S05.E02: All By Her Selfie

[Guest]

It’s a day of firsts as Oliver gets promoted to Acting Staff Sergeant and Andy is tasked with training 15 Division’s newest rookie, Duncan Moore. But when Andy and Duncan respond to a messy homicide at a pawnshop, it’s clear this rookie is going to give Andy the challenge of a lifetime.

[Lady Calypso]

Ok, so first of all, thoughts on the new rookie: Duncan is...well, he's certainly a rookie, that's for sure. He's very hot headed and independent and I can see that being a big problem down the line if he hasn't learned his lesson by now. I have a big pet peeve with people who take selfies (I honestly hate it and I'm a 20 year old girl) and people who use their phone when they're supposed to be working (at least he didn't answer his phone at the wife's house) so that just bugged me a lot. He is trying too hard and I understand where he's coming from, but if he doesn't learn his lesson in the next couple of episodes, it's going to be hard to tolerate him at all. He did nothing right. He barely listened to Andy, he rushed in when he shouldn't have and he took charge on his very first day and acted like a know-it-all. He's fresh out of the academy so him acting like he has to prove something didn't work for me. I get it with his step father and all, but it still bugged me a lot and didn't make me like him all that much. Not yet, anyway, though I do see potential. Just right now, not liking him all that much.

 

Andy, however, is clearly not ready to become a T.O. Oliver was a good T.O because he had speeches prepared and made sure she listened to him and didn't get manipulated by her in any way. She needs to be more assertive, that's for sure. It's her first day as well, but she volunteered for the job, probably thinking it would be easy because 'she was a rookie too not so long ago' but she should be more trained to be a T.O, and she's just not. What is it with Andy and bonding with the worst guys half the time? Sam, Duncan...I do give her props for backing off of Sam a little bit. I worry that she'll rush into a relationship with him and expect to pick up where they left off (which wasn't a good place) but seeing her consider Sam's sister's advice about him was nice. It gives me hope that it won't be so easy for Sam to just be in a relationship with her and he might think twice about his relationships with others.

 

Oh, Chris, please not the hooker chick. She looked about twenty and acted about sixteen. God, he's another person who makes the wrong choices when it comes to relationships.

 

Nice to see a cameo from Holly, AND no scenes from Gail. It's good to see them being their own separate people. 

 

Ok, so Chloe's kind of likeable now. Not something I was ready for, to be honest, but here we are. And her and Dov? It's better than Crystal and Dov, that's for sure. But I am not looking forward to Wes and Dov 'duking it out at Fight Night', as shown in the previews. I hate love triangles for the precise reason that they always turn out the exact way you predict it too. Obviously Chloe's going to stay with Dov, although I could see her being manipulated (temporarily) into going back to her ex husband for a couple of episodes. Which, again, not looking forward too at all. And I was worried that Dov was going to propose to Chloe right then and there. 

 

Sam and his sister? I want to like Sam, but I just don't. 

 

Yeah, clearly I have more opinions on Andy and Duncan than I do for the other storylines at the current moment.

[DropTheSoap]

New rookie is annoying. If he can't figure out that selfie with dead guy is inappropriate he shouldn't be a cop.

Missed seeing Gail, except for her two seconds on screen. Given her family, wouldn't she know the new rookie? Also, guess she's over last week's freak out given the Ping pong game.

Liked seeing Holly as an independent character.

Chris was using poor judgment, also, with his call to the potato chip woman.

[HistoryGirl]

Andy, however, is clearly not ready to become a T.O. Oliver was a good T.O because he had speeches prepared and made sure she listened to him and didn't get manipulated by her in any way. She needs to be more assertive, that's for sure. It's her first day as well, but she volunteered for the job, probably thinking it would be easy because 'she was a rookie too not so long ago' but she should be more trained to be a T.O, and she's just not. What is it with Andy and bonding with the worst guys half the time? Sam, Duncan...I do give her props for backing off of Sam a little bit. I worry that she'll rush into a relationship with him and expect to pick up where they left off (which wasn't a good place) but seeing her consider Sam's sister's advice about him was nice. It gives me hope that it won't be so easy for Sam to just be in a relationship with her and he might think twice about his relationships with others.

 

In my job I often have to train "rookies" for a position of responsibility, much like Andy.  I will say that I've trained people probably 8 times in total and every time I finish my rotation with them I always think, "damn I screwed that up... again."  And I think about what I would do to improve my training process.  The problem is that your trainee is not like you.  And if you're an Andy (A-type person, who came on to the job and dealt with a similar situation to Duncan's on her own first day) you figure that your trainee is going to respond in the same way as you. But 9 times out of 10, they don't.  It takes a long time to figure that out.  And certainly a lot of experience.  After Andy's 4th or 5th trainee, she'll have it figured out and be an Oliver or Sam type.  

