The Rookie Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Crash Course
Christine Orlando
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If you ever have to call the police, Officer John Nolan is the guy you hope answers your call, and not just because the always charismatic Nathan Fillion plays him.
John Nolan is a good person, and he has the potential to become a good cop, but on The Rookie Season 1 Episode 2 he couldn't seem to stop crashing into things.
In Nolan's defense, performing your first pit maneuver during a high-speed chase on city streets must be daunting.
As Bishop pointed out, his instincts were to avoid an accident, not cause one. Of course, those same instincts didn't prevent him from hitting those shopping carts, another vehicle, or the woman who ran out in front of his squad car.
We'll cut him a break on the scissor lift; that hit him.
The runaway bride chase ended up costing the city $21,000 in property damage which left me wondering how much the average police chase costs.
No one can accuse Officer Nolan of not caring, but will that turn out to be a detriment to being a cop?
It is not your job to punish that man for what he did, do you understand? Overcoming that impulse could be the hardest thing you do on the job.
Captain
Because let's face it, who wouldn't want to beat the hell out of the guy who kidnapped, drugged, and chained women up in his basement? I know I would.
But being a police officer means reigning in your anger and aggression. It means keeping a certain amount of perspective and emotional distance.
For someone who instinctively cares as much as Nolan, that might prove more difficult than he expected.
But the best moment of all came when Nolan held out his hand, all but forcing Detective Moda to shake it in front of their Captain. The look on Nolan's face as he waited for the other man to acquiesce was positively comical.
Even though Nolan appeared to make slight inroads with Sgt. Grey, Bishop got put on notice. If she wants to fulfill her ambition to move up the ranks, she needs to keep her eye on the task at hand.
I didn't get the impression that the warning was necessary. Bishop seems to take her job as a training officer seriously, and I hope Grey's admonition doesn't change her attitude towards working with Nolan.
The only issue I've had with Bishop so far is her warning to Lucy Chen.
I can't say that calling out Chen's relationship with Nolan was unwarranted. Bishop was right in that if their romance comes to light at work, it will most likely impact Lucy more than it will John. That's unfair but realistic.
But I like Lucy and John together far more than I expected. These two are equals, and they lean on one another, and I think they both need that right now.
When you're working a high-stress job, it's helpful to be able to go home and talk about it with someone who understands, and that's part of what makes this couple work.
Related: 8 Captivating Cast Members of ABC's The Rookie
And watching these two pretty people lounge around in that gorgeous home is a bonus.
When Lucy balked at bringing over some clothes so she wouldn't have to rush out every morning, I was concerned about her motives.
Does she want to keep things casual or is she trying to keep one foot out the door because of Talia's advice? I'd much rather see Lucy and John talk about the pitfalls of staying together over Lucy tanking this relationship out of fear.
With Officer Tim Bradford still recovering from his gunshot wound, Chen also had to deal with a new training officer.
You'd think a kinder, gentler T.O. would make her day, but as she says in this The Rookie quote, not so much:
I feel like Goldilocks. This training officer’s too hard, this one’s too soft.
Chen
I guess there are cops out there that are happy writing tickets and Officer Wrigley is one of them.
In his defense, if tickets have to get written, and that doesn't come without its own set of risks, someone has to do it.
Although, when Wrigley told Chen why he was going home for lunch, I visibly cringed.
I like to go home to eat. Get these wool pants off, air things out.
Officer Rigley
But this was yet another test from Bradford to find out what kind of cop Chen was going to be, and I think both he and she got their answer.
Finally, we get Jackson West, who had to prove himself to Officer Lopez over and over again.
I hadn't even thought about the report that stated how many shots each officer fired until the Captain questioned them about it. Being a police officer must require a whole lot of paperwork!
Jackson was shocked when Lopez didn't throw him under the bus, and I was a little surprised too.
I didn’t do it for you. The golden boy with the VIP dad flunks out on my watch I can wave detective goodbye. I just hope protecting me doesn’t get me killed.
Lopez
I was impressed with West's ability to assess the situation with the Incredible Hulk of a man on PCP, and he certainly didn't back down from hand to hand combat with the wanted Aryan Nation member coming out of the bathroom, not that the guy gave him the chance.
But I still question how West will do when under fire because shooting at a paper target and firing at a human being who is shooting back are very different scenarios.
I'm guessing that Jackson's issues aren't over yet.
Related: A Million Little Things and The Rookie Get Additional Script Orders at ABC
So TV Fanatics, was Officer Lopez too hard on West?
Will you be happy to see Bradford and Chen teaming up once again?
And do you think Lucy should dump John or stick things out despite Talia's warnings?
Check back for my review of The Rookie Season 1 Episode 3, and until then, you can watch The Rookie online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
