One of the best characters in The Rookie is unfortunately one of the most controversial, and season 7 didn’t do much to help their reputation. There’s certainly no shortage of controversial characters to choose from in the series, especially after The Rookie season 7 finale resulted in numerous fans complaining online that they’re just about done with Oscar and Monica.
However, while those two villains hardly appeared in The Rookie season 7 cast, a slightly more consistent character earned much louder feedback after their recent storyline introduced a shocking new moral failing. Unfortunately, that failing was never resolved, leaving the character in a bit of a tough spot unless The Rookie season 8 finds a way to undo the damage.
Some Of Bailey Nune’s Qualities Have Made Her Divisive Among The Rookie Fans
Her Inability To Paint Well Somehow Made The Issue Even Worse
When Jenna Dewan first appeared as Bailey Nune in The Rookie season 3, most fans assumed her to be a simple love interest who might last for a few weeks at most. This immediately led to problems when some fans took issue with Bailey becoming Nolan’s endgame more quickly than they expected.
John and Bailey don’t actually tie the knot until season 6, but many fans nonetheless felt it was too obvious too quickly that things would eventually lead in that direction.
Outside of her honeymoon with Nolan, Bailey hasn’t played a particularly blameworthy role in many of The Rookie’s lowest-rated episodes, but it’s her general presence on the show that first sparked ire rather than any particular story arc. Initially a recurring character, fans felt Bailey started to become a bit too omnipresent whenever medical assistance was needed in the show.
In The Rookie’s defense, it’s sensible for a series to use the only main character who performs a particular job function when said function is needed in a storyline. However, fans not only felt Bailey was suddenly around all the time, but the character’s harshest critics additionally feel as if Bailey’s rarely given a task she can’t perform perfectly.
An incredibly loving wife who occasionally pulls heroic stunts to save lives certainly does feel like the total package. Bailey’s one known weakness is her inability to paint a realistic portrait of Nolan in season 4, episode 15. And some fans were even upset with that, perceiving it as a nudge from the writers that Bailey has some minor flaws.
Bailey has big shoes to fill as not only the main paramedic, but also the only main character representing the fire department at large. Watching Bailey perform stunts like jumping from moving vehicles is legitimately entertaining. Sadly, The Rookie gave her another problem more worthy of fans’ complaints.
The Rookie Season 7’s Malvado Storyline Fails To Fully Address Bailey’s Moral Shortcomings
Malvado Died The Way He Lived – Making Bailey’s Life Easier
As the ex-husband of a TV protagonist’s most recent love interest, Jason Wyler was born into an unfortunate demographic with a 50% chance of becoming sociopathic murderers at birth. But Jason’s storyline with Malvado in The Rookie season 7 reflects rather poorly on Bailey as well, particularly the part where she helped facilitate his death.
What’s odd is that Jason’s already proven he’s a threat to Bailey, so any storyline involving his death could have involved her directly and in a rather emotionally consequential manner. Instead, The Rookie has Bailey allow Malvado to roam free while trying to provide him with information, otherwise keeping her hands clean of his mission to kill Jason.
Bailey worries when Malvado makes his final appearance that the truth will come to light, but she ultimately worries about nothing. Malvado dies in a shootout with almost no follow-up discussion to provide closure after his death, putting an end to one of the series’ most interesting villains without ever really addressing Bailey’s cooperation with him.
This upset fans for two reasons. First, many fans would rather see repeated characters like The Rookie’s Monica Stevens written off rather than newer villains like Malvado. Additionally, Malvado’s death receiving so little focus sweeps his relationship with Bailey under the rug, meaning she never has to answer for cooperating with a man who tried to kill her husband, Nolan, twice.
Can The Rookie Season 8 Redeem Bailey In The Eyes Of Her Critics?
It Might Be Too Late For At Least Some Long-Term Fans
As is the way of fandoms, many viewers who have already made up their minds about Bailey won’t be changing perspectives any time soon. However, The Rookie season 8 could at least involve somebody unearthing Bailey’s contact with Malvado to give that storyline the closure it deserves. Watching her face even the minimal consequences of her actions could go a long way.
Furthermore, while it would seem the solution would be to keep Bailey out of The Rookie’s most important episodes for a while, increasing her involvement could help as well. Giving Bailey more high-stakes plotlines would also give her more opportunities to fail, showing a side of her many fans feel hasn’t been adequately explored.
Even minor failures could make a sizable difference. There’s a quiet rivalry between Bailey Nune and Lucy Chen right now, beginning in The Rookie season 7, episode 11, when Chen opines that her own feats of bravado are frequently overshadowed by Bailey performing stunts like leaping from a moving SWAT vehicle onto a potentially explosive bus.
Emphasizing that rivalry just a bit more could be a fun way to address the issue while also taking ownership of it. The Rookie very much loves to balance its procedural drama with comedy already. Using that to address complaints about Bailey might be the most on-brand solution the show could possibly think of embracing.
