S07.E13: Three Billboards

[Snazzy Daisy]

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When anti-LAPD billboards emerge throughout the city, the team searches for who’s responsible.

Meanwhile, a car bombing prompts an investigation, Miles reconnects with an old friend, and John and Bailey assess their ability to adopt. 

Air Date: Apr 08, 2025

 

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[Snazzy Daisy]

This is a solid, uncomplicated episode.

The parts that I like:

• Aaron Thorsen gets a shoutout.
• Nolan and Lucy riding together, love their dynamic.
• They humanize Miles Penn.
• No OTT Chenford stuff.

The least interesting bits — Nyla’s police reform and Nolan/Bailey adoption storyline. 😴

[Raja]

Fake home invasion to wound the star long before a season started. That seems to be the most ridiculous gamblers set up plan ever. There is always the super trade possibility or the future Hall of Famer nobody expected moving up. But reason enough to give Texas a temptation.

A few billboards to taint a jury, with a pool of millions to draw from at some unknown future date. And with no evidence that any other press picked it up. More unreal than the gamblers who sent the aggravated assault crew after the Chargers quarterback.

Edited April 11 by Raja

[Zaffy]

 

1 hour ago, Raja said:

Fake home invasion to wound the star long before a season started. That seems to be the most ridiculous gamblers set up plan ever.

Indeed. And the guy who was throwing grenades all over the place even more ridiculous. But hey, just two episodes ago we had a staged bus hijack only to steal data from some government employee. It seems LA criminals really like to complicate things.

I did had a good laugh with the adoption lady interviewing the "Nolans".
It was like if the writers where roasting their own stories.
Especially when she asked if there were workdays those two didn't almost die, Bailey's expression was so funny.
Can we have Bailey do comedy instead of silly James Bond stuff? I will even start to like her!

Texas Rookie is getting less and less annoying. Now if he stops those "Texas Phrases" he seems to have for every occasion I might even like him as well!

And we go to the thing that really frustrates me: those serial killers that NEVER go away.
We all realize the last guy will torment more our heroes, right? 
I prefer the red hair lawyer or even Elijah than the omnipotent serial killers. 
I could even tolerate that idiot brother of Nolan's. Or more heroics from Bailey. 

Edited April 9 by Zaffy

[shapeshifter]

50 minutes ago, Zaffy said:

Texas Rookie is getting less and less annoying. Now if he stops those "Texas Phrases" he seems to have for every occasion I might even like him as well!

The folksy "Texas phrases" could be welcome comic relief if the writers try a little harder to make them fit the situation and then follow with a snappy definition of the saying.
In between, the director/camera person just needs to catch a look like Bailey and Nolan gave when:

53 minutes ago, Zaffy said:

the adoption lady interviewing the "Nolans".…asked if there were workdays those two didn't almost die

 

Is there anyway Miles/Texas could get a 1-month leave of absence to do security for his old friend to get enough cash to afford 1st and last-month's rent on a place? (and help his friend get a permanent security employee who won't rip him off and/or get him killed).

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, Raja said:

Fake home invasion to wound the star long before a season started. That seems to be the most ridiculous gamblers set up plan ever.

Was it fake? I didn't actually catch that. I thought these yahoos were robbing him because he had lots of money and jewelry

[Raja]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Is there anyway Miles/Texas could get a 1-month leave of absence to do security for his old friend to get enough cash to afford 1st and last-month's rent on a place? (and help his friend get a permanent security employee who won't rip him off and/or get him killed).

The problem being LAPD which considers itself like the Marine Corps in that transfers and vets have to go through Boot Camp where the other services just determine what rank they would award you as you join a unit for specialized and unit level training. But basically, we are a special force mentality, and we will bounce you would apply to leave of absences that was not about something like being wounded or sick. To just bounce you with maybe Long Beach PD or the Sheriff will take you, well except for Nolan being over their age limits comes into play.

Although some of the transfer policies have changed since the time of The Closer where a Lieutenant Brenda Leigh Johnson was in function and job description had to be taken in as an assistant chief to avoid her having to have a Boot/probationary year under a Nolan. 

The first season made it a point that they would trade up field trainers, it part to avoid the previous episode's story of the sergeant not training his Boot that Nolan picked up for a few shifts. Now that Sergeant Bradford has said to Texas that he will make it perhaps Nolan as the division's trainer should be taking over so that the sergeant can do sergeant work.

1 minute ago, DanaK said:

Was it fake? I didn't actually catch that. I thought these yahoos were robbing him because he had lots of money and jewelry

They were a home invasion crew hired to put a less than lethal hit on the football star. The bling at the party being collateral goods in payment. The grenade murder victim was going to warn the star instead of calling the police, I guess he couldn't be a snitch in his mind. I wonder how he thought he could have gotten close enough to a star's home to give the warning. It is hard to head canons plot holes that The Rookie has.

[shapeshifter]

12 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Was it fake? I didn't actually catch that. I thought these yahoos were robbing him because he had lots of money and jewelry

No, it was much more nefarious, but the exposition of that C-plot was hastily delivered in the midst of multiple scene changes and action shots, which is too bad, because it was probably supposed to help Miles decide not to work for more money and shelter:

• [SEAN, THE SKETCHY SECURITY GUY] Got me between a rock and a hard place here, Miles!
• [MILES' SPORTS STAR FRIEND] You sold me out?
• [SEAN] I had no choice! I got in bed with the wrong people, owed them too much money. This was supposed to be an easy job. It was supposed to look like you got hurt in a home invasion. I put money on you not being able to play this season. It would have paid out more than enough to get me out of debt, but old home week had to show up and ruin it all!

