For a show that excels at balancing high-octane police action with heartfelt character drama, ABC’s The Rookie relies heavily on maintaining a sense of moral and emotional consistency. The audience must believe in the ethical stakes and the consequences of the characters’ choices. However, according to a furious segment of the fanbase, Season 8 made a singular, catastrophic writing error that not only broke the show’s established universe but also completely derailed the most compelling moral conflict the series had created in years.
The mistake? The hasty and nonsensical elimination of the legendary assassin, Malvado, in a throwaway subplot, which had the collateral damage of erasing the genuine moral dilemma and existential threat surrounding Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) and John Nolan (Nathan Fillion).
This decision, seen by many as a panicked attempt by showrunners to avoid a difficult, long-term serialized storyline, destroyed the consequences of Bailey contacting a hitman and effectively reset the moral compass of the two main characters, breaking the foundation of trust and accountability the show is built upon.
🔪 The Origin of the Break: Bailey’s Sinister Secret
The universe-breaking error begins with what was, initially, one of the show’s most gripping character arcs: the fallout from John Nolan’s ex-wife, Bailey Nune, contacting a hitman.
The Malvado Introduction
Malvado was first introduced as a professional, near-mythical assassin—a “ghost”—who was hired to execute the formidable, violent threat of Jason Wyler, the man who had stalked and terrorized Bailey. In a moment of sheer desperation and residual trauma, Bailey accepted a burner phone from Malvado and, at one point, aided him in assassinating Jason.
This sequence was pure genius for The Rookie because it placed Bailey—the perfect, heroic wife—on ethically ambiguous ground. It created a potent, season-long threat:
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The Moral Dilemma for Nolan: John Nolan, the show’s moral center, discovered his wife communicated with and helped a killer. This forced him to confront the impossible choice between supporting the woman he loves and upholding the law he swore to protect. The stakes were high: Bailey could have been exposed as an accessory to murder, potentially ruining both their careers and lives.
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The Existential Threat: Malvado, a known, dangerous quantity, now had a connection to Bailey. His continued existence meant the secret could be leaked, or that Malvado himself could become an active threat targeting the Mid-Wilshire Division.
The Storyline That Disappeared
Fans were ready for a season of tension: Nolan and Bailey secretly dealing with the emotional and legal fallout, watching their backs, and wrestling with the moral weight of their actions. This conflict was complex, earned, and promised to deepen their relationship beyond its “perfect couple” facade.
💥 The Season 8 Mistake: Rushing to the Kill
The writing failure occurred in Season 8 (or late Season 7, depending on broadcast schedule, but in the most recent continuity), when the writers rushed to tie up the Malvado loose end.
The Humiliating Death
Instead of using Malvado as the formidable, multi-episode threat he was built up to be, the show brought him back in a throwaway B-plot where he was essentially reduced to being a low-rent assassin disposing of people who used an assassination website.
In a move that actively mocked the character’s former gravitas, Malvado was then quickly and easily killed off—often by a tertiary character or in a manner unworthy of his “ghost” reputation. This narrative choice was seen by fans as a clear sign that the showrunners “painted themselves into a corner” and chose the easiest, cheapest way out.
The Universe-Breaking Aftermath
The immediate, devastating consequence of Malvado’s quick death was the complete destruction of the moral and legal stakes surrounding Bailey’s actions.
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The Erased Consequence: With Malvado dead, the only person who could expose Bailey’s secret was gone. The moral dilemma that defined Nolan and Bailey’s conflict was dropped like a bad penny, as one furious fan described it. Bailey faced no legal repercussions, no public scrutiny, and no lasting emotional consequence for having aided a hitman.
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Breaking Nolan’s Code: By allowing this massive secret to disappear, the show violated Nolan’s core ethical code. He was willing to cover up an accessory to murder, and that plot point was simply forgotten. This inconsistency undermines the entire premise of the show, which is rooted in Nolan’s journey to be a virtuous, incorruptible cop.
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The Mary Sue Restoration: It restored Bailey to her unearned “Mary Sue” status—a character whose flaws and misdeeds are instantly erased by plot convenience, preventing her from ever facing real, painful consequences.
😡 Why Fans Are Furious: The Rushing of Villains
The Malvado debacle is symptomatic of a larger writing problem that has plagued The Rookie in recent seasons: the inability to commit to long-term, serialized villains and conflicts.
Rosalind Dyer vs. The New Villains
Fans frequently point to Rosalind Dyer as the standard for The Rookie villainy. She was a constant, intelligent, and terrifying presence that spanned multiple seasons, forcing the main characters into growth and trauma.
In contrast, contemporary villains like Monica Stevens are often set up as huge threats only to be neutralized, turned into informants, or generally mishandled. The rushed elimination of Malvado—a fascinating, high-skilled antagonist with a direct, personal link to the protagonist—was the most egregious example of this trend.
Missed Opportunities
The show missed the chance to:
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Test Chenford: The drama could have expanded to other characters, forcing Nolan to lean on Tim or Lucy and putting their professional loyalties to the test.
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Deepen the Marriage: A season-long conflict of secrets and lies would have provided the much-needed emotional grit to the otherwise too-perfect Nolan-Bailey marriage.
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Create a Great Finale: Malvado could have served as an explosive season finale antagonist, forcing Nolan into a final, high-stakes showdown that would have had serious personal cost.
🚨 Conclusion: Stop the Madness and Reground the Show
The Malvado mistake in Season 8 is more than just a plot hole; it is a failure of nerve by the writers to embrace the complex, high-stakes moral drama they created. By neutralizing the assassin and erasing Bailey Nune’s legal peril, The Rookie successfully saved the characters from a difficult storyline, but in doing so, they damaged the believability and moral consistency of the entire universe.
To redeem itself in future seasons, The Rookie must stop the madness of rushing major villains and allow its main characters to face the real, messy consequences of their actions. The fans want high stakes, and the Malvado arc proved that the highest stakes are often the ethical ones that threaten the characters’ careers and their moral integrity, not just their lives. The show’s universe can only be repaired by recommitting to the reality that in law enforcement, actions—even those born of trauma—have permanent consequences.
