The Rookie Just Set Up a Messy Love Triangle – Involving Officer Nolan
The Rookie had a lot of things happen in the first seven episodes of Season 5. From a pregnancy and a proposal to the return of old villains, fans have had several storylines to keep up with. On top of that, Officer Nolan became a TO, and Season 5’s third episode, “Dye Hard,” introduced Celina Juarez as his trainee. However, with everything going on, Celina’s training took a bit of a back seat. In fact, Nolan started to fade into the background.
However, that’s over now. The two-part winter finale gave the ensemble cast its place in the spotlight, but it also made a point to focus on Nolan and Celina in major ways. Here’s what happened in the finale, how Celina saved Nolan’s life, and how he may find himself in the middle of a messy love triangle.
How Celina Saved Nolan’s Life
Season 5, Episode 8, “The Collar,” featured a man who wanted revenge, so he put explosive collars on three people. One died; one escaped, and Nolan was with the last victim as the timer wound down. Over the phone, the bomber said that he would tell Nolan how to disable the bomb if the victim apologized. Just before Nolan cut the wire, though, Celina (who had the bomber in custody) could see that he was lying. So, Nolan cut the other wire and disabled the bomb. So, Celina’s perception saved Nolan’s life.
The other, major development in the two-parter was the official beginning of Chenford. Fans have wanted Officers Chen and Bradford to become an item for a long time, but it’s been nothing but teases until now. Maybe their relationship will work out, and maybe it won’t, but for now, the lack of Chenford drama could be bad news for Nolan.
How The Rookie Set Up a Nolan Love Triangle
Like most procedurals’ protagonists, Nolan was divorced before The Rookie started. However, in the past season and a half, Nolan’s love life has become a focus. He stared dating Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), and after a whole subplot with her ex-husband, Bailey was the one who proposed to Nolan. For some reason, though, they never did set a date for their wedding. Even Celina thought that was odd, but The Rookie might have explained why in “Take Back.”
The episode started with Nolan helping Bradford’s sister, Genny (Peyton List) with some home repairs. She had just moved to Los Angeles after divorcing her good-for-nothing husband. Except, home repairs weren’t all that happened. They had a few scenes together where Nolan was giving her advice on raising her son amidst her divorce. One of them even involved a conversation with a glass of wine. Their exchanges were innocent, but the chemistry between them (and between the actors) was undeniable.
Of course, Nolan is engaged, so it’s unlikely that he and Genny will become a thing. Yet, there has to be something there, and there are two possibilities. First, The Rookie could be gearing up for a love triangle between Nolan, Bailey and Genny. With the Chenford drama on hold, it would make perfect sense. There’s also the possibility that the series is about to write off Bailey. Some fans think that she and Nolan don’t have great chemistry, while others don’t care for her overly skilled, catch-all character. That, however, seems unlikely given the amount of story capital that The Rookie has invested in her. So, it’s much more likely that Genny could try to drive a wedge between Nolan and his fiancé.
