The Rookie season 7 finale had fast-paced scenes, focused on one big relationship, and brought back two villains. But while fans have welcomed Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) and Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan), some viewers weren’t 100 percent satisfied with the last episode of what some consider an imperfect season. After premiering in January 2025, The Rookie season 7 saw John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and his fellow LAPD officers solving too many crimes to count, and while fans anticipated a huge cliffhanger, not everyone was on board with what ended up happening.
Since The Rookie season 8 will premiere in January 2026, fans have a lot of time to reflect on the season 7 finale and what storylines and character arcs could have been stronger.
The Rookie Season 7 Finale Was A Little Disappointing, According To Fans
Fans shared their thoughts about The Rookie season 7, episode 18, “The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar” in a thread on Reddit. Their two main issues: the cliffhanger wasn’t that exciting, and Chenford didn’t get back together. Redditor @Sufficient-Note-1778 wrote
“That just didn’t feel… Big enough? For a season finale?”
Redditor @Apprehensive-Owl3431 agreed:
“So this season ends the same as last? Monica and Oscar escaping.”
Redditor @CarpLarmour1776 posted, “This is a solid 4/10 finale for me. I’m bummed, I was hoping for better.” While some would argue that showrunner Alexi Hawley was right and the scenes in the desert were straight out of an action movie, some could say that the episode would have been better if Nolan and Harper had caught Oscar Hutchinson for good. After all that build-up, fans found it surprising that Oscar escaped in a helicopter. Some could argue that he should have been put back in prison for good. Others might say it’s unrealistic for him to keep getting away.Redditor @RecommendationTop594 wasn’t thrilled about the scene when Tim apologizes to Lucy and asks her to move in with him… and she doesn’t even hear him. The fan wrote:
“Really annoyed with the Chenford talk. Tim finally opens up and she’s asleep on the couch.”
On the one hand, fans love any scene that involves Tim and Lucy, and ever since their breakup, there’s been no shortage of drama. On the other hand, it’s hard to argue with the fact that fans wanted to see this storyline resolved at the end of The Rookie season 7. Since it’s been several episodes since their season 6 split, many assumed Tim and Lucy would have moved past their problems by now and started fresh.
How The Rookie Season 8 Can Solve These Issues
Alexi Hawley shared that fans will get good news about the Chenford relationship in The Rookie season 8, and that’s something positive to look forward to. As long as Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen have a serious talk in the season 8 premiere, it seems likely that fans will be pleased. Much of The Rookie season 7 hinted at Tim’s guilt over hurting Lucy, and it’s definitely time to see them move forward. If they don’t move in together in the premiere, they should take that next step once a few episodes have aired. Fans have waited a long time, and it would be surprising if these characters don’t get back together in season 8.
Now that Lucy is a sergeant, she and Tim have the same job, and that allows them to move past some of their struggles. It would be cool and compelling to see them bond over their shared work experiences, and it would also be great if, halfway through The Rookie season 8, Lucy was moved to the day shift with Tim.
The police TV drama should also fix some of the season 7 finale’s problems by resolving Oscar Hutchinson and Monica Stevens’s character arcs by the end of season 8. There’s a fine balance between bringing back familiar, favorite, and memorable characters and these villains wearing out their welcome. While fans enjoy watching Oscar with his dark charm and strange sense of humor, and Monica is an intelligent and fascinating character, it might almost be time to say goodbye. Hopefully, Nolan and the LAPD will catch Oscar, and he will stop causing harm. Given Monica’s special deal, she might not be put in prison, but maybe viewers will learn that she’s moved far away and taken up a new identity. That would be a fun end to her story.
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