S02.E11: Day Of Death

[WendyCR72]

To air on February 23, 2020:

Officer Nolan and the entire team are in a desperate search to rescue Officer Chen after her abduction and must attempt to get Rosalind to help them in their search. After Officer Lopez discovers Wesley unconscious from a dangerous cocktail of alcohol and pills, she is forced to keep him close by.

[paigow]

TV Guide should have said "...the entire team- except Lopez- …"

Edited February 10, 2020 by paigow

[HurricaneVal]

Gaaah...  I feel like I've waited forever for this episode!  

This show snuck up on me.  I used to think "Oh this is fun.  Nathan Fillion, cop procedural, whacky stories, taco trucks...yeah, this is harmless background filler viewing."  Somewhere along the line--and I can't really pinpoint where--I became really invested in this show and characters.  I mean, as much as I like Fillion, it is the other characters that I'm into.  Officer Bradford, in particular, is interestingly complex.  At first, we all thought he was standard cop series cookie cutter asshole, but he's subsequently proven to be extremely nuanced.  All the other rookies and training officers have similar sub-surface quirks, and their character interactions and relationships woven through the "case of the week" procedural format has been fun to watch develop.

I can't wait for the 24th!

[Thomas Crown]

On 2/11/2020 at 7:21 PM, HurricaneVal said:

Gaaah...  I feel like I've waited forever for this episode!  

This show snuck up on me.  I used to think "Oh this is fun.  Nathan Fillion, cop procedural, whacky stories, taco trucks...yeah, this is harmless background filler viewing."  Somewhere along the line--and I can't really pinpoint where--I became really invested in this show and characters.  I mean, as much as I like Fillion, it is the other characters that I'm into.  Officer Bradford, in particular, is interestingly complex.  At first, we all thought he was standard cop series cookie cutter asshole, but he's subsequently proven to be extremely nuanced.  All the other rookies and training officers have similar sub-surface quirks, and their character interactions and relationships woven through the "case of the week" procedural format has been fun to watch develop.

I can't wait for the 24th!

Me too ! I'm anxiously awaiting its return.  The Rookie is one of the few shows now that I follow regularly so I'm happy its finally coming back.  I like the formula of the show alternating weekly between the more dramatic episodes and lighter ones. Reminds me of Castle in that respect. 

As you mention, despite this being a Fillion show, I find myself more interested in the character arcs of Bradford and Chen over Nolan.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Thomas Crown

[Thomas Crown]

speculation based on one of the previews ABC posted: 

Spoiler

Lucy gets tattoed by Caleb

 

[Raja]

1 hour ago, Thomas Crown said:

speculation based on one of the previews ABC posted: 

  Reveal spoiler

Lucy gets tattoed by Caleb

 

I guess that is one way around an actor whose appearance violates LAPD policy.

[UNOSEZ]

Solid episode feels like its  been years since the show was on... Everyone helped out.. Still wish almost every big moment wasnt a fillion moment.. Why was he seemingly leading a briefing.. He's still a rookie... Interested in what wersching's character alluded to with Armstrong... I hope its not bad.. I like him on the show 

[shapeshifter]

I only watched this because my oldest daughter, a Fillion fan, is visiting. Otherwise I would have skipped it because I loathe serial killer kidnapping stories. 
However, this was better than the average bear of such stories, in that it didn't dwell on torture and threats of torture.

[CoyoteBlue]

47 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

Solid episode feels like its  been years since the show was on... Everyone helped out.. Still wish almost every big moment wasnt a fillion moment.. Why was he seemingly leading a briefing.. He's still a rookie... 

I think because he was reporting on what he learned from Psycho Redhead? 

[preeya]

I thought Criminal Minds ended last week. I thought for sure we were going to hear "wheels up in twenty" and the BAU team giving out the profile at the LAPD headquarters instead of the Nolan briefing,.

 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

This episode lacked the levity I've come to count on from the show ... but I guess I'll forgive it for now. 

