Summary
The Rookie Episode 15 “Manhunt” is the most fast-paced episode of the series so far, making it less serious but far more fun.
This recap of The Rookie Season 1, Episode 15, “Manhunt”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
The Rookie Episode 15 starts jovially as the three rookies get punked into doing a pretend documentary. Work banter at its finest. But then “Manhunt” turns into the most fast-paced episode of the series so far. It’s almost like the writers went “fuck it, let’s have some fun and throw loads of bullshit into the story and have a good time”. I had a good time.
But before it goes into full city lockdown mode, the team receive “suicide bomber” training from an expert who deals with hostage situations. Everyone does terribly in the hypothetical scenarios apart from John (Nathan Fillion), who has read the expert’s book, so he understands how to talk to someone wrapped with a bomb apparently. The expert is impressed, but she most likely fancies him.
Then the manhunt begins – the station is informed of a prison transportation crash which looks mental. Debris and metal are scattered everywhere, and one of the prison guards collapse as they reach the scene. John has to tend to a life-threatening injury of one of the prison guards whose leg is practically chopped off; before he dies he tells John, “tell Beth I love her”.
By the time the police squad has dealt with the mess, they learn that in total five fugitives are on the loose – a first perimeter has been set. John is doing the checks while at the same time worrying about passing on the message to this unknown Beth. Talia (Afton Williamson) tells him to get his head into gear. To be fair, John does a superb job in sniffing out the fugitive hiding in a car trunk with a child held hostage. “Manhunt” had a variety of issues for the characters to deal with.
As for Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim (Eric Winter), they come across some suspiciously racist vigilantes trying to protect their neighborhoods from the fugitives. They intervene before it gets even more racist, thankfully.
The second half of Episode 15, “Manhunt”, gives the police station a broader problem – they have three fugitives left, and they have more likely breached the perimeter, making it harder to catch the criminals. It later evolves into two dangerous scenarios; Lucy and Tim are in a gang neighborhood with all of the gang members trying to hurt the fugitive trapped inside the house, and John in a hostage situation where a fugitive is threatening to kill someone.
John and the hostage expert have their chance to flirt again as they try and figure out the fugitive’s motive; they figure out he’s a narcissist, helping them relieve the hostage scenario. Meanwhile, Lucy and Tim just about keep their cool with the gang members before making arrests. All is well; the manhunt is over!
As Episode 15 ends, John finds the woman Beth and passes on the message. What a man John is, eh. The man of the people. Tim tells Sergeant Wade (Richard T. Jones), that he wants to apply for the Sergeant exam; he basically tells his boss he wants his job, but I think its an unspoken truth that he’s moving on anyway.
And if there isn’t enough complexity with the romances already, John gets the hostage expert’s number – Lucy watch out, heartthrob John is moving on. Speak to you next week!
You can check out our thoughts on the next episode by clicking these words.
