The Rookie Season 1 Episode 4: The Switch Review

If you would like to read my review of last episode of The Rookie, click here.

Synopsis: The rookies are temporarily paired with new training officers, and Officer Nolan is paired with Officer Lopez. When Nolan and Lopez track down an escaped criminal, they discover a little kindness goes a long way. Meanwhile, Jackson is forced to face his fears when he is partnered with Officer Bradford, while Officer Chen and Nolan must face a hard truth. (TVGuide)

Writer: Vincent Angell

Director: Toa Fraser

Rating: TV-14

Running Time: 43mins

Airs: Tuesdays at 10pm on CTV (Canada)/ABC (United States)

“The Switch”starts off with Nolan and Bishop discussing distracted driving and how he has to be religiously studying his rulebook. They receive a call for an armed robbery where Nolan chases the suspect on foot, arrests him and discovers the two robbers are partners and allows them to get engaged before taking them in. Nolan talks about it with Chen that evening, but she’s more concerned with studying the rulebook. Things get awkward when marriage comes up, but they say what they have right now is working well.

At roll call, Grey announces that today is switch day as the rookies are moved to new TOs: Nolan has Lopez, West has Bradford and Chen has Bishop. They have to learn something personal about their new TOs to show their investigative work. The two groups try to get information on their new partners and they all seem thrilled. First up, Lopez is all business and gives Nolan the information he needs to win Grey’s day off so he can fix her garage door.

Chen and Bishop have little to talk about as she wants to avoid the topic of Nolan when they call in an expired car tag that turns into a chase for some hit-and-run suspects. Chen catches one of the suspects, but because he isn’t the driver they can’t charge him and Bishop criticizes her for not knowing the rules. They head back to the precinct where Bishop criticizes Chen for thinking she can have both a relationship and a career and tells her she will have to decide.

They respond to a second call where an actress complains about being held hostage, but it was a false cry for help to try to escape this brutal life and return to her birth mother. Meanwhile, Bradford tries his training tactics on West, who manages to think on the fly, but Bradford sole desire is to break his spirits. West and Bradford are tasked with helping an undercover team take down some local gun runners. They enter the premises, but when shots are fired West freezes up again.

Lopez takes Nolan to the courthouse to show her expansive knowledge of law enforcement secrets to show that this profession makes it hard to hide your personal life. As Nolan waits for Lopez, he hears a commotion, but he’s so concerned with protecting his rulebook that he allows a prisoner to escape. Lopez decides to take the initiative and volunteer to find the prisoner while suggesting Nolan leave his rulebook in his locker.

They visit his house and ask the neighbour for some information learning that his daughter’s quinceanera is today. Nolan learns that Lopez was estranged with her father until he died of cancer so seeing this hurts her, but she will let them finish their dance before arresting him. They discuss her quinceanera when Bradford arrives and berates Lopez for bringing him a broken rookie. She pleads for him to not tell Grey because it will ruin her as well, but he can’t have a cop like that on the team.

Nolan commends Lopez for protecting West, but she explains it was for selfish reasons. West confronts Bradford to try to get his help to fix his problem, but Bradford exclaims that he expects tomorrow will be his last day. Nolan and Chen discuss West’s situation and Bradford’s looming decision when Chen decides to tell him about Bishop knowing about their relationship. They decide to continue dating and make sure to be extra careful.

Bradford and West go out on the next call to meet a man named Wallace (Kristian Nairn) where Bradford leaves him alone to chat with him. Turns out Wallace has an overwhelming fear of leaving his apartment and explains to West that if he doesn’t try to overcome his fear now, it will only grow bigger with each day. Bishop and Chen are greeted at work by the young girl from the other day who explains that her mother has tried to reach out and get her back, but her foster mom has stopped it. Bishop talks about growing up in the system and explains it’s okay to be angry, but it gets better if you learn to accept a good situation.

The Captain comes to Lopez and Nolan with news that the prisoner they recaptured has a tip on a massive drug deal going on and because of their generosity he decides to gift them with the big bust. The teams discuss their plan for the drug deal and how time is crucial for this type of bust. Nolan is instructed to survey the drop with Grey while the rest of the officers are ready to jump on the suspects. West thanks Bradford for helping him through his situation, but he will not allow another screw up. Chen opens up to Bishop about her strong feelings for Nolan, but feels like it’s a hard decision she has to face.

The suspects enter the parking lot and the teams make their moves. They attempt to box in the red Civic, but it hopes the curb and prompts a chase. Meanwhile, the other suspects engage in a gunfight with Nolan and Lopez. Bradford enters from the rear alone and tries to give covering fire, but he’s pinned down. Lopez gives Nolan covering fire as he dives under the vehicles and pulls one of the suspects to the ground while West is able to subdue the other by hitting him with his patrol car.

Bishop and Chen manage to catch the red Civic and Grey catches the other dealer making this big bust a success. Grey brings them all together afterward to hear about the information the rookies dug up on their TOs. The rookies all reveal they were unable to get insight into their TOs, protecting their privacy and show solidarity. Nolan confronts Bishop about meddling in his relationship and she tells him to not put her in a situation that would jeopardize her career. The episode ends with Chen and Nolan coming together and mutually deciding to end their relationship to protect their careers.

Captain’s Log

• Will Nolan and Chen get back together at some point?
• Will Bradford become a more sympathetic person after his surgery?
• Is West cured of his stage fright?
• What is Bradford’s wife’s story?
• Will Grey and Nolan become reluctant friends?
• Which rookie won’t make it the year?

Overall, this was a good episode. The switch up of the pairings allowed for some new dynamics to shine through and really let these characters continue to grow. Each one has their own skeletons to deal with and the other characters give them a different perspective and type of support needed for their situations showing the strength these people have when they trust in each other. The multiple cases format continues to be a unique aspect of this show that never ceases to bring enough entertainment every week.

Score: 8.5/10

What did you think of “The Switch”? Let me know in the comments below!

If you liked this, check out my other reviews here and my website! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like me on Facebook.