Also, I'm kind of blown away by how somehow Harold Perrineau is not only ageless, but actually looks YOUNGER than the first time I saw him ("Oz"). He is one handsome man. 

 

[limecoke]

Quote

This show snuck up on me.  I used to think "Oh this is fun.  Nathan Fillion, cop procedural, whacky stories, taco trucks...yeah, this is harmless background filler viewing."  Somewhere along the line--and I can't really pinpoint where--I became really invested in this show and characters.

Me too!  In fact, I've decided I love this show.  It's a cut above all the other procedural cop dramas and there's some real genius in the characterizations.  No one is the usual cookie-cutter "cop type".  They all have layers that keep me invested and interested. I've come to like characters I didn't like in the beginning so it's a show that surprises me and I like that.

Good episode all around though I could have done without the little deal at the end that insured we'd see Rosalind again. I'm over her.

[Netfoot]

The Hollywood "You can't shoot me" meme again.

Baddie: You can't shoot me because...
Netfoot: <Bla-blam!>
Baddie's knee: <Splat!>
Baddie: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!
Netfoot: Let us discuss the condition of your other knee.  And your elbows. And ankles. And hips. And wrists...

Of course, Chen made a major mistake.  When she whacked him with the bit of chair and he went down, she should have kept whacking him and kicking him until at least one loop of bowel was visible coming out of his ass.

[Thomas Crown]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I only watched this because my oldest daughter, a Fillion fan, is visiting. Otherwise I would have skipped it because I loathe serial killer kidnapping stories. 
However, this was better than the average bear of such stories, in that it didn't dwell on torture and threats of torture.

Me too Shapeshifter.  While I don't mind a more intense episode now and then, I hate unnecessary torture porn for entertainment.  I thought the episode and overall approach was well done considering the storyline.   

Overall a pretty satisfying conclusion to the fall finale and the Bradford / Chen shippers have a lot to smile about today.  Honestly I don't mind if they go in that direction with Bradford and Chen since the characters do have great chemistry IMO.  

And looks like the ratings were solid last night for the Rookie's return in both the coveted 18-45 Demo along with overall viewers. ABC should be pleased. 

[Thomas Crown]

7 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

The Hollywood "You can't shoot me" meme again.

Baddie: You can't shoot me because...
Netfoot: <Bla-blam!>
Baddie's knee: <Splat!>
Baddie: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!
Netfoot: Let us discuss the condition of your other knee.  And your elbows. And ankles. And hips. And wrists...

Of course, Chen made a major mistake.  When she whacked him with the bit of chair and he went down, she should have kept whacking him and kicking him until at least one loop of bowel was visible coming out of his ass.

Lol I thought the same thing too! She should have kept whacking him. At least she didn't run up the stairs like in most movies and she bolted for the door instead. Chen probably figured that she would be safe by running outside not realizing that they were in the middle of nowhere. 

[paigow]

Waaaalllltttt  Luuuuuucccyyyyy!

Bradford would never date his own trainee....He is still dating her social worker friend?????

[Clanstarling]

4 hours ago, PamelaMaeSnap said:

Also, I'm kind of blown away by how somehow Harold Perrineau is not only ageless, but actually looks YOUNGER than the first time I saw him ("Oz"). He is one handsome man.

Even when he was running around an island yelling "Waaaalt!" Jeez, that was 16 years ago - the man seriously does not age.

I have some quibble to the way they showed Lucy being revived  - as they did not check her pulse or use an AED device which are fairly standard in police/sheriff cars these days and seems like something they would have hauled around with them as they were searching (like, say, those shovels which suddenly appeared out of nowhere).

The tattoo showed that they clearly meant this episode to be aired in December (or there was a serious communication issue between the powers that be and the makeup artists).

Other than that, I thought it was well done, though like others, I'm not thrilled with serial killers in my lighter police shows.

