The Rookie (2×13) Follow-Up Day Review

For our review of the last episode of The Rookie, click here.

Nolan arrives at the hospital with a towel in hand where he is greeted by Grace. They do some catching up and he asks her over for dinner. They get interrupted by a patient arriving with a hand missing that needs to go into ER immediately. Nolan remembers that the towel is holding the hand and he gives it to Grace while she agrees to dinner that night. Here’s what went down in “Follow-Up Day.”

The theme of this episode is family as each pair deals with their own version of it. First up is Nolan who learns that his father that he hasn’t seen in decades died. This doesn’t rattle him much, but his half-brother (Pete Davidson) showing up certainly does. He seems like the polar opposite of Nolan, most likely due to the influence of their father. He brings Nolan’s inheritance, his dad’s old car, from Arizona, but his entire mission is to steal said car back because he doesn’t believe Nolan deserves it. While he is dealing with that he also is trying to salvage a relationship with Grace, but he is fearful of repeating his past and losing her once again. Given everything that is going on, Nolan needs something good going on in his life.

Meanwhile, their case is quite a twisty one as it goes from grieving robbery victim to a complex stripper. This leads to a customer that brings them to a man who threatens a baby with a gun. What a rollercoaster ride! This situation certainly distracts Nolan from his problems with family, but it also helps to build the relationship between him and Harper. In a subtle teaching moment, Harper advises Nolan not to police other people’s grief which parallels the situation he is dealing with involving his new half-brother. This moment shows the dynamic between these two officers and how it has grown over the season. Harper has opened up and become a valuable asset to the team which is great to see.

The second pair, Bradford and Chen, are sent to check in on a home invasion victim who is a reformed gang member. His old gang is patrolling his new bakery and trying to bring him back into the fold. So these officers make a rather smart move and make the bakery a regular spot for police officers to eat which scares off the gangs. This is just another moment in a line of great decisions by these two officers. Their professional chemistry is undeniable which helps to answer the question about Bradford’s decision this episode. Rather than be promoted to Sergeant, he opts to stay at his current position and by extension continue his training of Chen. It seems like after everything she has been through and has done for him, Chen has pierced Bradford’s outer shell and caused him to feel. So much so that he wants to make sure Chen gets the best training she can and only he can guarantee that. It is only a matter of time until Bradford’s decision causes Chen to believe he resents her.

Finally, the last subplot of this episode is revolving around Lopez having to bail out Wesley’s mom after she’s caught with an unregistered gun. With his somewhat estranged relationship with her, they aren’t aware of the problems she is getting into and Lopez tells him that they need to be more vigilant. And that’s pretty much it, their storyline isn’t terribly long this episode. Doesn’t help that West has been reduced to a tertiary character again with little to no development. He barely gets any screen time outside interactions with Lopez making it a real shame given all of the backstory and complications they can throw his way. Hopefully this changes in the coming episodes.

Captain’s Log

• Will Bradford forgive himself?
• How long until Chen starts to think Bradford resents her?
• How will Wes deal with his issues?
• Will Armstrong take the lifeline that Grey gave him?

What did you think of “Follow-Up Day”? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips