Abhiroop Das
Created by Alexi Hawley, ABC’s ‘The Rookie’ charts Nolan Price and Lucy Chen’s journey as they rise up the ranks in the LAPD, going from rookies to seasoned veterans. Season 8 of this crime procedural series is in many ways a celebration of their growth, as Chen is now a lieutenant, while Nolan is training rookies of his own. The previous episode features the team going international to hunt down an infamous trafficker, with some help from Monica Stevens, a foe turned ally. More importantly, Chen and Tim patch up their differences and are together again. As the icing on the cake, Chen agrees to live with him once again, but that means several new changes in both their lifestyles. Episode 2 of the season, titled ‘Fast Andy,’ ups the stakes even more. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Tim Takes Over as Watch Commander as the President Comes to Tinseltown
‘The Rookie’ season 8 episode 2 begins with the emotional moment of Chen moving out of Juarez’s house. A lot of her most important memories have been built up right here, and while saying goodbye isn’t easy, Chen realizes that a bigger, even more important chapter of her life now lies ahead. Miles, now officially Juarez’s new roommate, also moves in at the same time, but leaves her shocked with how he is practically carrying no luggage, and not even a bed. Still, the budding duo manages to get things in order just in time for work, on a day that is full of new beginnings. As implied in the previous episode, Wade is now working with a multi-agency team, and in his stead, Tim has been promoted to Watch Commander. This also means that Chen is now back to her day job, assuming Tim’s former position as lieutenant.
Tim’s first day as the team head turns out to be a particularly challenging one, as the president is coming to town. The task at hand is to plan and scope out a motorcade route, as well as deal with all potential threats along the way. While Chen takes the lead on the former front, Nyla and Angela are to work closely with the Secret Service on the latter. This is ironic as mere moments before, Angela was musing about leaving the LAPD and starting a private business with Nyla, be it in security service or something akin to a boutique. Still, as duty calls, they are tasked with checking up on a list of potential threats and ruling them out. This routine quickly goes wrong, however, when one of the men on the list, named Jerry Hudson, appears to have fled his home.
What’s worse is that Jerry has an entire arsenal hidden in his house and is most likely in possession of a sniper rifle. As his name is bumped to the top of the priority list, the Secret Service gets more directly involved, with Agent Kevin Kelvin being tasked to work directly with the LAPD via Juarez. Meanwhile, Miles is now put under Nolan’s supervision as a rookie, and while this new team-up starts out mellow, their goal for the day is eccentric by itself. Miles has to figure out who to choose as his CI, and then convince them to partner up without risking any false promises. After going through a bunch of improbable candidates, Miles settles on Fast Andy, who has a lot of connections, but isn’t smart enough to be an informant, at least according to Nolan.
Miles Tries His Hand at Raising a CI
Miles’ conversation with Andy goes relatively smoothly, but that ends up working to their detriment. While Nolan is distracted, Miles haphazardly finalizes a deal with his new informant, promising that he can provide some leeway for minor crimes. Still, Nolan and Miles are called up before things can fully resolve here, as Jerry has just been involved in a car accident. Juarez and Kelvin, who have been bonding over their love for tarot and all things spiritual, are the first to enter St. Stephen’s Hospital, but Jerry appears to have already escaped and is already on his way to the tow-station where his car is being held. Here, his path crosses with Nolan’s, and without skipping a beat, he whips out the rifle from his car and opens fire, nearly hitting Miles. Before the cops can fire back in full, however, he manages to escape with their vehicle.
As the search for Jerry intensifies, the very idea of the President coming to Los Angeles is jeopardized. However, the Secret Service seems confident that they can nab the criminal before it’s too late, and the onus now falls on Chen to reroute the motorcade to the most secure trajectory possible. At the same time, Juarez and Kelvin begin to deepen their friendship, but things take an odd turn when he claims that he is actually a reincarnation of Abraham Lincoln and has specifically joined the service to prevent presidential assassinations for that reason. Elsewhere, Angela and Nyla find the lead they need in the form of Jerry’s ex-girlfriend, Pheobe, who is brought in for questioning. She reveals that while Jerry is a class marksman, his aggressiveness and paranoia have only increased in recent months, and he believes killing the president is his way out.
Nolan and Company Catch the Assassin Before it’s Too Late
While Chen has the LAPD rulebook on presidential visits at her disposal, containing records of all historic visits and their routes, she struggles to jot a new path down, especially with a tight deadline. The news that Jerry can hit his target from quite some distance is also alarming, and forces Chen to pull an all-nighter. Luckily enough, Tim stays at the office, helping her through the entire night not as her supervisor, but as her partner. Meanwhile, Nolan catches some troubling news on TV, as it turns out that Andy has broken into a pharmacy and is currently claiming that he has immunity. In a comic scene, Miles gets a phone call from Andy while he is under police gunpoint, and Nolan’s warnings now start to make sense.
The following day is brutal for Nolan and Miles, as Tim chews them out for this major error. However, more surprises await him as well, as it appears that Grey has returned as the Watch Commander for the day, given the seriousness of the situation. While Tim is disheartened, he understands the reasoning and gets to work with Chen, rerouting traffic and clearing the path she designed last night. Nyla finds the big break in the case by realizing that Jerry’s poorly spelled threats to Feebs do not refer to the FBI, but rather Pheobe. With her as the most likely target, Nyla, Angela, Nolan, and Miles head out to the factory where Pheobe works, only to realize that Jerry is already there and is shooting wildly. Luckily, the seasoned cops are able to get him exactly where they want, and Nolan cleanly shoots him on the shoulder, saving the day. The president’s visit is a success, and the day ends with Chen and Tim relaxing at last, together once again.
Read More: The Rookie Season 8 Episode 1 Recap: Are Lucy and Tim Moving in Together?
