The Rookie – The Kiss

THE ROOKIE – “The Kiss” – TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)

MEKIA COX

Recap:

The episode starts right where it left off with James’ shooting. Celina runs in right after and makes the choice to help Kylie before James. She calls Grey to let him know. Meanwhile at the station, Nyla and Angela are getting ready to go home when Grey walks into the locker room to inform Nyla about what happened.

At the hospital, Lucy and Tim are discharged only to see James and Kylie being wheeled in. Nyla rushes in with Angela, getting one small moment with James before he’s rushed to surgery. The scene feels very Greys Anatomy with all the doctors around the GSW victims. For a moment, I almost forgot what show I was watching…

When Nyla is in the waiting room, Nolan comes by to update her. Nyla says that James looked really bad and she doesn’t think she’s seen someone survive that. Nolan tries to reassure her. She instead tries to focus on the case and asks about the lead investigator. Wesley comes in to take Nolan, where they discuss the case with Grey and Angela. Wesley mentions the kiss between James and Kylie that Nolan witnessed. Angela immediately refutes the allegation – she doesn’t believe James would cheat on Nyla. Nyla is officially a suspect, though no one believes it. Angela goes after Connor to get a confession so they can rule Nyla out. Grey tells Nolan that he can’t tell Nyla anything yet.

Tim and Lucy investigate the shooting and realize that Kylie works at a bar where there was another shooting. They, along with Angela, figure out that Kylie must have witnessed something. She sends the two of them on patrol to look for Connor.

Grey goes to visit Nyla. He tells her that they identified the shooter but the motive is unclear. Nyla immediately understands that this means she is considered a suspect that could potentially be working with the shooter. She says she’s willing to answer any question and gives permission to search her house. Grey asks how she’s holding up and she goes into how she’d been so busy with Glasser that she barely saw James recently. Grey assures her that James will wake up.

THE ROOKIE – “The Kiss” – TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)

LISSETH CHAVEZ

Nolan checks in on Bailey, who passes out. It turns out that she was severely dehydrated. Celina checks in on her and tells Nolan he should get back to work while she takes care of Bailey. They end up talking about James and Kylie’s shooting and Celina confesses that she’s not sure if she did the right thing by going to help Kylie first. Bailey says she did the right thing.

Tim and Lucy are on patrol when they get a call from dispatch that Connor is nearby. They try to follow him without alarming him, but he catches sight and a chase begins anyway. Just as they catch up with him, they realize Connor hit a pedestrian woman while turning. They stop to help her and Connor gets away. They rush her to the hospital, where they’re doubtful she’ll even make it.

Nolan and Grey are looking through Nyla and James’ house when they come across a photo of James with Leonard Kelce, an anti-police extremist. Grey reveals that he’s wanted for arrest because he blew up a few cops cars a few months prior. They realize that James has been consulting with a known fugitive. They show the photo to Angela, who immediately knows it’s bad.

Bailey ends up talking to two boys who say they came in because of the fire. She listens to their story but is suspicious. Bailey flags down Celina and tells her about their lies. She suspects it’s more aligned with meth cooking injuries. She thinks they’re just trying to get pain killers. Celina tracks down their labs and confirms that the ‘burn’ is from a meth lab that had exploded that day, miles away from the fire. It turns out that they didn’t make meth, but they did rob the meth lab. It’s her first case as a P2!

Grey is visited by Vivian, an ADA. She reveals that Wesley recused himself from the case because he’s too close to it. She continues to push the narrative that Nyla is a suspect. Grey defends his officer and says her theory is “garbage”. Later, she visits Nyla and interrogates her, revealing the news that James and Kylie kissed. Grey interrupts and tells her that she’s out of line. Vivian threatens to start investigating him if he doesn’t suspend Nyla. Overhearing, Nyla hands Grey over her badge and gun.

Tim and Lucy talk to the woman they believe is the pedestrian’s daughter. They don’t believe she’ll survive once she’s taken off life support. The “daughter” asks to see her. Later, Tim and Lucy run into another woman who says she’s the daughter. They rush to the room, where the other woman is stealing the pedestrian’s rings. It turns out that she was only the caregiver and not the daughter. Lucy arrests her for the fraud. When the actual daughter asks for the rings, Lucy tells her that they’re still her mother’s until she actually dies.