 

Truly though, you change up your routine which each rookie (for example, with Andy's next rookie she might never let them off her hip) but then they'll screw up anyway or complain that you don't let them try anything and you'll get your hand slapped for that.  So then on your third rookie, you'll do a bit of half and half, but then that rookie is an absolute moron and you need to keep them on a short leash.  It's always very different with each person, so it's hard for me to fault Andy. 

 

As for her not being able to train, we're 5 seasons in. I'm assuming that in Rookie Blue years, 5 years (well, 4 technically) have passed. In real life, once you pass your 5th year of service you are no longer a rookie and can become a training officer. Although, I'm not certain if in policing they require them to take a course to be certified to do it. 

 

One thing that I wondered about was why they had Duncan putting eye drops in his eyes.  I feel like this is setting up for something (drug use?) because they could've just as easily had him putting his shoes on, if it was direction.  The eye drops felt like a set up to me. 

Edited May 27, 2014 by HistoryGirl

[Sandman]

New rookie is annoying. If he can't figure out that selfie with dead guy is inappropriate he shouldn't be a cop.

 

Super-annoying, and at every turn it seems he chose to do the most inappropriate thing.

 

Even worse, Dumb Duncan already feels like a retread. He has Andy's early impulsiveness and poor judgment, and none of her empathy; he has Dov's need to prove himself and none of his vulnerability or good humour; he has Frosty's family issues-masquerading- as-connections; and, presumably, he has Diaz's bad stepdad backstory and plainly none of his earnestness or sweetness of temper. (Whatever happened to Diaz's story with his stepdad?) I don't find the actor that charming or interesting, I'm sorry to say.

 

Speaking of bad dads, is it wrong that I just can't make myself care about Sam's bitterness about his Dad? I will say that I'm surprised that the writers actually had Sam's sister tell Andy in so many words that Sam will only end up hurting her. Every once in a while the show relays a hint that Sam & Andy are not the OTP-iest couple ever; but then Andy gets all squishy about him all over again, and it goes back to feeling conventional. I can't decide where they're headed.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Sandman

[Artsda]

Sam's sister was so spot on about him. 

[mac]

I agree ... Duncan was annoying.  :-)  

 

That's a good point about the eye drops.  I wonder if there is any significance to that, in terms of drug use, or if it was nothing at all.  

[redsox7819]

Dear god, that was a mess. Andy is the LAST person on earth that should be training anyone. I would think you would have to apply, interview, be accepted and then get trained to be a TO before you actually do it. Not just put a newbie with the first person who voluteers.

 

And the new guy is awful. For the step-son of the police commissioner he sure is acting stupid as a cop.

[niklj]

So confused. Chloe explained why she wasn't with Wes anymore but she never explained WHY SHE IS STILL MARRIED TO HIM. That was like the big elephant in the room. "I want to be with you, Dov, we're good together, now kiss me!" I was expecting him to say, "Wait a minute, are you going to be doing anything about this whole 'I'm still married' thing?" But nope.

 

Go Sam's sister. Although I wonder if she knew about the stuff like Sam getting locked in a shed all night by their dad.

Chris's storyline is already unfolding so heavy-handedly.

 

Also, I would not want Andy as my T.O. But I would not want Duncan to be my rookie either. Both lack fundamental common sense.

[readster]

Didn't understand either, I mean why are they still married? That was never explained and I would have enjoyed a scene with the kid that was killed mom at the end. His girlfriend was nuts.

[possibilities]

After they arrested the guy who was looking for the ring, why didn't they search the house to be sure pawnshop owner's wife wasn't there, dead or tied up or something? It's like they made the exact same mistakes on the second call as on the first, when they released the homeless guy before finding the owner in the basement.

 

Also, when New Guy said if Andy went with him he'd only be worried about impressing her during his apology, I was thinking: he'd better impress her! I can't believe she let him go alone when he had clearly shown he had no skills or common sense already. I mean, TURN THE RINGER OFF on your stupid phone, asshole.

 

She should also have had him rehearse his speech to make sure he had at least some idea of what the hell to say this time. She didn't seem to take Oliver's lecture to heart, and I don't know why the show likes to paint Andy as being always as much of a rookie as she was on her first day. She makes so many mistakes, so many more than any of the other cops on the show, it's just crazy how they keep having her revert to that. 

