[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Rookie Season 7 finale “The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar.”]
Properly, the title of The Rookie Season 7 finale definitely is apt. In actual fact, you may break down the key elements of the episode in these three classes.
The nice: Chenford is so shut to getting again collectively. Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) arrives residence exhausted from working the evening shift — the Dream Crew? Cops who park their vehicles and take naps — to seek out Tim (Eric Winter) cooking for her. He’s speaking about them getting again collectively and taking subsequent steps (transferring in collectively!) just for her to go to sleep. The Oscar: Matthew Glave does return because the villain and even kidnaps Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and threatens to kill him, however Nyla (Mekia Cox) involves his rescue, with the assistance of a teen and his drone. Oscar flees. And the unhealthy? Properly, that’s Monica (Bridget Regan), who’s revealed to have made an immunity deal within the remaining moments.
Beneath, showrunner Alexi Hawley breaks down the finale and teases what’s forward in Season 8.
When do you know that you just needed to finish the season with that reveal about Monica and the immunity deal?
Alexi Hawley: After we had been breaking the bus episode, I believe, which is the following time we noticed Monica, as we had been making an attempt to determine the place we needed to go together with her, since we’d been away from her for some time. That’s the place we began to provide you with that. After which it simply felt like in the end a method to kind of have a cliffhanger with out actually doing something that places anyone in jeopardy as a result of I’m just a little allergic to these nowadays, simply given the state of the enterprise.
Disney / Mike Taing
Her strolling in was so good.
She was nice. And Bridget, I imply, she’s a professional, she knew precisely tips on how to milk that second, which I knew she would. It was nice.
What are you able to say about what this implies for subsequent season and the way a lot of Monica we’ll see? It doesn’t essentially imply that we might see on a regular basis, proper? As a result of she might be working behind the scenes like she did this season.
Right. I believe in the end she will certainly play an element in Season 8. It’s clearly early days. The writers’ room actually simply began [on May 5], however I believe there are aspects to the immunity deal that we will play with that preserve her kind of lively in our world that basically work with our storytelling.
Does anybody in that final scene suppose that there’s something they’ll do to nonetheless get Monica behind bars?
Look, I believe all of them need to; I believe it’s robust with immunity offers particularly made on the prime of the meals chain for anyone decrease to have an effect on them. However we’ll see. By no means say by no means.
Are they feeling extra pessimistic than possibly ever in terms of Monica?
I believe so. It was clearly an enormous shock for them in that second. I believe once we come again in Season 8, they’ll most likely have had time to course of a bit. However yeah, no, I don’t see them as individuals who hand over on wanting to place a nasty individual behind bars.
However how a lot can they actively be making an attempt to do? So once they have this immunity deal to work towards.
I believe it’s very tough upfront for them to get any type of approval to do something formally.
So Chenford. Tim and Lucy are so near getting again collectively. You’ve left them in a promising place — it looks like all they should do is definitely have a dialog they’re each awake for, then they might be again collectively. Why finish on that?
It made me snort once we speak about it within the writers’ room, which is typically why you do belongings you do. I do suppose that the journey they went on this season was a giant one. There have been ups and downs clearly, they usually had actual points to combat by, and I believe we talked about it earlier than, but it surely felt essential. It wanted to be earned. He blew up the love of each of their lives, and so it didn’t really feel prefer it might be earned cheaply. And I believe that we’ve seen him do the work. We’ve seen her concentrate on her prioritizing her profession, and now obstacles have began to fall away they usually’ve fallen to mattress a few instances alongside the best way as a result of that’s what they really need. However there’s all the time a worry of, what if it’s not prefer it was once? In order that being mentioned, look, I imply, I believe we’ve earned the place they’re going, and the promise of that final scene is a nook has been turned and we’ll see.
Did you all the time need to guarantee that it was clear that the love was nonetheless there between them all through all of this?
Yeah, and I actually do like that we discovered moments alongside the best way to guarantee that she by no means misplaced company, even her hugging him within the elevator, telling him she’s nonetheless mad at him, however understanding that he wanted that was a method to give him. And I believed it was tremendous essential that scene the place he appreciated the kindness she’d proven him after he broke her coronary heart and that he would spend the remainder of his life making an attempt to make that up in no matter small ways in which she allowed understanding that once more, she kind of managed as a result of he was the one who did that to her. I really feel like we actually did discover a whole lot of story to inform about these two individuals getting previous one thing horrible, and now we’re in a a lot better place.
However are they on the identical web page in terms of subsequent steps and transferring in collectively like Tim suggests? As a result of Lucy did simply take this subsequent step in her profession.
Proper. Properly, I imply that’ll be the query rolling into Season 8. So that you’re asking the best questions, that’s the query that we’re speaking about within the room going into Season 8. However that being mentioned, I do suppose that we’ve put these characters by rather a lot on their journey again, and I believe we’re nearly there.
What are you able to tease about them in Season 8? Are you able to say in the event that they’ll be again collectively, even in case you can’t say precisely when?
Sure, I believe I can say that. I’ll offer you that one. So past that, once more, I’m not 100% positive but, let’s speak in just a few months.
How lengthy will Lucy be on evening shift?
I believe in the end that impediment would get previous pretty rapidly, so it’s on us to determine a method to transfer previous that sooner or later.
However I do like that you just actually showcase that she is prepared for this new place simply with this episode and the best way she dealt with that group.
