Summary
The Rookie is back to its usually enjoyable entertainment in Episode 13, “Caught Stealing”, with the training officers learning about favors on the job.
This recap of The Rookie Season 1, Episode 13, “Caught Stealing”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
This week on The Rookie it’s all about the ethics of the job by not taking any favours while on duty, providing a more improved premise than last week’s overly soppy tribute to Valentine’s Day, and also more entertaining. Episode 13, “Caught Stealing”, presents Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) with financial difficulties, as she is desperate to find an apartment. She confesses this to Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) who heckles her for being tired on a night shift. Believing she sees a man in a mask, she suddenly wakes up to her night shift colleagues laughing at her. Ah, banter in the workplace, I like it.
“Caught Stealing” does get serious eventually – John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) is asked to deliver a speech to the group about the importance of not accepting gratuity or gifts as part of their role, thus beginning the theme of the chapter. Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.) takes the entire speech way too seriously, applying the law on citizens to a harsh degree, leading him to gain an undeserved earful from his mentor Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz).
Anyway, the main story arrives when John and Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson) investigate a stabbing victim, which then leads to learning that the person who killed that person is an undercover narcotics cop, prompting the captain to put the entire force on a tactical operation. Up until this point, I was fearing another random episode compiling dumb events, but “Caught Stealing” delivers some exciting plot twists.
The tactical operation goes smoothly, but Jackson, John, and Lucy are tasked to stay overnight to guard the pile of money that was used as part of the undercover mission. The trio all discuss what they would do with that kind of money, even explaining what childhood experiences they had with the lack of finances.
The next day, John is awoken from his slumber and shoved into the police station. $250k is missing, and all three of them have to take a polygraph test. The crucial part of the polygraphs is when Lucy is asked if she has lied to protect a fellow officer, which I am sure will cause consequences later. They all passed the test, but the drama does not stop there, as Lucy is ambushed on the way home, leading John and Jackson to help her hurriedly. It turns out that the lead gang member ambushing her stole the $250k – I did not understand why he would go after Lucy to then ultimately expose his crime – but this is The Rookie, so we may as well roll with it. John, Lucy, and Jackson are entirely clear of any crimes.
And in the end, Lucy gets her new apartment! She gets the apartment where the stabbing victim died and left a trail of blood. By agreeing to take the apartment in its current condition means she gets a lower rent – cop privilege, eh. Speak to you next week.
You can check out our thoughts on the next episode by clicking these words.