 

It's absolutely true that training people is a minefield because of how variable people are in their weak and strong areas, learning styles, etc. I have had some astoundingly stupid things happen with people I've trained, because it never occurred to me that anyone would need certain things spelled out (while other people will be incredibly insulted if you try to instruct them on such basic stuff). But that's why Oliver wanted to observe the guy before sending him out in a car, and why he told Andy to slow him down and get to know him before she let him fly solo. And then she ignored that advice 2 seconds later.

 

Also, Diaz falling for the porn-pawning witness? C'mon, really?

 

Dov and Chloe were in character, but I agree we need an explanation for why Chloe isn't divorced.

 

I don't know why Gail is so freaked out, but I'm glad we got to see her kissing Holly. I love Holly, and if they make that relationship serious and avoid more weird cliches and coming out histrionics, I will forgive the out-of-no-where nature of Gail's switch in orientation.

 

Sam grosses me out, but he always has, so it's not news.

 

Tracy needs to have stable, reliable childcare and back up childcare. it's just stupid to think you can work her kind of job and not have planned for emergencies. I'm not sympathetic to her because it's like she's willfully self-pitying and hasn't faced reality. Her ex is a dick, but at the same time, she's not really dealing with the situation in a responsible way.

[niklj]

 

Tracy needs to have stable, reliable childcare and back up childcare. it's just stupid to think you can work her kind of job and not have planned for emergencies. I'm not sympathetic to her because it's like she's willfully self-pitying and hasn't faced reality. Her ex is a dick, but at the same time, she's not really dealing with the situation in a responsible way.

 

Seriously. How unprofessional of her was it to keep screaming "8-hour workday!!!" So everyone in the entire squad has to adjust their schedules to make sure that they fit hers. What the heck. If I were on the squad, a part of me would really want to walk a little extra slowly that day.

 

 

After they arrested the guy who was looking for the ring, why didn't they search the house to be sure pawnshop owner's wife wasn't there, dead or tied up or something? It's like they made the exact same mistakes on the second call as on the first, when they released the homeless guy before finding the owner in the basement.

 

Haha that's true!! What happened to the wife?!

[webruce]

I have been watching it on ABC.com and not on the night it airs so I have to catch up this year.

Oliver put in as temp Staff Sargent, he wasn't happy. When Inspector John Jarvis told Oliver at "The Penny"that it was his job, Oliver told him that he was a beat cop and that he wasn't a white shirt. But he did the job. He wanted the new rookie Duncan Moore to ride a desk, but Andy wanted to train him. Duncan did a crappy job to begin with. Acted like he knew it all. I think though he will shape up. Andy finally shaped him up I believe. Liked how Andy said, "Hey Oliver, I mean Staff Sargent Shaw!" lol He wanted Duncan to do desk duty.

I'm not so sure yet about Inspector John Jarvis. He seems quite interested in Duncan Moore. Maybe he is buddies with his step father Commissioner Alonzo Santana? Or he wants to get in his good graces. Hopefully he won't push Duncan to quickly to move ahead or put Andy's career in danger.

I felt bad for Mara Power. Andy should have made sure that Duncan stayed in the car. Was nice that Oliver had a talk with her about it. Them going back to apologize was great, Surprised Andy let Duncan go in alone. And he didn't call her. Andy catching Duncan and Raymond Spencer in a standoff was good. She defused it the right way, risky but it worked. Surprised she sent Duncan to find the 1918 Allen Cup Hockey Ring. But he found it quickly. It was his fathers(grandfathers ring). Allan Cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Pawn King owner Bill Power was a dirt bag selling valuable pawned items out from under the owners. But he should not have died from a heart attack. Granted it is better then Ray Spencer murdering him. I thought something was up with the vagrant Buson/Sheldon. Glad he didn't do it. Maybe he could be reoccurring as a snitch/informant??

Thought Dex would show up at the Hockey game that Traci and Leo were at. She is really the only Detective available now. We need Luke back.

I felt bad for Nick with Andy telling she wants to try again with Sam, she loves him. Maybe she can get it out of her system or make it work this time?

Like Chris and Dov as buddies again and working together again. They make a good duo. Surprised Gail and Nick were on desk duty with no friction. Maybe her hair cutting tantrum and Holly calming her in the shower did her good? But I believe it isn't over. Also you could tell that Meghan Kelly liked Chris. I hope him calling her, don't turn out bad for him. Also will his ex be causing any flack for him?

Chloe's explanation of her marriage to Wesley to Dov wasn't totally understandable. But her, "So please shut up and kiss me before I die" was so cute!

Was surprised after last episode that Sarah Swarek would be in hospital when Sam woke. Sam and "Square" talked about issue with their dad. I don't remember the story. When Andy drove her to the train station she warned her about Sam. He will hurt you. It made Andy have to think about things and she told Sam so. Hope series lasts long enough to solve this Swarek family problem.