Over six seasons on ABC, The Rookie persists because of how well the audience connects to the characters. The show is a police procedural that emphasizes the patrol officer’s experience, which is both dynamic and exciting. However, viewers continue to tune in not for the car chases or gun fights, but because the show’s characters are so compelling. One such character was rookie officer Katie Barnes, and what makes her so impressive is that she was only in a single episode.
While The Rookie fans are most interested in the regular and recurring characters on the show, sometimes one can make a lasting impression in a single episode. Officer Chris Rios was one such character, a police academy friend of the main cast who was killed later in the episode. Thankfully for Katie Barnes, she didn’t suffer the same fate. Her introduction was something of a red herring for the audience, because she was introduced as Tim Bradford’s new rookie, after Lucy Chen was promoted. For almost the entire episode, viewers fully expected to see Katy M. O’Brian reprise the role the following week. Instead, Katie Barnes resigns from the police force at the end of the episode, and it’s one of The Rookie’s best decisions.
Who Was Katie Barnes in The Rookie?
Tim Bradford’s New Boot Was Played by Katy M. O’Brian
In Season 3, Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) advanced beyond rookie training, leaving Sergeant Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) with no boot to hassle. At least, not until Training Officer Katie Barnes is assigned as his new rookie in “New Blood.” Fans thought they’d get to see the stern shenanigans Bradford used to train Chen. However, when Barnes showed off her familiarity with the police-issued shotgun, he recognized her as a US Army veteran. Barnes served with the 82nd Airborne, kicking down doors and securing locations in combat.
Bradford’s change in approach to training Barnes makes perfect sense, reinforcing he is good at this job. In Season 2, it was revealed he was also an Afghanistan War veteran. His militant approach with Lucy is how Bradford turns civilians into police officers. As a veteran himself, he has first-hand knowledge of the transition from soldier to officer of peace. Along with showcasing Bradford’s skill as a T.O., this episode also sent an important message about the difference between the military and law enforcement.
Cops are expected to be proactive. You don’t wait for orders. You are no longer bound by military objectives. The actions you take are up to your discretion. And the people we come up against on the street aren’t enemy combatants. They’re our fellow citizens. — Bradford to Barnes.
Sometimes The Rookie is over-the-top, and this is one such episode. Barnes and Bradford get into a gunfight on their very first call, and an even more intensive gun battle ensues at the end of her second, final shift. However, the violence serves to highlight that while Barnes can handle that part of the job, she doesn’t want to. Barnes chooses to spend some time out of “survival mode,” and that means not being a cop.
The Episode With Katie Barnes Was Also About Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen
The Rookie, Season 3, Episode 11, ‘New Blood’
Since Lucy was no longer Tim’s trainee, the wheels behind “Chenford” began to turn, but slowly. Katie Barnes was Tim’s first rookie since Lucy, and how it affected her highlighted her affection for him. Because of Bradford’s different approach to training Barnes, she became jealous and a little angry. Bradford bought Barnes coffee, let her drive their vehicle and even comforted her after she shot a suspect. This comedic subplot culminated in a scene where she confronted him.
Asking Bradford why he’s so nice to Barnes, her former T.O. pays her sincere compliments. Bradford explains that Lucy is someone who sees “the good” in people, and his approach was meant to make her more objective. As a combat veteran, Barnes needed a completely different approach. While it can seem like policework and military service should parallel nicely, they don’t for the reasons Bradford told her. He also tells Lucy she’s a good officer.
Of course, two gunfights in as many shifts doesn’t really help sell the “policing isn’t combat” argument. While it would’ve been interesting if The Rookie had gone action-light for this episode, it was just narrative efficiency to highlight this specific part of the job. Especially since there are gunfights in almost every episode. While Barnes’s choice is not weakness or a flaw in any way, it does contrast with Chen surviving being buried alive and choosing to continue to serve.
Katie Barnes Is a Rare Example of Television Getting Military Veterans Right
TV and Movies Often Play Up to Harmful Veteran Stereotypes
For decades, the portrayal of military war veterans on film and television has been largely problematic. Shows like Homeland, True Blood, Barry and too many others portray war veterans as mentally injured, violent or both. Not all depictions indulge in these veteran tropes, like Star Trek, which handled these topics with nuance, authenticity, and sensitivity. The depiction of Katie Barnes in The Rookie shares these qualities, in large part because of O’Brian’s performance. She made subtle choices, like standing at “parade rest” when Bradford identifies her as a vet.
It’s not a surprise that Barnes was so well conceived, since Bradford is a veteran, and the storytellers write for him all the time. A standout scene from the episode is when he takes Barnes to a park for a zen-like breather, in which he tries to get her to acknowledge she’s “safe.” Later, she tells him that was her first true moment of peace in a long time, and her decision to leave the police force is because she wants more of that.
You’re still in the headspace where everyone is either a friendly or an enemy combatant. It’s my job to help you change that mindset. These people are all your neighbors. — Bradford to Barnes.
What makes Barnes (and, for that matter, Bradford) so rare is that despite her frequent contact with the enemy overseas, she is not suffering because of it. War changes everyone it touches, but because television and film heighten reality, that’s often depicted as mental injury or illness. What Barnes experiences is common for redeploying war veterans, and taking on a job where one carries a weapon and uses it would exacerbate it. But Barnes is fine, and her decision to resign proves that.
What Happened to Katie Barnes After New Blood
Katy M. O’Brian Still Has Time to Return to The Rookie
Despite Katie Barnes choosing to resign, Tim Bradford tries to encourage his rookie to stay. Because of her military experience and her proficiency on duty, Bradford knows he could train her to be an excellent officer. He also believes he could help her transition to civilian life, even within the context of policework. He tells her that her certification is good for three years, and, if she returns, she’d always “have a home” at the Mid-Wilshire Division.
The timeline of The Rookie is fuzzy. Seasons 1 and 2 took place over a year, but there have been some time-jumps since. Similarly, how long a season takes may be longer, because Officer Aaron Thorsen (Tru Valentino) wasn’t a rookie as long as the original cast was. Still, if O’Brian was able to return, Katie Barnes could come back on the job once more. Yet, the new cast for Season 7 added a brand-new veteran police officer who has to join the LAPD as a rookie. Thus, a return for Barnes as a cop is unlikely.
If O’Brian did reprise her role as Barnes, it would be a better choice for her to have found a more peaceful vocation. It would allow The Rookie to follow up on the character (which Bradford promised to do), who is a good representation of a veteran freshly out of the service. Whether Katie Barnes comes back to The Rookie or not, viewers should imagine she found many more of those moments of peace.