Yeah, for me, it’s all the time actually essential — Melissa’s such an incredible actor and I really like Lucy Chen as a personality and all the time really feel like we put her by the wringer. We attempt to put everyone by the wringer. And yeah, she’s a badass. After all she stepped up and took over. The dream group is actual. We’ve a former police officer on workers, and that was his story based mostly in some actuality when he was once a cop, which we’ve additionally all the time liked to do, is use the true of policing. However yeah, how does she get these guys in form and the way does she do her job and all that type of stuff was actually essential to indicate in that episode.
Disney / Mike Taing
Oscar stays on the market, and I’ve to say how a lot I loved the whole lot we bought with him and Nolan within the finale. Oscar’s enjoyable. Why have him nonetheless free a season after his escape?
I really like Matthew who performs Oscar. It’s a type of traditional instances of you write a personality in Season 1, it was additionally meant to be a prisoner escaped a jail bus crash, and then you definitely forged any individual and also you’re like, that man’s magic. We have to see him once more. And so Oscar’s grown over time. I imply, I believe in a present filled with nemeses for our characters, he’s only a actually enjoyable one. I do suppose that sooner or later we will’t preserve letting him get away. And so yeah, I’d say subsequent season we would wish just a little little bit of decision on that.
Are you aware but how a lot of a presence he’ll have? As a result of we didn’t see him this season till the finale. Are you planning on drawing that out once more? Do you not know but?
I don’t know but, actually. We’re fortunate sufficient to have been round sufficient to have a whole lot of characters that we love. We’ve all the time had actually good villains. Monica is one, clearly the character that Annie Wersching performed, tragically who handed, however even Harold Perrineau‘s character, Detective Armstrong manner again. So we do love our villains on the present. And in order that being mentioned, I believe we rolled into Season 7 going, there’s some contemporary story to inform, some contemporary issues to do. And Jason [Steve Kazee] turned a precedence for us simply due to in the end the story we needed to inform about Bailey [Jenna Dewan] and coming to phrases with the best way in her thoughts she had considered her abusive relationship and realizing that she simply didn’t need to admit for it to be as unhealthy because it was. In order that was essential to us.
Yeah. Additionally it looks like Jason was essentially the most hazard to somebody’s life.
No, 100%. I imply, Oscar is on the market being Oscar, being kind of essentially the most enjoyable worst individual on the earth just a little bit. However sure, there was not as a lot urgency to cope with him.
As Nolan and Nyla’s [Mekia Cox] dialog reminds us, she had a tough 12 months on and off the job. Why did we need to put her by a lot? Is she going to get any kind of reprieve?
It’s exhausting to say. It’s not like we got down to be imply to her, so to talk. It did really feel like — we now have the enjoyment of getting a big forged of extremely gifted actors who’re a pleasure to write down for and who can do something. And subsequently some seasons are — some storylines simply kind of develop for some actors, and others don’t essentially get as a lot time. However we’re fortunate sufficient from season to season to have the ability to go, “OK, properly…” And it simply felt driving into Season 7 that we needed to discover some stuff with Harper and with James [Arjay Smith], and a part of it was a dedication to maintain speaking about injustice and the justice system and the disconnect between James as a group activist and her as a police officer and the way these issues are inherently at odds. And in order that’s the place that began. Then clearly him getting shot and all that was simply one thing that felt like clearly tremendous dramatic storytelling. We’ll nonetheless give her loads of dynamic storytelling in Season 8. I don’t suppose it is going to be the identical stage of non-public, however I don’t know. It’s nonetheless early days,
Disney / Mike Taing
Angela (Alyssa Diaz) and Wesley (Shawn Ashmore) are some of the secure {couples} on television, and we actually noticed that this season. Then you definitely deliver again Monica. While you’re speaking about them trying forward, how a lot is the Monica of it and the way a lot is it one thing else?
Monica at this level has impacted a lot of our characters. Clearly, she and Wesley had been engaged sooner or later, manner, manner in the best way again. So I believe her being again will likely be an affect on everyone. I believe Angela may be very safe in her relationship with Wesley, so I don’t suppose she feels threatened by Monica in any manner, form or kind. I really like the steadiness of them. Clearly there’s much less drama in stability, however we discovered methods to inform dramatic tales with them that aren’t low-cost, kind of, is he dishonest? Is she dishonest? Stuff like that. So yeah, I simply suppose they actually love one another they usually’re simply kind of meant to be collectively.
You’ll be able to have that secure couple as a result of there’s drama different methods, too.
Sure, precisely. And in order that’s a part of our dialog in Season 8 is, how will we lean in on each of them, as a result of he’s sophisticated professionally as properly. He was a protection legal professional who turned a prosecutor, partly as a result of he needed to shake up the system and the way comfortable is he with how that’s going? After which clearly it’s not like we didn’t put him by the wringer a number of seasons in the past with Elijah [Brandon Jay McLaren] and all that type of stuff. So yeah, there’s nonetheless ample issues to speak about with them.
With Sean (Michael Trucco) dropping out of the DA’s race, what are we going to see from that race in Season 8? Is that going to be a part of the, or are you type of simply dropping that?
No, I believe that’s a superb query. I used to be kind of alluding just a little bit to the Wesley of all of it. I believe that there’ll be some fascinating story to inform there. It’s clearly early days. The writers’ room actually simply began, however I believe we discovered a method to preserve that going with our characters that’ll be dynamic. So yeah, no, you’re not incorrect. We’re going to maintain that going.
The Rookie, Season 8, 2026, ABC