The Rookie – Darkness Falling – Review: No Guts, No Glory
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The Rookie delivered one of its most intense episodes thus far in “Darkness Falling,” leaving views on the edge of their seats with the promise of more to come!
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing) ERIC WINTER, KEVIN ZEGERS, DEVIKA BHISE, LISSETH CHAVEZ, MELISSA O’NEIL, NATHAN FILLION
Recap:
With Bailey back in town, Nolan goes a little overkill in the overprotective mode. He sends Bailey to Lucy’s house, with US Marshals tailing her every move. She makes it clear she’d rather be home, but Nolan doesn’t want to compromise her safety.
Meanwhile, Tim and Lucy go back to their original rookies. The rookies apologize for everything that happened last episode. Seth goes a little too far in his apology, while Tim rolls his eyes, and Lucy tells him that no one likes a suck-up. In the shop, Seth is bombarded by notifications. He tells Lucy he’s on edge because he’s getting his medical test results soon, but the actual notifications are from an alert he set up on his phone over going viral on the news from last episode’s events.
The team make their way to a car pile-up on the freeway. CHP requested LAPD assistance to deal with the investigation. Nolan puts Celina as the primary, and she takes the lead in directing all the officers in how to handle the scene. Seth makes a mistake, and Miles makes fun of him for it, which sets Seth off and he tells Miles that he doesn’t know what’s going on in a person’s life — that he lost a girlfriend to a car accident and that’s making him nervous at the scene.
Lucy immediately gets suspicious about this story, because Seth had told her that his girlfriend had overdosed.
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja)
ERIC WINTER, MELISSA O’NEIL, PATRICK KELEHER
Nolan hears a banging…and they discover a woman locked in a trunk! They rescue her and she says how she was kidnapped by the owner of the car, who is revealed to be Novak. (Shameless fans might recognize him as Mickey
Milkovich!) The team raids his house, and it turns out to be extra creepy, looking more like a teenage girl’s den than a 40 year old man’s house. The investigate thoroughly. Lucy asks Seth about the girlfriend in the accident versus the girlfriend who overdosed. Seth clarifies that his girlfriend survived the OD, then another girlfriend died a year later in the accident. Lucy still isn’t convinced, but she drops the questioning.
The team realizes that Wesley used to be Novak’s lawyer. Novak gives Wesley a call, looking for counsel, and Wesley tags Angela and Nyla in to trace his call as he gets Novak to talk. They trace him down to Sorority Lane, and Angela worries they won’t get there in time to save the girls. Wesley and the cops all rush to the scene…only to run into the house and find that the girls are absolutely beating up the serial killer. The girls are safe, and no one is killed…except maybe Novak’s pride.
Meanwhile, Bailey gets a little adventurous and decides to leave Lucy’s house. The Marshal that had been following her gets trapped by a truck, losing Bailey. Nolan calls her, but she dodges them, and so he decides to track her phone and finds she’s headed to the fire station. Before he gets there, Bailey seems to have realized that she’s being tailed by someone else — Malvado. She confronts Malvado before realizing who he is, and he gives her his phone number to give him any information about Jason, and he’ll make her problem go away. She takes the number and when Nolan arrives, she hides the information from him. Nolan takes her to the station, where Bailey argues with him that she can take care of herself.
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing) JENNA DEWAN, JIMMY GONZALES
Angela and Nyla interrogate Novak, who seems eager to tell his story. He agrees to show the LAPD where the bodies are.
When they reach the scene, however, the dogs begin to sniff more bodies that Novak insists were not buried by him. However, they are buried in the exact same fashion, with the same green tarp. Brendon Acres and Antoinette pop up from The Rookie: Feds to consult with the LAPD about the case. Everyone agrees that there must be a second killer who was aware of Novak’s MO and hoped to hide their kills under his boastful ones.
