Everything about the episode, from the writing to the intense fight scenes, was incredible. Every twist and turn was unexpected, and the true motive behind the attacks was left a mystery right until the very end. At one point, it looked like Grey might end up one of the victims as he entered a dark parking garage on his own, but the twist at the end could not have been seen coming. This was yet another stellar finale written by showrunner, Alexi Hawley.
Chenford fans were treated to a couple of small, cute moments and an incredible fight scene. The great part about The Rookie is that it has such an amazing ensemble cast and they deliver every single episode. Not many shows can pull off a suspenseful, action-packed finale that utilizes every character’s immense talent. It is definitely something Hawley and everyone associated with the show can be proud of.
It will definitely be an intense wait for season six, especially if the hiatus is extended by the writers strike. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the episode, Rookie fans! Hopefully you’ve managed to catch your breath and calm your racing hearts. What did you think of the episode? Will Aaron make it? Any predictions as to who could be behind the new threat? Leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter @MiddleofCanada.
