The Rookie has always had a knack for balancing high-stakes police drama with genuinely funny character moments. For seven seasons, it’s been a reliable procedural workhorse, anchored by the charm of Nathan Fillion and a stellar ensemble cast. However, every great show has an occasional misstep, a creative detour that simply doesn’t land. In Season 7, that misstep arrived with a thud in the form of Episode 15, “A Deadly Secret.”
This particular episode, which saw the return of the show’s polarizing true-crime documentary format, was intended to be a fun, meta deviation. It even brought in fan-favorite guest stars—namely Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej of BuzzFeed Unsolved and Ghost Files fame—for exciting cameos. Yet, despite these promising elements, the episode became arguably the lowest point of the season, frustrating loyal viewers and proving that sometimes, even star power and a viral gimmick can’t save a convoluted plot.
The Persistent Problem: The Rookie‘s Documentary Gimmick
“A Deadly Secret” marked the fourth installment of The Rookie‘s annual documentary-style episodes, a tradition that began with Season 3’s “True Crime.” The format is designed to break the procedural mold, viewing the LAPD through the lens of a “true-crime” investigation being filmed in real-time. On paper, it’s a clever way to comment on the genre and introduce a fresh perspective. In practice, however, these episodes have consistently ranked at the bottom of fan polls.
The fundamental issue is that the documentary style inherently sacrifices character depth and organic storytelling for a meta, often jarring aesthetic. The main cast is reduced to giving “talking head” interviews, summarizing plot points rather than actively experiencing them. This format severely limits the engaging, fluid, and dynamic interactions that make The Rookie work. When a viewer tunes in, they want to see Nolan, Chen, Bradford, and Harper actively investigating a case, not narrating a summary of it to an off-screen film crew.
“A Deadly Secret” amplified this problem by wrapping its plot in so many layers of meta-commentary and forced connections that the entire episode felt disjointed. It involved the disappearance of Abigail Tierney (Madeleine Coghlan), John Nolan’s son’s ex-fiancée, who was in the process of creating her own true-crime documentary about the Westview Psychiatric Institute—a location tied to previous serial killer plots. The case quickly spun into an unbelievable, almost paranormal investigation that felt completely out of sync with the grounded tone the series usually maintains.
Cameos That Couldn’t Outshine the Chaos
The episode’s one true highlight, and the clearest attempt to inject life into the failing format, was the special guest appearance of Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. Known for their paranormal and true-crime deep dives on YouTube, the duo were a perfect thematic fit for an episode revolving around a spooky, abandoned psychiatric hospital.
Their brief scenes, where they were investigating the allegedly haunted Westview, provided some much-needed comic relief and were undeniably the best-executed moments in the hour. For fans of BuzzFeed Unsolved and Ghost Files, the cameos were a genuine treat, validating the show’s attempt to be in conversation with the online true-crime community.
Yet, this burst of excitement was fleeting. The guest spots, while fun, ultimately underscored how weak the core plot was. No amount of internet celebrity charm could distract from the episode’s structural flaws and baffling narrative choices. The cameos became a momentary distraction rather than a meaningful integration, leading to a lingering disappointment that a show of The Rookie‘s caliber had to rely so heavily on external star power to buoy a creatively bankrupt plot.
Wasting Crucial Character Moments on a Gimmick
Perhaps the most egregious flaw of “A Deadly Secret” was its handling of a major character storyline: the ongoing, complex relationship between Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil), affectionately known as “Chenford.”
After their breakup in a prior season, fans had been desperate for a genuine, emotional conversation about their future. “A Deadly Secret” promised this by having the pair finally address the deep-seated issues stemming from Tim’s emotional baggage and his subsequent actions. The problem? It happened while they were accidentally drugged.
While investigating the abandoned hospital, Tim and Lucy are exposed to airborne or liquid sodium pentothal—a “truth serum.” The subsequent “truthful” conversation, a pivotal moment of emotional reckoning and a realization by Lucy that she had forgiven Tim, occurs while they are high, giggling, and out of their normal state of mind.
This choice was an unforgivable disservice to a relationship that has been a cornerstone of the series. To relegate a conversation of that magnitude to a goofy, drug-induced subplot in a widely disliked documentary episode felt like a betrayal of the characters’ development. It undercut the seriousness and sincerity of their emotional breakthrough, framing it as a punchline rather than a powerful moment of reconciliation. The biggest character beat of the season was essentially played for laughs, all in the service of an already floundering gimmick.
A Convoluted, Forgettable Mystery
Beyond the format and the character fumbles, the actual case in “A Deadly Secret” was a bewildering mess. The plot to find Abigail was over-the-top, involving hallucinogens, a bizarre skeleton named “Bob,” and attempts to tie back seemingly every prior villain—from serial killer Liam Glasser to the manipulative AI, Zuzu—into a single, incomprehensible conspiracy.
The episode seemed determined to prove that everything in The Rookie universe is connected, even if those connections defy logic and clutter the screen with exposition. The resolution was less a satisfying police investigation and more a frantic explanation of interconnected, improbable crimes that ultimately just served to confuse the audience.
The resulting low ratings and overwhelmingly negative fan reaction to “A Deadly Secret” should serve as a clear message to the showrunners: the true-crime documentary episode has run its course. For a show that thrives on its heart, its humor, and the believable chemistry of its core cast, a forced, meta format that sidelines the drama and wastes crucial character moments is a creative dead end. Even the fun of seeing Bergara and Madej—two charismatic figures beloved by their own massive fanbase—couldn’t save the episode from its own fundamental flaws. The Rookie is best when it sticks to what it does well: focusing on the people of Mid-Wilshire, not the people filming them.
