The Rookie (3×04) Sabotage Review

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

Synopsis: Officer West’s relationship with his racist training officer escalates. He needs to work with Sgt. Grey to find a way out. (IMDb)

Well it seems like The Rookie is trying to find a way to make this storyline last, and who wouldn’t blame them with its relevance. After a year where the broken law enforcement system was dragged into the spotlight, The Rookie needed to tackle this rather than live in a make-believe world where all cops are good. And of course it needed a face to go along with that, not a character that we’ve grown to love over the past few seasons, but someone new with a recognizable face. Cue Brandon Routh’s appearance!

Routh is known for many roles over the years: the villainous Daniel Shaw on Chuck, an evil ex in Scott Pilgrim and even Superman himself, but his most recent role has been as the lovable, geeky Ray Palmer in CW’s Arrowverse. Routh’s Palmer is the polar opposite of his characterization of Stanton, and yet his filmography shows his range to create that contrast. He looks like the prototypical police officer, but he manages to pull off the horrible personality underneath even if the actor himself is quite charismatic.

That is what makes this storyline work so well because he manages to make even an extremely likeable actor disappear behind the grotesque image of the character. Not even Routh’s charm can save Stanton’s actions. That is just one of many reasons that this storyline will prove to be a game changer for The Rookie with the other main one being how Jackson reacts and goes forward from this situation.

Grey has decided to help Jackson find a way to get Stanton pulled off the force, even if it means making a journal of small  infractions. He also has Chen and Bradford on call as backup in case any situation with Stanton goes sour. This of course backfires in the end as Chen and Bradford reach out to Stanton’s old rookie Ben Owens, another black officer. Rather than help take down Stanton for his racist behaviour, he lets Stanton know about Chen, Bradford and Jackson’s plan because he has to have another officer’s back no matter what.

After a few questionable calls, Stanton manages to frame Jackson with a serious infraction when he leaves evidence to make sure Stanton isn’t beating up a suspect where he conveniently lost his bodycam. With that infraction and Stanton’s threats to Grey, it seems like he will do anything to keep his job and the power it holds.

The last bit of this storyline that certainly helps to round out the cast is Chen and Bradford’s commentary on the situation. She reminds him that not longer ago he was also doing questionable things on calls and he admits to his faults, wanting to become a better officer and person. This interaction, while short, shows a lot of growth for these two characters and their dynamic through this series, which is great considering they are the only OG pairing left from the first season.

The remaining subplots are more lighthearted in comparison and help move the stories forward for the rest of the ensemble. Harper wants to avoid disappointing her daughter anymore and inadvertently starts flirting with a single father from school. Nolan decides enough is enough and kicks his mother out after she sells suspicious CBD oil to Grey’s wife. And Lopez learns that Wesley carries the genetic marker for Fragile X Syndrome which would potentially give their child mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. This of course freaks her out and causes her to blurt out to her boss that she’s pregnant and wants to be treated like everyone else so at least that elephant in the room has been dealt with. Unfortunately Angela, there are bigger fish to fry right now.

Captain’s Log

• Will Harper start seeing this father from school?
• What about the Stanton problem?
• Will dealing with Stanton cause issues for Jackson, Chen or Bradford? How far will it go?
• Will we see more of Tamara, the new puppy for Chen and will that be the cause of her being held back?

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

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Dylan Phillips