The Rookie (2×02) The Night General Review

For our review of last episode, click here.

“The Night General”starts off with the rookies returning after a night out on the town where they see a drug deal going down. Chen and West chase the suspect down an alley while Nolan is able to come around and clothesline him. West questions who could be selling in his neighborhood and removes the hood to reveal it’s Mr. Wilson, his landlord. The next morning, Nolan is instructed to show around the precinct’s newest night detective Pablo Armstrong (Harold Perrineau), but first roll call! Grey commends West on the arrest, but reveals that he needs to change addresses given the current crime scene at his home.

Bradford is instructed to read another book for his Sergeant exam and so he decides to force Chen to read it aloud during their patrol call. She likes that the book teaches them to value ever officer regardless of rank, but they become interrupted by a call. Two teens have decided to purchase bulletproof vests online and test them out. Unfortunately, one doesn’t work so well and the guy has to be carted off to the hospital. Their next call is a suspicious van where it is revealed it is Rex, an old colleague of Bradford, who is there to collect a bounty. Bradford tells him to play by the rules and they will make sure he gets his money.

The next morning they go to check on Rex as his vehicle is still there. Turns out he was assaulted by his bounty and left in the bushes. Bradford and Chen break into his aunt’s home to find him. They make her call his phone and he tries to convince them he’s in Florida while on speakerphone. He decides to fight back and attacks both of them starting a very intense fistfight. That night Chen gives Bradford an audiobook version so he can learn the book in the ways he is able to. He thanks Chen for the gesture and continues his training.

Unable to find a home, West is told by Officer Smitty to meet him at the west gate. He arrives to find Shangri-La Westgate, a trailer park set up in the LAPD parking lot. Lopez comes by to pick up West so he has to table this offer for now. On patrol, she advises him to avoid the trailer park and move back in with his parents. He is hesitant, but agrees for now. Lopez tries to convince West to stop being so hard on himself, but he is hard to convince. Later, West and Lopez manage to get Mrs. Christian to reveal where he has taken Tony.

On patrol, Armstrong reveals that he made it to detective in four years which intrigues Nolan. He wants to shadow him to learn everything there is to know. They receive a call of an agitated man causing an issue at a hospital. They arrive to find a behemoth of a man attacking people. During the commotion, Nolan sees an old college friend Dr. Grace Sawyer (Ali Larter) and instantly there seems to be some sparks. They head to the next call where a couple is found tied in a room downstairs. They warn that some burglars have their son Jeff upstairs, but when they arrive they find him dead and have to hold back the parents. With this now a homicide case, Armstrong asks Nolan to be his partner as they hunt down the assailants.

Armstrong gets Nolan to question the crime scene and go through the clues. He is impressed with Nolan’s reasoning as they manage to bring the suspect pool down to a cool 50. They manage to dig a little more and find a name: Bruno Winch. Unfortunately, the raid of his home reveals an attack that has left Bruno in critical condition. They take him to the hospital where he reconnects with Grace more and Armstrong tries to push him towards her. With Nolan done his shift, he plans to leave the hospital. He decides to invite Armstrong to join him for beer, pizza and renovations!

There, they discuss Nolan’s dating life and how he and Grace dated briefly. Armstrong tempts him with going after Grace, a married woman, but when Nolan makes a moral stand Armstrong commends him. The next morning, Nolan goes to check in on their patient and runs into Grace. He tries to have small talk, but she releases anger that has been pent up for twenty years and cannot stand to look at him. Nolan returns to the precinct to find Mr. Christian waiting for an interview with Armstrong. He notices something off about the distraught father and decides that they need to ask him a few questions.

They ask about Jeff’s rehab, his issues and his acquaintance Bruno. They show him a photo of Bruno half-beaten and try to squeeze him for information. With Armstrong gone, Nolan tries to connect with him father-to-father. He doesn’t reveal much, but Armstrong planted a bug on Mr. Christian’s car so they can track him. Meanwhile, they learn of Bruno’s accomplice, but they may be running out of time as the vehicle tracker has gone off the grid.

They arrive at Tony’s house, but find that Mr. Christian has taken him hostage. With information from Mrs. Christian, Nolan and Armstrong find her husband at a construction site. He has buried Tony in cement to die and plans to hang himself for completing his mission. Nolan tries to convince him to not make his wife bury two bodies, but he hangs himself anyways. Thankfully, Nolan is able to make it to Armstrong and help pull Tony out alive.

That night, West arrives at Shangri-La Westgate to live with Smitty, but instantly he cannot deal with his personality. As he is leaving, Chen arrives and offers that he can stay at her place. Bradford comes by Rex’s hospital room to tell him that he put the bounty through under his name. Next time, he hopes for some heads up when a bountyhunter is working their streets. The episode ends with Nolan arriving at the hospital to apologize to Grace for the way things ended. She accepts his apology and instantly sparks seem to fly.

Captain’s Log

• Does Nolan trust Russo?
• Will Nolan end up with Russo or Grace?
• Will West melt down?
• Will Chen re-earn Bradford’s respect?
• Who will be Nolan’s new CO?

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

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Dylan Phillips