Two of The Rookie’s Characters Got Married – and Chenford Could Still Happen
Fans of The Rookie are looking forward to Niecy Nash’s FBI-based spinoff, which will premiere as a backdoor pilot on April 24. But while that might be buzzworthy, the flagship series still has plenty keep its fans entertained. In fact, the last few weeks were a bit dramatic. Officer Thorsen was accused of murder — again, Sergeant Grey may be leaving the series, and Officer Nolan had to deal with a man who took a hospital hostage.
After all of that, it was high time that The Rookie gave its fans a light-hearted episode, and “Backstabbers” was exactly that. The episode brought back a character from the show’s third season, followed through on its tease about a major relationship development for one couple, and seemed to finally get the Chenford relationship moving after fans waited far too long to find out what the future holds for them.
An Old Rookie Makes a Comeback
The main plot of the episode followed an investigation into a backstabbing, money-loving family (hence the title). Officers Nolan and Chen were called to a railyard after a reported robbery and met up with Larry “Badger” Macer. Badger was a rookie at the LAPD in the Season 3 episode “New Blood,” but he was quickly relieved of his job after his sidearm accidentally went off in the briefing room. After plenty of firearms training, he had gotten another job as a train cop, and spent the episode helping Nolan and company with their case of the week.
As Nolan, Chen and Badger were getting reacquainted, they heard shots fired and found that Badger’s partner had been shot. The robber escaped in the process, but after Chen found his gun, they identified the man… only to find him dead in his home. What he took was more important — an antique vase that had the number of a hidden bank account etched into it. The father had hidden the money away, and his three children were all planning to find it for themselves. Of course, none of their plans worked out and The Rookie ended with all three of them in custody.
Thorsen’s Superpower is the Same As Batman’s?
Elsewhere in the episode, Thorsen rode with Sergeant Bradford as part of his rookie training. However, rather than putting him through one of his patented “Tim Tests,” Bradford set out to find Thorsen’s superpower. Thorsen tried too hard for most of the episode — and might have tackled Bradford to protect him from a fake grenade — but he really did want to identify that one trait that he could use to be a great cop. Bradford decided that Thorsen’s super power was his money, just like Batman, and naturally Thorsen took some offense to that.
In the end, Bradford decided that Thorsen’s true super power was his compassion. He had been wrongfully accused and incarcerated, so he knew what it felt like to be on the wrong side of policing efforts, and Bradford was sure that experience would help Thorsen become an even better officer. In that sense, Thorsen did end up being like Batman, but it wasn’t because of his money. It was because of how much he identified with the people that he was serving.
Detective Harper and James Get Hitched
It was several episodes ago that Harper found out she was pregnant, but she and James had maintained a status quo in their relationship since the news. However, that changed in “Backstabbers.” She decided that she wanted to get married, so she proposed to James. There was some back and forth between them because James wanted to make sure that they weren’t getting married just because of the kid. But they ultimately made a commitment to each other.
The wedding wasn’t part of the episode, but The Rookie showed everyone at the reception. Sergeant Wade made a toast, there was a video of James re-proposing to Harper, and there were hints about another relationship. Bradford still owed Chen a dance from Angela’s wedding, so he finally got to repay that debt. While they were dancing, the moment hinted that Chenford might still be in The Rookie’s future. At least, the show continues to recognize the chemistry between the two characters, so perhaps Season 4 will finally get them where fans want them to be.