…also what @Raja said.

The use of grenades seemed pretty random and dangerous to the criminals employing them as weapons. Is this a thing now? Hopefully this episode doesn't start a trend.

Edited April 9 by shapeshifter

[DanaK]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

No, it was much more nefarious, but the exposition of that C-plot was hastily delivered in the midst of multiple scene changes and action shots, which is too bad, because it was probably supposed to help Miles decide not to work for more money and shelter:

• [SEAN, THE SKETCHY SECURITY GUY] Got me between a rock and a hard place here, Miles!
• [MILES' SPORTS STAR FRIEND] You sold me out?
• [SEAN] I had no choice! I got in bed with the wrong people, owed them too much money. This was supposed to be an easy job. It was supposed to look like you got hurt in a home invasion. I put money on you not being able to play this season. It would have paid out more than enough to get me out of debt, but old home week had to show up and ruin it all!

…also what @Raja said.

The use of grenades seemed pretty random and dangerous to the criminals employing them as weapons. Is this a thing now? Hopefully this episode doesn't start a trend.

Thank you, I guess I didn't fully catch the part after "it was supposed to be an easy job" given so much was going on

[milkyaqua]

Definitely could do without the adoption storyline and yes, unless one of them is willing to give up their job, no legit adoption agency is going to consider those two a good risk for parenthood.

I don't think Miles' football buddy's security was the problem.  It was his personal assistant/nutritionist whatever.  He just needs to learn to limit the hangers on.

Glad Celina boyfriend went back to his place because even seemingly easy going Lucy would only put up with him for so long not to mention her neighbors.

The billboards were dumb.

[shapeshifter]

41 minutes ago, milkyaqua said:

I don't think Miles' football buddy's security was the problem.  It was his personal assistant/nutritionist whatever

Oops. I thought there was just one shady guy employed by A.J., but looking at this list of Guest Stars for the episode, I could have easily missed one: 
the-rookie.fandom.com/wiki/Three_Billboards#Guest_starring

[CoyoteBlue]

We find out that Smitty went to high school in northwest Indiana - which is part of the greater Chicagoland area and (sorry, Smitty) NOT too far away for sports scouts.

I'd like to think AJ would front Miles a couple grand to get first-month-last-month just as a friend for being there during the attack. Unless that falls under the same restriction that forced Nolan out of his friend's guesthouse.

[edhopper]

How many coincidences could the put in one episode?

[snarktini]

12 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

s there anyway Miles/Texas could get a 1-month leave of absence to do security for his old friend to get enough cash to afford 1st and last-month's rent on a place? (and help his friend get a permanent security employee who won't rip him off and/or get him killed).

I was thinking maybe a little security consult money as a side hustle, but then I remembered Rookies can't have any other jobs, right? I realize it's not the responsibility of the LAPD or his cop friends to help but this is just sad. Dude is doing the best he can, and it sucks.

10 hours ago, milkyaqua said:

Definitely could do without the adoption storyline and yes, unless one of them is willing to give up their job, no legit adoption agency is going to consider those two a good risk for parenthood.

They are terrible candidates and it's surprising they don't see that. I wish they hadn't gone down this road -- with so many characters and so many plots, this is one too many shoehorned in. And we've already seen storylines of officers with babies, it doesn't add anything except to inflict more Bailey on us.

[Red Bridey]

I'm sure the secret funder behind the Evil Serial Killer is going to be Evil Mastermind Redheaded Lawyer. 

[Diana Berry]

On 4/9/2025 at 11:36 AM, shapeshifter said:

Is there anyway Miles/Texas could get a 1-month leave of absence to do security for his old friend to get enough cash to afford 1st and last-month's rent on a place? (and help his friend get a permanent security employee who won't rip him off and/or get him killed).

I was thinking why can’t old friend just gift him the money? He made it clear he has more than enough for a few lifetimes.  What good are season tickets when you sleep in your car. At first, I thought he was making fun of Texas when he dragged him into the interview but it was just the interviewer that was obnoxious.

So the security job was 300k a year and it was mentioned that’s double the cop salary.  So lapd cops make 150k a year? 

It’s official.  I like the Texas character.  He’s a keeper.

This episode actually kept me engaged the whole time. Good job show. 

[shapeshifter]

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I was thinking why can’t old friend just gift him the money?

True. Especially since he just saved his career.
Is there some rule against such a gift?

[Raja]

11 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

So the security job was 300k a year and it was mentioned that’s double the cop salary.  So lapd cops make 150k a year? 

Around $95K as a base. Texas a bit less as he is still in probation. With COLAs and step increases of about $4.4K/year if you don't make rank. Add in a patrol officers' bonus and any overtime I'm guess Nolan is around that much after 5 years.

[juliet73]

On 4/9/2025 at 9:38 AM, Zaffy said:

Or more heroics from Bailey

Shut yo mouth!!!! 
 

 

[bros402]

On 4/9/2025 at 7:17 PM, CoyoteBlue said:

I'd like to think AJ would front Miles a couple grand to get first-month-last-month just as a friend for being there during the attack. Unless that falls under the same restriction that forced Nolan out of his friend's guesthouse.

It'd have to be reported as a gift like Nolan staying in his friend's guest house was. Unless AJ & Miles sign a contract declaring it a loan, which I could see Miles insisting on because he wouldn't want to be seen as a charity case.