The Rookie Season 5 Episode 21 Review: Going Under
It was a fun installment with a touch of action as Lucy dipped her foot into an undercover gig again.
And with Nolan, Celina, and Harper's strange case with severed limbs by a mysterious tool, The Rookie Season 5 Episode 21 led right into a larger case that will be explored and likely concluded on The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 21.
But one of the most amusing aspects of the hour was the duo of Angela and Aaron essentially solving a dozen cases within the week despite the former's maternity leave.
As far as Lucy's undercover gigs have gone, there wasn't anything particularly remarkable or different about her role as Jamie.
In many ways, it felt like she was staying true to herself the entire time she was undercover with Frank, particularly toward the end when she spoke to him as a father rather than the old-school crime boss who threatened her life multiple times.
It wasn't a very long operation for Lucy, lasting only a week, which made the emphasis on the days feel anticlimactic when she didn't rack up a months-long undercover job to really put her and Tim to the test.
Of course, it was Lucy's call on when to end the operation, it seemed, and she pulled the plug on it after they figured out that Grant, a former associate of Frank, was the one who ran the illegal arms operation and took shots at Frank (and Lucy).
But it couldn't be over. They spent too much time on Lucy earning goodwill with Frank for things to end like that, with this sad, displaced crime boss unable to find his place in the world after nearly a decade in prison.
And Lucy managed to gain some goodwill with Frank during her few days. She was with him when Grant shot up that restaurant, although how could you not side-eye Frank for sitting directly in front of the window at a fancy restaurant? He was practically begging someone to take a shot at him.
But her act as an officer trying to prevent a murder also gained some goodwill with Frank when serving as a lookout; she got him out of there before the police came.
It genuinely felt like she might've gotten blown when he wondered why the police showed up there the way they did. And you can't blame him; it was rather suspicious.
But Lucy using technology and Frank's ignorance about it after a few years away worked to her advantage with the police scanner app. So many people casually have those on their phones that it was a good and convincing ruse.
It was a few times where it felt like Lucy could've outed herself as a cop, only because it didn't feel like she was playing a role much. More than a few times when she interacted with Frank, it was quintessentially her.
The second she learned about his daughter and how he longed to reconnect with her, that was all Lucy talking to him and encouraging him to make amends and try to have a second chance at being a good dad.
Interestingly, they kept trying to prepare her for what would happen if Frank was a handsy man who wanted to initiate a sexual or romantic relationship with her amid blackmailing and threatening her to help him.
Lucy: You ever wish you had a normal job?
Tim: One where people don't shoot at you? Not once.
Lucy: Yeah, me neither.
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But in actuality, the relationship that Lucy and Frank developed quickly almost had a paternal vibe. It was as if he was projecting the things he felt about his daughter onto Lucy after she saved him, and by the end of the hour, he was fond enough of her that you could probably surmise he'd see her again sometime.
The operation still tested Chenford, and it's something that they're doing a great job communicating with each other about, but it's still conflict.
Tim is beyond nervous that he'll have a repeat of what happened with Isabel, and he can't stop making those comparisons. You can understand his fears, but it's not fair to Lucy to live in the shadow of Tim's past experiences in that way.
He has to trust that Lucy can handle things in her own way and make the best calls. Her way of unwinding was even totally different than Isabel's. They're not the same person.
It was sweet that they could follow up with each other with phone calls that felt like written love letters as they were apart, but it would've felt more meaningful and sweet if we had known that they had been apart longer than a few days.
They still had those phone calls and managed quickies in the laundry room at her covert home, which felt incredibly risky.
In the interim, Celina made a match of her own in the field, and it's cute that she's looking into dating, and her attention is on something else after solving her sister's murder.
The dog owner was cute and sweet, but it's sad that ever since Lucy, you can't help but worry about who she's meeting and if something bad can happen. And Nolan took that to heart a bit with his dad act.
I wasn't looking. That's when love shows up.
Nolan
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Their case was a way to connect Nyla's promise to Randy to the new case on The Rookie: Feds. It was a minor crossover that was more of an introductory case situation unless there's more crossover action on the other show.
And it's no surprise that Angela can't just be out on maternity leave without wanting to insert herself into work. Lucky for her, Thorsen does whatever she wants, and they've made quite an amusing team together as he's determined to get on track for his detective pursuit.
Thorsen using his Cliptok following and a dance challenge to get a lead on and eventually close a case was funny, mainly when Grey kept walking in on all his shenanigans.
And Smitty in the mix, finding those bodies was entertaining, too, as Smitty typically is.
Wesley: Please tell me you closed the case.
Thorsen: Better. I closed seven.
Angela: Well done, Officer Thorsen I'll make sure Carradine knows you stepped up.
Thorsen: Yeah, and also, thank you so much for the opportunity. You know Erin is a great girl's name, too, so...
Wesley: We were waiting to be surprised.
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Thorsen managing to solve at least eight of Angela's cases while she quarterbacked from home under Wesley's scrutiny wasn't too shabby.
And she still got a little action when she took down one of the problematic friend trio before he caused a hostage situation at the hospital.
It's all in a day of non-work for Angela, and she can't be badass, even when she's a million months pregnant.
Overall, it was a fun installment. But that's our thoughts; we'd love to hear yours in the comments below!
So, hit that Blue Show Comments button and tell us how you feel about Chenford's friction regarding Lucy's undercover work, whether or not Frank will reappear, and much more.
You can watch The Rookie online here via TV Fanatic, and please return tomorrow morning to read a post-mortem interview with Gina Torres, who talks about Tommy finding love after grief and more!