Angela and Nyla decide to visit a mental health hospital in Chatsworth that Novak had been to — they suspect that maybe the second serial killer had gotten details of Novak’s kills from there. They are mostly stonewalled, but make it clear they need all the papers within 12 hours. Before they leave, however, Nyla spots the green tarp across the street, and her and Angela decide to investigate without backup.
In a very horror-esque sequence, the duo finds a very creepy basement of what seems to be an abandoned mental institution. They find a near-victim and Angela gets him out of the house while Nyla goes after the serial killer. It’s a tense few minutes, before the serial killer finally shows up, attacking Nyla and injecting her with a paralytic. She tries to fire some shots, but misses, and is left on the ground for Angela to find her.
The episode concludes with Nyla in the hospital, the killer at large. Angela gives her a hug comforting her. Meanwhile, Nolan finds out that Jason is in Detroit, trying to run from Malvado, and Grey encourages him to live their lives. Tim drills Miles on California law, which Miles passes with flying colors, and then he tells Tim he’s very grateful that he’s being pushed — he admits he’s had a lot to learn. Wesley and Del Monte have a chat in the latter’s office about the serial killer, and a rival DA campaigner tries to convince Del Monte that the serial killer will cause him to lose the race.
In the final moments, Lucy visits Tim at his house. The two share a quiet but meaningful exchange, with Tim saying, “I miss you,” and Lucy replying, “Feeling’s mutual.” It’s a subtle moment that hints at more to come for their relationship, but for now, they’re still in that space between past and future.
The final scene is of Bailey grappling on whether or not to call Malvado. It seems that her mind is made.
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing) ALYSSA DIAZ, MEKIA COX
Thoughts:
This episode was, hands down, one of the most intense hours of the show. It may not be “Day of Death”, but I think it’s fairly equivalent to “The Dark Side” (the episode before DOD). The horror themes really had me at the edge of my seat — horror has never been my favorite genre, but it worked incredibly well in this episode. Considering that the serial killer is still at large, I really wonder what is to come from that storyline…
I’m also mildly curious about what will happen with the Jason storyline. I’m a little less invested at this point in the season, but given next week’s promo, I think there’s a lot to come.
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)
KEVIN ZEGERS, DEVIKA BHISE
Character of the Week:Wesley Evers
Wesley really stood out this episode with his personal connection to the case. His guilt was so palpable through the screen — despite it not being his fault, the panic and guilt he felt over being part of the reason Novak was walking free really carried through the screen. The scene where he was driving over to the sorority house had my heart pumping, and the way he nearly broke down in front of Angela was poignant. Wesley is usually such a cool and composed character; it was extremely interesting to witness him lose his composure a little bit!
(Got to give a shoutout to the director of this episode, John Hyams, for that stellar car scene.)
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)
SHAWN ASHMORE
Relationship of the Week: Cop Moms (Nyla & Angela)
Once again, I’m electing to pick a platonic relationship over a romantic one, because this week’s episode really was a pivotal one for Nyla and Angela’s partnership. They’ve always had each other’s backs, but in this episode, it shines through so brightly. Not only do they implicitly trust each other on and off the job, but they also are each other’s emotional support. After everything that went down with the serial killer, Angela knew exactly what Nyla needed in the hospital, and made sure she got the comfort she deserved. Their moments of understanding and support in this episode highlight how deep their bond goes, making them an emotionally grounded force on the show.
THE ROOKIE – “Darkness Falling” – TUESDAY, JAN. 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EST) on ABC. (Disney/Mike Taing)
MEKIA COX, ALYSSA DIAZ
Next Time:
We won’t have an Advanced Preview next week’s episode, but you can find the name, synopsis, and promo below!
“Til Death”
The team searches for a serial killer as Nyla struggles with the aftermath following the attack. Lucy’s relationship with Seth takes a turn, while Bailey battles her fear of Jason Wyler.
What were your thoughts on “Out of Pocket”? 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 10PM on Tuesdays—or catch up on Hulu the next day!
