Fictional TV stepped into reality TV as The Rookie Season 2 Episode 16 went meta and shoved Officer Lucy Chen onto the American Idol audition stage.

For those who were unaware, actress Melissa O'Neil won the third season of Canadian Idol, so I'm fairly certain that was actually her belting out that song. 

I'm generally not the biggest fan of these type of crossovers but Chen has a wonderful voice and I'm hoping the show throws in some more opportunities to let us hear it.

Perhaps something more organic, like karaoke night or some other event where I won't be completely distracted by Katy Perry's earrings. 

I kept trying to figure out if I loved them or hated them. I'm still not certain.

Past the American Idol silliness, this was an installment that gave us little glimpses into character backgrounds, like Nolan's son Henry having been born with Teralogy of Fallot and having several surgeries to repair his heart as a child. 

That must have been incredibly stressful on Nolan and his ex-wife and I'd love to get more peeks into that time in his life.

But this time around it was Nyla Harper doing most of the sharing which is rather extraordinary considering how determined she was to keep her and John's at work relationship strictly professional at the start of The Rookie Season 2. 

I know it was Donovan who told Nolan about the horrible incident in the grocery store with Lila, but if this had happened a few months ago, Harper would have clammed up and refused to contribute any more to the story.  Heck, she probably would have made Nolan wait in the car.

Now, not only didn't she bristle at John knowing about this scary moment from her recent past, she even added to the story by telling him that her ex used it to restrict her visitation with their daughter. 

That's a huge amount of sharing for someone like Harper. Then she doubled down on it by asking Nolan to be a buffer between her and Donovan at dinner. 

She and Nolan have been through a lot, even in the few short months she's been his training officer, and it's been enough for her to determine the kind of person he is. 

Nolan is loyal and trustworthy and kind. He's also a parent who has been through a divorce and perhaps that's the kind of thing you have to live through to truly understand. 

Kudos to Harper for really listening to Lila and not brushing all of her fears off as a child's bad dream. Lila needed her mother to take her seriously.

And of course, there was more to the story...

I'd love to know how Snowball got away from the coyote and if the poor dog ever did get back home after Nolan got hit with that shovel. 

One of my biggest pet peeves of the entire episode was that there's no way Griffin could have lifted an unconscious Nolan up to secure him into that hole in the ceiling.

It's just not possible to lift that much unwieldy dead weight, at least not without some sort of help and being that Griffin's husband was tied to a chair and I didn't see a pulley system around, I'm guessing this is one of those moments where I'm supposed to leave my brain at the door. 

On the upside, I enjoyed hearing Nolan worry about what it meant that Grace balked at introducing him to Oliver, and Harper's answer was spot on...

Nolan: What do you think it means that Grace doesn’t want me to meet her son?
Harper: That she’s a good mother who is putting her child’s welfare before everything and everyone else.
Nolan: So not that she’s not that into me.
Harper: Are you kidding me? No, she digs you. It seems to be her only flaw.

• Permalink: Are you kidding me? No, she digs you. It seems to be her only flaw.

However, it's worrisome that Grace's marriage isn't officially over. There is a big difference, legally and emotionally between being separated and divorced and I fear that difference might come back to bite Nolan at some point in the near future. 

Elsewhere, Lopez and Jackson slogged through several overnight shifts so that Angela and Wesley could take a romantic vacation in Napa Valley. 

I felt for Angela after Jackson mentioned that he thought Wesley was going to propose. She went from excitedly looking forward to her romantic getaway to stressing over would he/won't he and if so when. 

Strangely, it took all of the fun out of the impending trip and left her mind reeling, which made her run-in with the robber in the hotel all the more comical...

Lopez: I am tired, stressed, and emotional. If you make me chase your ass through this hotel, believe me, you will pay.
Jackson: I thought you were scary during the day shift.

• Permalink: I thought you were scary during the day shift.

Wesley deciding to get down on one knee before they left was a brilliant idea, and not just because I think hot air balloon proposals are a really bad idea that can go wrong in all the ways they mentioned and more!

And his actual proposal was perfect...

Wesley: Angela, you’re my best friend and you are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. You make me laugh, and cry sometimes. I fell in love with you the second I met you and I have been falling every second since. Will you marry me?
Angela: Yes.

• Permalink: Angela, you’re my best friend...

The weak link in the episode was Lucy having to deal with reporter Valerie Castillo. 

Again, for those who don't know, actress Roselyn Sanchez is married to Eric Winter who plays Tim Bradford, and it was fun to see their real-life chemistry play out on screen.

As much as this was yet another lesson for Officer Chen to learn, I hated how Valerie played Lucy, expecting that she could use the rookie to help get her story. 

At least Lucy knew when it was time to call Tim and admit she'd gotten played. 

And Valerie did get one thing right, Bradford certainly knows how to wear a suit.

So what did you think, TV Fanatics? Were you totally into the Americal Idol crossover or was it a distraction?

Were you surprised by how open Harper was with Nolan about her family?

Am I being paranoid thinking that Grace might pull the rug out from under Nolan and go back to her ex?

And are you as excited as I am at the prospect of Wesley and Angela getting married?

Hit that BIG, BLUE, SHOW COMMENTS button down below and let me know what you think.

Then be sure to check back for my review of The Rookie Season 2 Episode 17 and you can watch The Rookie online her at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.