 

 

[mxc90]

 

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

The Hollywood "You can't shoot me" meme again.

Baddie: You can't shoot me because...
Netfoot: <Bla-blam!>
Baddie's knee: <Splat!>
Baddie: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!
Netfoot: Let us discuss the condition of your other knee.  And your elbows. And ankles. And hips. And wrists...

Of course, Chen made a major mistake.  When she whacked him with the bit of chair and he went down, she should have kept whacking him and kicking him until at least one loop of bowel was visible coming out of his ass.

Yes.  I was yelling for her to rearrange his face and break a leg.

I was hoping Armstrong put one in his arm at the cemetery and somehow the LAPD could trace the signal from the phone to Lucy's position.

If Lucy was just a civilian, the police would have told the person filing a missing person to wait 24 - 72 hours. Lucy was fortunate to get 13 hours.

Caleb has serious skills with a shovel and making the area look like a dig never took place.

I'm sure the warden has not learnt his/her to crack down on the contraband going into the prison or ristrict Rosalind's access to news or other privileges.

 

[shapeshifter]

5 hours ago, Thomas Crown said:

Me too Shapeshifter.  While I don't mind a more intense episode now and then, I hate unnecessary torture porn for entertainment.

5 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

though like others, I'm not thrilled with serial killers in my lighter police shows.

Preach Post it, fellow detestors of gratuitous torture porn!

 

 

5 hours ago, Thomas Crown said:

5 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Of course, Chen made a major mistake.  When she whacked him with the bit of chair and he went down, she should have kept whacking him and kicking him until at least one loop of bowel was visible coming out of his ass.

Lol I thought the same thing too! She should have kept whacking him. At least she didn't run up the stairs like in most movies and she bolted for the door instead. Chen probably figured that she would be safe by running outside not realizing that they were in the middle of nowhere. 

As a female of the same physique of Chen, and having gotten myself into a couple of bad situations in my younger years when, just like Chen, over-tiredness made me vulnerable to suggestions I would have instinctively refused, I can tell you it is much wiser to use your depleted energy to run than to fight. However, I was not trained in hand-to-hand combat, so y'all might be right.

 

[Sweet Tooth]

I watch CM, and one of my main gripes is that they spend WAY, WAY, WAAAAAAAAY too much time on the unsub, and we have to sit there watching gratuitous t0rture pron instead of watching the PROFILERS the show is about.

The reason I felt this was different was two-fold.

1. If you watch the t0rture pron on CM, you know that it's so much more gruesome and drawn out and screamy and horrible than what we had here.

2. Both the unsub, for the most part, and the person they're t0rturing, will never be seen again, so you don't have anything emotionally invested in either one of them.

Here, we cared about Chen. When she started sobbing after she was revived, I sobbed with her. I was emotionally invested. Yeah, I knew she wouldn't die, but I also knew, as we'll see, that this will have a long-lasting emotional impact on her, in much the same way lawyer guy was really messed up after his ordeal.

This isn't a one and done, gratuitous violence. It was all about the psychological effect it will have on her. Watching her inside the drum was heartbreaking, not gross and disgusting. I absolutely did not feel it was gratuitous and will indeed mold and shape her future actions.

I love it when a show doesn't have someone go through a traumatic experience and then joke five minutes later.

And while this show has generally had light moments, I don't feel it's a lighthearted show. I discovered that pretty quickly when they dealt with some serious stuff nearly right off the bat. They've had Bradford's ex wife being a drug addict and a major character death. 

I think the show has a good mix of some lighthearted stuff with some pow-zing drama to really gut punch you. I love that.

I've said it before, but after seeing Nathan get more and more bumbling, childish idiot on Castle, it's so nice to see him not always be the brunt of the joke and be good at his job. That the higher ups wrote him off in the beginning, only to see him rise to the challenge and respect him, is a refreshing change. 

 

[femmefan1946]

6 hours ago, mxc90 said:

 

 

I was hoping Armstrong put one in his arm at the cemetery and somehow the LAPD could trace the signal from the phone to Lucy's position.

 

 

Although I understand a body shot is easier. Perhaps in the groinal area would capture his attention.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, Sweet Tooth said:

I watch CM, and one of my main gripes is that they spend WAY, WAY, WAAAAAAAAY too much time on the unsub, and we have to sit there watching gratuitous t0rture pron instead of watching the PROFILERS the show is about.

The reason I felt this was different was two-fold.

1. If you watch the t0rture pron on CM, you know that it's so much more gruesome and drawn out and screamy and horrible than what we had here.

2. Both the unsub, for the most part, and the person they're t0rturing, will never be seen again, so you don't have anything emotionally invested in either one of them.

Here, we cared about Chen. When she started sobbing after she was revived, I sobbed with her. I was emotionally invested. Yeah, I knew she wouldn't die, but I also knew, as we'll see, that this will have a long-lasting emotional impact on her, in much the same way lawyer guy was really messed up after his ordeal.

This isn't a one and done, gratuitous violence. It was all about the psychological effect it will have on her. Watching her inside the drum was heartbreaking, not gross and disgusting. I absolutely did not feel it was gratuitous and will indeed mold and shape her future actions.

I love it when a show doesn't have someone go through a traumatic experience and then joke five minutes later.

And while this show has generally had light moments, I don't feel it's a lighthearted show. I discovered that pretty quickly when they dealt with some serious stuff nearly right off the bat. They've had Bradford's ex wife being a drug addict and a major character death. 

I think the show has a good mix of some lighthearted stuff with some pow-zing drama to really gut punch you. I love that.

I've said it before, but after seeing Nathan get more and more bumbling, childish idiot on Castle, it's so nice to see him not always be the brunt of the joke and be good at his job. That the higher ups wrote him off in the beginning, only to see him rise to the challenge and respect him, is a refreshing change. 

 

Thank you, @Sweet Tooth, for elaborating on why this kidnapping-serial killer plot is not torture porn. 

However, I am one of the seemingly few who post online who loved Fillion doing his Bumbling Savant comedy. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by shapeshifter
Punctuation

[Sweet Tooth]

49 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

However, I am one of the seemingly few who post online who loved Fillion doing his Bumbling Savant comedy. 

Let me rephrase. I loved it when he was in on the joke. When he'd make fun of himself. Like the WRITER bulletproof vest. What I didn't like was how he was sometimes treated as a child who couldn't control himself. Having one serious person and one who doesn't take things so seriously is funny. They kind of rib on each other's faults. But when one person is seen as competent and the adult in the room, and the other is seen as a bumbling idiot, that's a problem for me.

For instance, in this show, with his former partner, and with this one, he usually is the one who jokes, while she takes things more seriously, but in the end you get that both his former and current partner RESPECT him and his skills. They both talked to him like they respected him. Even in this episode where his partner complimented him on his ability to connect with people. This woman doesn't just dole out compliments. I appreciated that moment. 

So, yeah, for me it all has to do with respect and not just rolling your eyes and making jokes at another person's expense but none of it ever coming back on you, because everything you do is perfect and awesome.

That was the dichotomy I was talking about.

But I watched that show to the bitter end, because I loved him and his character. And I will watch this show to the bitter end, because I also love this character AND everyone who surrounds him.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Sweet Tooth

[Raja]

Once again we had a only our stars scenario. You would think all the local police and Highway Patrol would be sent to swarm the area long before a drive up for Nolan occurred.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Raja

[mxc90]

Trying to save Caleb/having the the doctor give instructions from the phone was a waste of screen time. Caleb was never going to tell them  where Lucy was located. I think the director realized (at the last moment): why are we paying Ali Larter to be here, let's find a way to squeeze her in.

[Dbolt]

Was I the only one that noticed that Chen’s hands were tie wrapped to her belt and to free them all she had to do was undo her belt to free them?

also, He would have had to shoot me before I climbed in the barrel. My odds of overcoming him and taking the gun away even with my hands tied is still greater than getting in the barrel. Likewise, captured serial killer is more likely to yield some information leading to Chen’s location even inadvertently than would be gained by giving yourself up even without torturing him. My biggest quibble though is all those officers searching the desert and none was a K-9 unit?

Finally, poor job show on giving the serial killer even a shred of “power” at the end. She should have been l left sitting hopeless staring at the wall. 

[paigow]

2 hours ago, Dbolt said:

Finally, poor job show on giving the serial killer even a shred of “power” at the end. 

End of season cliffhanger...Armstrong tries to kill her, Nolan could shoot Armstrong or do nothing...gunshots..Sopranos black screen....

[Raja]

4 hours ago, Dbolt said:

 

Finally, poor job show on giving the serial killer even a shred of “power” at the end. She should have been l left sitting hopeless staring at the wall. 

I bet it is not about her but a reason for the Night General to leave for his own show before he was supervisor for the first night 

[Goldmoon]

I have never seen so much stupid in one of these plots. Harold ps character, whatever his name, was an idiot. Shoot the fool in the kneecap, take his phone, trace the signal. Boom!  And trying so hard to save caleb was stupid. And why was everyone out there without shovels? I agree with dbolt that we should just be done with psycho redhead. Hate seeing the dept empower her.

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, Dbolt said:

Finally, poor job show on giving the serial killer even a shred of “power” at the end. She should have been l left sitting hopeless staring at the wall. 

That was very disappointing to me - it was such a good moment when her face fell and we thought she was powerless and getting her true consequences.

1 hour ago, Goldmoon said:

And why was everyone out there without shovels?

And then a bunch of them mysteriously found them in time to dig Chen out. I think I saw at least 3 shovels (wielded by deputies, I think) when there hadn't been any in sight before then and I was yelling "hey, take some shovels!"

[Gothish520]

On a completely shallow note, when Bradford was holding Chen after they rescued her, my eyes could not help but wander from his handsome face onto his toned bicep - my word, Eric Winter is a beautiful man.

Sorry, I just had to get that out. Carry on. 

[Clanstarling]

4 minutes ago, Gothish520 said:

On a completely shallow note, when Bradford was holding Chen after they rescued her, my eyes could not help but wander from his handsome face onto his toned bicep - my word, Eric Winter is a beautiful man.

Sorry, I just had to get that out. Carry on. 

Go ahead and let it out. And yes he is.

Edited February 25, 2020 by Clanstarling

[sinkwriter]

3 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

On a completely shallow note, when Bradford was holding Chen after they rescued her, my eyes could not help but wander from his handsome face onto his toned bicep - my word, Eric Winter is a beautiful man.

Sorry, I just had to get that out. Carry on. 

I may have noticed the same thing. Maybe. 😉 Just saying.

[Orbert]

Nolan should have taken her chocolates away.

"And you don't get to keep these, either!"

[mojito]

People who write these "cliffhangers" certainly don't have people like me in mind. This show faded in my memory. YouTubeTV to the rescue; I had it set up to record The Rookie. Then I had to try to piece together this cliffhanger. Honestly remembered nothing except that Lucy had been thrown in the back of a car. 

Never did figure out that woman with the god-awful red hair, but it didn't much matter. Until they bring her back to tell the rest of Armstrong's story (that would be Perrineau's character, I presume). Don't recall his connection to her. Clearly, I'm one of those people who has to offload old information to take on new information.

