The Rookie Bombshell: Nolan’s Dream Realized… and Shattered in the Same Episode!

The Rookie follows a group of new cops as they make their way and achieve their career dreams in the LAPD. Many people choose to begin this career early in life, but this is not the case with John Nolan (Nathan Fillion). After moving to Los Angeles to follow this dream, Nolan is mocked for joining the force at his age. He does not let this stop him from being the best cop he can be, and in all The Rookie‘s seasons, Nolan has proven that he is the best there is at what he does.

Many of Nolan’s fellow officers have begun to pursue other aspects of their careers. It is only natural for him to want to go further than just a uniformed officer as well. In season 7, Nolan takes on his first rookie and succeeds at training her. He may have found his true calling among the LAPD, but this was not always his dream. He wanted to be a detective to help people during the worst moments of their lives. Unfortunately, after The Rookie season 7 finale, it does not look like this is going to pan out for him.

John Nolan Originally Wanted To Be A Robbery-Homicide Detective In The Rookie

He Had Big Dreams For His Career

Even though he is the oldest rookie to start at the LAPD, Nolan had dreams of being more than a patrol officer. After facing an armed robbery himself in the middle of a divorce, Nolan believes he found something he is meant to do. This dream is bound to be an uphill battle. At his age, it is hard to find any sort of support within the police force. Many even try to get him booted from the program. He is the underdog by a mile, and he has a lot to prove just to stay in the rookie program.

Contrary to what most officers think of him, Nolan proves time and time again that he is meant to be there. His age has nothing to do with his expertise. One of Nolan’s strongest attributes is his way of connecting with people. This is one skill that would have carried him very far as a robbery-homicide detective. These kinds of cases heavily involve connecting to the victim’s family and friends in order to find out who committed the crime.

Many events take place where it doesn’t look like Nolan is going to be able to achieve this almost impossible dream of his, including being framed for murder by a fellow officer. But he remains positive and proves his innocence and ability to be a good detective. This positivity is another reason he would have made a great detective. In a job like that, it is very easy to lose hope and allow the world around him to become dark. Nolan is a man that always tries to find the light in any situation.

Nolan Fulfilled His Goal Of Being A Detective In The Rookie Season 7 Finale

It Didn’t Exactly Turn Out The Way He Wanted It To

In The Rookie season 7 finale, Nolan steps outside his patrol and training officer role to explore his long-awaited goal of being a detective. With his close friend and mentor Nyla (Mekia Cox), they follow clues that lead them to a robbery cold case which involves Nolan’s longtime nemesis, Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave). This is his chance to prove that he is more than an older man who wants to become a cop. If he solved this, then he would prove that he is meant to be a detective and can be a valued member of the LAPD.

Unfortunately, Nolan’s inexperience in this type of investigation leads him to being kidnapped and almost murdered in the middle of the desert. He fails to see Oscar is already on to them and makes the mistake of going out on his own. Nolan’s lack of awareness is what almost gets him killed. If it wasn’t for Nyla and her quick thinking, Nolan wouldn’t have survived. If he is to pursue a career in detective work, Nolan needs to learn to anticipate his enemy’s moves so he does not end up in a situation like this again.

Nolan needs to learn to anticipate his enemy’s moves so he does not end up in a situation like this again.

While Oscar can be comic relief at times, he wasn’t an ideal first case for Nolan. He is smart, resourceful, and knows Nolan too well. He is able to anticipate his movements in order to get the jump on him. Even though Nolan is serious about one day becoming a detective, this case may have killed that dream. He should have started with someone he was unfamiliar with. If Nyla had taken him under her wing once again and started off with a completely different case, Nolan would have had a real shot at being a detective.

Why Nolan Is Much Better Off As A Training Officer In The Rookie

Nolan Is Right Where He Needs To Be

Nolan truly has a unique eye and is able to detect evidence and clues that other officers in the LAPD cannot. Without him, a lot of the cases on the show would not have been solved. However, being a detective is not his true calling, and he should stay exactly where he is in the LAPD. His experience as an older rookie allows him to connect with the younger recruits in a much stronger and more effective way. He finds ways to relate to them while also not giving them too much of a break.

Celina (Lisseth Chavez) is living proof that Nolan is exactly where he needs to be. His excellent training methods allowed her to grow properly as a member of the LAPD. At no point does he make her feel inferior to him, and he takes the time to get to know her in ways that his training officers didn’t. It’s true that, without Nolan, Celina still would have been a good officer. Like Nolan, she has a keen sense of when something is not right.

However, Nolan helped her fine tune this skill and taught her how to separate personal feelings from the case when need be. He even tries his hardest with Seth (Patrick Keleher) after everyone seemingly gave up on him. Because of Nolan’s kindness, we might expect to see Seth in future episodes of The Rookie. There is a lot of good Nolan can do as a training officer, and he knows that. When he was offered a golden ticket by the chief of police, he could have chosen any position, including robbery or homicide detective.

It is definitely something he considered, but that is not where his heart was at that moment. Instead, he chose to become a training officer. Since Nolan has only had one rookie, there is still a lot to explore with him as a training officer in The Rookie season 8. Although there is still time for him to work towards being a detective, right now, Nolan is exactly where he needs to be. Any rookie in Nolan’s future is going to be lucky to have him.

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