Wesley comes to visit Nyla. She says she knows that he knows about James and Kylie’s kiss and the fugitive photo. She asks him to tell her more because he’s her friend too. She asks him if James was cheating on her? Wesley assures that James never mentioned Kylie nor did he ever do anything other than express love for Nyla. Wesley comforts her.

Nolan continues to dig into the Leonard Kelce case and finds out that he’s actually innocent. He finds video evidence that someone else had blown up those backpacks. Nolan ends up setting a trap for Brock, luring him to the hospital under the pretense that his father was mugged. When Nolan gets Brock into an elevator, a group of SWAT MMA members come to arrest him.

After talking to a rival gang member, Angela manages to get a location for Connor – he’s at the Paramount Studios lot. Nolan, Tim, and Lucy all go after him, hunting him through a soundstage of an old cop show. With Connor arrested, the case is solved. Grey says that Nolan can give Nyla her gun and badge back.

At the hospital, James wakes up. He’s alive! He and Nyla talk and he insists on telling her about the kiss and the circumstances. He apologizes and says that he loves her and then they make up. Later, Nolan visits her with the gun and badge. He confesses that he was the one who witnessed the kiss and he is sorry to have caused such a mess and to have lied about it. He says she is his hero and says there’s no one better. In the end, they hug.

Thoughts:

The side plots were a little jarring. I loved Celina had a great first day as a P2, but Bailey’s involvement made it feel less rewarding. I would’ve loved for Celina to have her own solo case that she figured out on her own. That being said, the moment where she doubted whether or not going to Kylie was the right decision was a great moment.

The biggest shock was Kylie surviving as well. She seemed worse off than James (and Nyla said that she’s never seen anyone with James’ wounds survive) and yet somehow she pulled through. I did however really enjoy the moment where Lucy went to visit her.

Though, Lucy… Are you sure a GSW victim who underwent multiple surgeries can eat outside food the same day as the shooting?

If I wasn’t already sold on the episode, the penultimate scene between Nolan and Nyla really sealed the deal. With their limited interactions the past couple of seasons, it’s easy to forget that they once had a close bond. Their moment together and hug felt incredibly rewarding. It should have been the end of the episode!

THE ROOKIE – “The Kiss” – TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)

MEKIA COX, ERIC WINTER, RICHARD T. JONES, NATHAN FILLION

Character of the Week: Nyla Harper

It’s been Nyla Harper’s season and we’re just living in it…and I couldn’t be more pleased. Mekia Cox delivered one of the best performances of the entire show in this episode. My heart was in my throat and she made me feel all the feels!

It was amazing seeing her relationships with everyone. She loves James more than anything. Angela did what she does best and immediately investigated so she could get her friend off the hook and get justice. Wesley provided support and they had a beautiful moment of friendship. Grey protected her fiercely. Nolan called her his hero. It is amazing to see how many lives Nyla Harper has touched and how many people she has in her life compared to when she first joined the show.

THE ROOKIE – “The Kiss” – TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)

MEKIA COX

Relationship of the Week: Jayla

I think it would be a crime not to have James and Nyla as the Ship of the Week. As the audience, we knew what happened between James and Kylie, but I was anxious to know what everyone else would think. I was delighted to see that almost everyone immediately casted doubt – everyone is well aware how devoted James and Nyla are to each other, despite their arguments. Their conversation after he woke up was so beautiful. James and Nyla really deserve their happy ending. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them.

THE ROOKIE – “The Kiss” – TUESDAY, MARCH 11 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)

ARJAY SMITH, MEKIA COX

Episode Ranking:

Next Time:

“Chaos Agent”

John, Lucy and Angela investigate the suspicious stabbing of three teenage girls. Back at the station, the team experiences technical difficulties while managing a group of prisoners and a wild animal.

What were your thoughts on “The Kiss”? How are you feeling about this season? Comment below all your thoughts about The Rookie!

Be sure to catch The Rookie live on ABC at 9PM on Tuesdays—or catch up on Hulu the next day!