Love how, depending on the show, different people have jurisdictions for major crimes. Some shows seem to forget that there are detectives; it's the police sergeant on the scene who is in charge of a murder scene. In this episode, where we have the kidnapping of a law enforcement officer,  the LA cops who are flown in a helicopter to another county to lead in the apprehension of the perp.  Because, I guess, the FBI is too busy taking refresher CPR courses where they're learning mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which is all the rage in emergency first aid these days. Well, at least the cops were aided by either local or state police; they're the ones who brought the shovels. 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

11 hours ago, mojito said:

People who write these "cliffhangers" certainly don't have people like me in mind. This show faded in my memory. YouTubeTV to the rescue; I had it set up to record The Rookie. Then I had to try to piece together this cliffhanger. Honestly remembered nothing except that Lucy had been thrown in the back of a car. 

Never did figure out that woman with the god-awful red hair, but it didn't much matter. Until they bring her back to tell the rest of Armstrong's story (that would be Perrineau's character, I presume). Don't recall his connection to her. Clearly, I'm one of those people who has to offload old information to take on new information.

You and me both! I have a large handful of shows I love and am excited to have back, but when they are series like this, sometimes I'll actually rewatch the entire previous season or half-season because I have massive memory issues (medical, but that doesn't make me feel better knowing I'm not just a forgetful senior). This is part of the reason why I enjoy some of the reality shows where you don't have to remember all these involved plotlines when the show goes on break for a few months. 

It makes me miss the days of PTV/TWoP/whatever you want to call it when we had storyline recaps for pretty much every show. (And when TV only had three channels). 

(Somewhat random, but I have this vague memory that at some point years and years ago Nathan Filion was dating or otherwise involved with some distant relative of mine, a second cousin or someone I didn't know ... I could be totally wrong, though, and since all my relatives on that side are either dead or I'm not speaking to them, I have no way to confirm this ... and until becoming a fan of this show, it didn't matter to me. Crap.)

Also, Mojito, love your avatar. 

 

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

I love it when a show doesn't have someone go through a traumatic experience and then joke five minutes later.

I thought Lucy was too light-hearted in the hospital at the end. I wouldn't even have been able to smile or speak at that point.  How long was her TO there before she woke up? I thought a while, but then he pulled out the cheeseburger.

Blond doc actress must have a good contract/agent to be included in all of the episodes. Annoying.

[BlakesMomma]

19 minutes ago, MoreCoffeePlease said:

I thought Lucy was too light-hearted in the hospital at the end. I wouldn't even have been able to smile or speak at that point.  How long was her TO there before she woke up? I thought a while, but then he pulled out the cheeseburger.

Blond doc actress must have a good contract/agent to be included in all of the episodes. Annoying.

I think Lucy was just happy to be alive at that point. Very often, reality and the trauma takes a couple days to set in. We've already seen in the previews that she has continuing issues with the trauma so they won't just be brushing it off. 

As for the cheeseburger, we have no idea how long he'd had it waiting. They inferred he'd been there all night. It's still going to be a cold cheeseburger whether it was an hour or 8 hours. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by BlakesMomma

[Evagirl]

On 2/25/2020 at 8:44 AM, Dbolt said:

He would have had to shoot me before I climbed in the barrel.

Me too!  Being killed instantly by a bullet trumps dying a slow death in a barrel - any day of the week for me.  I would have rushed him and made him shoot me with a lethal shot, rather than stand there let him shoot me in the leg or some place non lethal.

 

[Grammaeryn]

Also, the singing was such a waste of oxygen. I know it was for poignancy but I would be shallowly breathing and silently praying. 
Eric Winter was on that Witches of Eastwick show with Julia Ormond and Jenna Dewan. I always hated his fish lips. 

[BlakesMomma]

11 hours ago, Grammaeryn said:

Also, the singing was such a waste of oxygen. I know it was for poignancy but I would be shallowly breathing and silently praying. 
Eric Winter was on that Witches of Eastwick show with Julia Ormond and Jenna Dewan. I always hated his fish lips. 

Oh wow, I have always had an issue with his lips too 😂 No matter how shallow that sounds. 

[Avabelle]

Michael Cassidy does psycho so well. I only remember him as summers goofy boyfriend in The OC.