Ahead of its season 8 return, The Rookie is planning on redeeming its most hated character, the corrupt lawyer Monica Stevens (played by Bridget Regan). The upcoming storyline of the reviled antagonist might make or break the popular ABC police procedural with its loyal viewers. Audiences will surely be divided by the latest direction of the villainous character.
During The Rookie season 7, episode 11, “Speed,” Monica masterminded a hostage situation on a bus to get her hands on a government ID card. While risking the lives of the bus passengers, Monica manipulated her partner-in-crime, Denise Summers (Molly McCook), into taking the fall for her. The stolen ID card holds the key to Monica’s upcoming redemptive arc.
The Rookie Season 8 Is Redeeming Monica Stevens
In the most recent interview, The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley teased Monica’s character arc during the season 8 premiere. The storyline is part of the trip to Prague, which also ties up loose ends to the missing ID card last seen in the eleventh episode. In the plot, Monica will aid law enforcement in taking down the bad guys. Hawley said,
“I’m very excited about that. Part of the joy of figuring out some of our villains is how to keep them fresh and stuff like that. So, Monica showing up with an immunity deal was a great button to the end of the season. I think that, ultimately, it’s going to generate some great stories for us going forward, like our trip to Prague, because ultimately, part of her immunity deal is helping us catch a few bad guys. So now she becomes part of the team. It’s a weird thing.
“Ultimately, it sort of is putting the bow on the story about the bus hijack in episode 11. Because that’s where she first showed up again, and there was something about an ID card being stolen,” Hawley added. “That bus is the real reason for that hijacking. So we sort of left that hanging in that episode. Then that ultimately is how she got the information to blackmail and leverage national security. I was happy that we could tie that off. Ultimately, this deal that she’s made has an active part of it, which is you now have to help the FBI, and ultimately an LAPD-FBI task force, in bringing in some bad guys.”
Villains have turned to the good side in other shows. For example, Spike killed a number of slayers before finally sacrificing himself to save Sunnydale. Buffy Summers believed the change in Spike, even though he struggled with his reformation at times. However, if Wesley doesn’t believe Monica can turn from bad to good, audiences might not either.
Why Trying To Make Monica Into A Good Guy Can Make Or Break The Rookie
Because audiences love to hate Monica, turning her villainous image around is a tall order. The fanbase is expected to believe Monica is forgiven for her criminal misdeeds and is on the right side of the law because she did one good thing. What made Monica a great villain was how she willingly betrayed anyone to get what she wanted.
The upcoming story arc for Monica might succeed or fail miserably on The Rookie. The series already turned Seth Ridley (Patrick Keleher) from a dishonest rookie who faked cancer into a tragic figure. The drama doesn’t need to repeat itself. Regardless of the outcome, the cop show will have to deal with the fallout from viewers with this risky gamble.
The Rookie returns for season 8 in 2026.
The Rookie plans to shake things up with a big gamble in the eighth season. Unfortunately, viewers will be divided over Monica’s sudden shift in her latest character arc, which entails scoring one good deed to redeem herself. Audiences love to hate the bad guy, but they will ultimately despise a bland character who goes against their motivations and personality.
