Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) started off in The Rookie as one of my least favorite characters, but her dramatic turnaround over the years should be studied by other writing rooms as an example of how to transform a character from a lame duck to a can’t-miss star. The Rookie, which first premiered in October 2018, has been running for six seasons and counting, with The Rookie season 7 already announced. The police procedural stars Nathan Fillion in one of his most memorable roles, a divorced dad, John Nolan, who decides to join the LAPD.
After graduating as the oldest rookie on the force, John has to navigate the dangerous world of policing in a large city, and he has to deal with the unpredictable and confusing parts of changing careers at a later stage in life. It doesn’t take long for John to become one of the most respected cops on the force and The Rookie’s large ensemble cast of characters keeps the story feeling fresh and interesting. In the season 3 finale, John’s life gets shaken up even more with the introduction of Los Angeles firefighter, Bailey Nune.
Bailey Nune’s Introduction Was Awkward And Rushed
Bailey Seemed Like A Boring Character Who Would Leave The Show Quickly
Though Bailey is first introduced at the end of season 3, we don’t get to know her until season 4, episode 2, “Five Minutes”, but that’s not to say I enjoyed getting to know her in that episode. Frankly, Bailey is a pretty terribly written character when she’s first introduced. She was the tropiest of tropey TV characters and though she didn’t threaten to ruin The Rookie, I looked forward to the day when I wouldn’t have to see her again. When she first appeared, here were her personality traits: she’s good at everything and loves being active. Woo.
And this was the woman The Rookie positioned to be a match for our beloved John Nolan? No, thank you. Even worse, when they did begin dating, Bailey broke up with John over text. Rude, and also always a stupid decision for a TV show; just put the characters in the same room! You’ve got Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan. Let them act together for Pete’s sake! Her reason was somehow even more pathetic. She’s “terrible” at relationships. Classic. Heard that one before.
It was as if the writers accidentally created Bailey in the room and then realized, “Oh crap, we need to do something with this lady. How about, she’s good at “stuff”? And we’ll make her fearless, and she should date John. But there should be some conflict. What if she breaks up with him? Why? She’s terrible at relationships. Terrible how? Well she’s “a lot”. A lot how? You know what, I think that’s lunch.” Bailey Nune was kind of undeniably a bad character. And then she wasn’t.’
In The Rookie Seasons 4 And 5, Bailey Nune Gets Some Much Needed Character Development
The Arrival Of Jason Wyler Changes Nune’s Character Trajectory
I guess the writers of The Rookie know more about their show than I do (a hard pill to swallow) because halfway through season 4, they completely change the vibe of the character while ensuring the key points of her awkward introduction aren’t looked back on as mistakes. After John and Bailey decide to stay together, John considers taking their relationship to the next level and prepares to propose. However, before he can, Nailey’s estranged husband, Jason Wyler (Steve Kazee), arrives to crash the party and unlock Bailey’s character.
As it turns out, the obvious and awkward character traits Bailey had at the beginning of the seasons were supposed to sound strange and vague because she was hiding something.
As it turns out, the obvious and awkward character traits Bailey had at the beginning of the seasons were supposed to sound strange and vague because she was hiding something. When she met Nolan, she was dealing with the immense trauma of leaving her manipulative and abusive partner, Jason. Her saying she was “terrible” at relationships was a way to protect herself and hide her history from John. This revelation went a long way to helping me understand the character on a more emotional and natural level.
Even better, The Rookie doesn’t turn Bailey into a helpless victim. While it’s clear she’s frightened of her ex, she’s also steadfast and brave in the face of his machinations. There’s a lot of strength and dignity revealed in Bailey thanks to this story arc. She takes the final steps to divorce Jason, deciding to move on from her traumatic past, with her head held high. In season 5, Bailey’s personality and background are expanded upon, in less dramatic, but no less fascinating and engaging ways.
Her type-A personality goes from being some random character trait she was handed, to something that feels true to her with plenty of evidence to show why there’s good and bad to her overachiever mindset. Bailey is involved in several fun subplots throughout the season, including one where she spends all day trying to catch a barking dog under her porch, only to discover it’s a coyote. Undeterred, she constructs a contraption to catch the animal in a crate.
Later, Bailey decided to take a day off and kick up her feet. I have never seen Bailey kick up her feet before, and it becomes immediately obvious she has no idea what “relax” means. These amusing diversions do more than provide laughs, they fill out Bailey Nune as a character and make it clear that she isn’t just a box of stereotypes. She has a personality all her own, and her character is informed by the things she does and what she’s experienced.
Jason Wyler’s Return Will Be An Important Arc For Bailey Nune In The Rookie Season 7
Bailey And John Are Now Prepared For What Jason Can Do
Of course, Bailey Nune couldn’t chase coyotes and struggle to sit down forever and season 6 brings back some major trouble. In the season 6 finale, “Escape Plan”, Jason Wyler allies with Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) to escape prison. Jason has only one thing on his mind; get back at John and Bailey. Thankfully, John and Bailey are aware of what’s coming for them, so The Rookie season 7 should see the couple ready to take on whatever he throws at them.
Jenna Dewan has spoken about what’s next for Bailey Nune in The Rookie season 7 (via WomansWorld),
“It’s fun because, being on this show for so many seasons, John [Nolon, played by Nathan Fillion] and Bailey [Nune] have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Last year, we dealt a lot with the possibility of having a baby, the complications of Bailey not being able to have one, and what that would even look like. So this season, we’re continuing to see how that looks for our relationship, and there are some very high-stakes actions and problems.”
Dewan notably doesn’t mention anything about Jason, which could mean Bailey is able to handle her ex easily this time around and there will be plenty of other stories to explore with Bailey Nune and The Rookie.
