How The Rookie Dramatically Improved Its Most Annoying Character
The Rookie’s midseason premiere was a much-talked about episode as the ABC series gave Chenford their official start. Season 5, Episode 11, “The Naked and the Dead,” however, went back to business as usual. There were drug lords galore and a hilarious cold open that was too out there even for quirky newcomer Celina Juarez.
Of course, there was still a Chenford subplot, as the two characters partnered up to coach youth baseball. However, another relationship ended up in the spotlight due to the episode also featuring a story about Bailey Nune. “The Naked and the Dead” went a long way toward making Bailey a character viewers can root for.
Why Bailey Nune Is The Rookie’s Most Annoying Character
Even with The Rookie’s constant cast turnover, its characters are the show’s strong point. However, Bailey has long been the weak link in that chain. She showed up at John Nolan’s door in Season 3 when she locked herself out of her house. One thing led to another, and the two of them are engaged in Season 5. There’s nothing wrong with a love interest for Nolan, but the way that The Rookie has used Bailey over the last few seasons has been awfully contrived. It’s almost a running gag to see how Bailey will show up in each episode.
Bailey is a firefighter, so The Rookie had a few episodes where the Los Angeles Police Department investigated arson cases — and naturally, Bailey and Nolan ran into each other. Yet the series has also shown her as an emergency medical technician, a National Guard reservist, a martial artist, a gymnast and a coyote catcher. Sometimes writers have to rely on coincidences to get characters in the same place, but how Bailey is always able to show up has become ridiculous.
Some fans on Reddit have voiced their displeasure at the way that Bailey is unnaturally good at everything. u/JJMcGee83 joked, “I’m convinced she’s actually Puck or Loki or some other mythological trickster that can be everywhere. There is no other explanation for her being able to do so many things well.” While that comment was made in good fun, Bailey’s advanced skill set can be downright annoying. Yet The Rookie might finally have noticed that.
How The Rookie Made Bailey Nune More Likable
In “The Naked and the Dead,” Bailey finally demonstrated she was unquestionably bad at something: being a landlady. The episode revealed that she’d been renting her place to an older couple. It was a great way to make passive income until the couple were six months behind on rent and sub-leasing the house to make adult films. They were also revealed to be con artists. Bailey was getting fleeced for all kinds of money.
Seeing that Bailey was bad at something made her character much more believable. Hopefully, The Rookie will continue that trend and more completely develop her character to be a realistic protagonist, instead of an Everywoman who is put into every hole the writers need to fill. Between Bailey being perfect and Celina’s questionable character development, Season 5 has room to improve its supporting cast.
