The Rookie Season 7, Episode 13, “Three Billboards,” finally highlights the show’s newest recruit, Miles Penn, with an episode tying into his past as a promising football player. Meanwhile, as John Nolan and Bailey Nune try to adopt, billboards besmirching Nolan’s reputation show up around Los Angeles. A seemingly random car bombing in the beginning of the story ties neatly into the larger plotline, which ends with Penn truly feeling like one of the team.
Up until now, Miles and Seth Ridley almost seemed like afterthoughts to The Rookie. “Three Billboards” gives Miles some needed depth while still skirting over the most important detail about his character: he cannot afford to live in Los Angeles. The episode also briefly references Nyla Harper’s police reform group, a former villain, and Nolan and Bailey’s efforts to become parents. Ultimately, it’s a well-rounded hour that delivers the nuanced character stories and police action fans of the series enjoy.
The Rookie Season 7, Episode 13 Gives Bad News for a Good Reason
When The Rookie became more of an ensemble drama in Season 5, John Nolan was pushed into the background, with less to do. His marriage to Bailey was happy, and he was content in his job after being promoted into a training officer role. Season 7 has brought the couple forward again with a story highlighting their desire to have kids. After Bailey found out she would have trouble conceiving, they opted for adoption. Those hopes are dashed in “Three Billboards.”
Two of the three titular billboards imply Nolan is corrupt. When the adoption agent questions him and Bailey about them, she learns how unpredictable their lives are — and the constant danger serves as a giant red flag that leads the agency to decide against them. Over the season, the characters have already discussed how expensive it is to adopt, so the additional cost of an adoption attorney to fight the determination is just too much. Yet while the outcome of the adoption process is bad news for Nolan and Bailey, it’s actually a positive for the show.
Adoption Agent (to Nolan and Bailey): I have no doubt in my mind about your characters, but there is no adoption agency in the world that would consider you.
Television shows often never know what to do with kids, and The Rookie is no exception. Harper’s kids with James Murray and the children Wesley Evers and Angela Lopez have are barely in the series. Season 7 returned The Rookie to form by focusing on a mix of small police stories and big action spectacle. Becoming new parents could easily derail Nolan and Bailey’s character arcs — so the later decision to have them mentor troubled kids is a better idea that creates story potential rather than continuing a story that would just get in the way.
The Rookie Lets Miles Penn See the Road Not Taken
Thus far the most attention Miles Penn has received in The Rookie was a C-story in Season 7, Episode 6, “The Gala,” in which he broke up with his longtime girlfriend. This lack of focus is an oversight since Miles lives in his car, unable to afford housing in Los Angeles. His problem is actually similar to what Nolan faced in the early seasons — but Nolan was able to room with a rich friend. Miles, it turns out, has a similar option he hasn’t utilized. His friend A.J. went on to play professional football and won a $100 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
After a car bombing near A.J.’s home — a bit of subtle foreshadowing — he asks Miles to visit his mansion. While Miles is there, A.J. offers him a job on his security team paying $300,000 per year, which is twice his current salary. Miles isn’t sure he wants to abandon all the work he put in to be a police officer, even as he proves his worth. He catches A.J.’s “chief of staff” Shawn not just stealing from A.J. but orchestrating a violent home invasion. Together with Lucy Chen and Celina Juarez, he’s able to close the case.
Tim Bradford (to Miles): You go with A.J., you’d be a go-fer, a personal assistant, a paid friend. The life you wanted that A.J. has? That wouldn’t be yours. It would be his, and it would eat you up inside.
It never seriously feels like Miles is going to leave the LAPD, especially since his training officer Tim Bradford tells him he’s “a good cop.” Yet, A.J. could have easily offered Miles one of the rooms in his mansion, so he no longer had to sleep in his car. The Rookie could do much more with the story of how Miles can’t afford to live while serving the city of Los Angeles. He deserves that kind of attention. Miles Penn could be one of the best characters on The Rookie, and with more stories like this, he just might get there.
Angela Lopez and Nyla Harper, both wearing black jackets, stand looking sad in The Rookie TV show
Season 7 Is Making Good Use of The Rookie’s Past Characters
Chen, Nolan, Wesley and Bradford all dressed in civilian clothes, in a living room from The RookieImage via ABC
The billboards of Season 7, Episode 13’s title are revealed to be an attempt by Liam Glasser — the serial killer arrested during Season 7, Episode 8, “Wildfire” — to taint his jury pool. It’s a subtle suggestion that, despite being behind bars, Glasser is a villain whose story may not be over. Similarly, Monica Stevens is waiting to return in a bigger way than just the single-scene cameo she had in Episode 11. And these nods to past villains are not the only way The Rookie is making effective use of its canon.
This episode features a subtle callback to Episode 9, “The Kiss,” in which Harper promised James that she would create a group of active LAPD officers dedicated to reform. Viewers see the ending of a meeting of this group — including a shoutout to Tru Valentino’s character Aaron Thorsen — in “Three Billboards,” proving that The Rookie hasn’t forgotten this story. The series tries to balance its pro-police heroics with narratives that highlight not all cops are good cops.
Sometimes, The Rookie’s action focus short-changes other stories it can tell because of its unique premise. The street-level policing its characters do day-to-day provides opportunities to show cops as more than cowboys shooting the baddies. The inclusion of the meeting scene is a message from the storytellers that the show will try to continue to do both things. And when villains like Monica Stevens or Liam Glasser show up, The Rookie doesn’t fall into common police procedural traps.
How The Rookie Season 7, Episode 13 Helps the Rest of the Season
The Rookie Season 7, Episode 12, “April Fool’s” was the season’s most inconsistent hour, failing to balance humor with its over the top police action. “Three Billboards” is a perfect antidote. The random car bombing in the episode ties into the story about Miles and A.J. He, Lucy and Celina are able to stop a violent home invasion and save the day. Viewers learn more about Miles — both his past and what drives him in the present. And the larger story helped to further ingratiate Miles into the larger ensemble, even earning him praise from Bradford.
Meanwhile, smaller stories about Celina’s relationship, Lucy’s friendship with Rachel Hall, and Nolan’s and Bailey’s adoption journey fit in nicely. The Rookie’s best asset is its characters, and “Three Billboards” serves as an example of how a focus on them doesn’t require sacrificing an episode’s potential for action. The episode is capable of doing both things well.
The only drawback to this episode is how few people seem to care that LAPD rookies, who have a tough job, can’t afford to live in the city. It’s an authentic storyline that could highlight a problem for public servants. For all the important talk about police reform, paying police officers enough to not be homeless is also part of that equation. Despite this missed opportunity, “Three Billboards” is another great episode of The Rookie.
