The Rookie seemed set for a comedic episode with “April Fool’s” — and that’s almost what viewers get. Two very questionable crime stories undermine an otherwise lighthearted hour that would have given fans a break from the heaviness of recent plotlines. While not terrible, The Rookie Season 7, Episode 12 misses its target in a couple of significant ways.
April Fool’s Day plays a significant part in the story. From Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford using it as a “hall pass” to John Nolan questioning his new rookie, humor is set to abound. Yet midway through the episode, Libby sets off a riot in Los Angeles after being fired as the LAPD “social media intern.” On top of that, there is a tragic domestic abuse story. Even though the episode tries to return to a more humorous tone afterward, the damage has been done.
Nolan Gets a New Rookie Who Unfortunately Isn’t a Practical Joke
Why Pair This With a Story About an Abused Wife Killing Her Husband?
During the early part of their shift, Nolan and Craig visit James and Nyla Harper’s friends Anita and Teddy. They are in the midst of a loud argument, and Teddy is drunk — again. During the characters’ previous appearance, Bradford arrested him for taking a swing at an officer. Of course, this happens again. Anita also confesses she is scared of her husband. During the aforementioned riot, she murders him and tries to cover it up. Craig figures this out, earning his spot on the force… but the story itself is deeply questionable.
Anita killing Teddy is a “twist” ending, but it doesn’t add anything worthwhile to what The Rookie has already said about domestic abuse through the character of Jason. Teddy clearly had a problem with drinking, and Anita was never implied to be abusive in return. Murdering her husband doesn’t make much sense, except as the desperate act of a woman living under a cloud of emotional abuse. Doubly problematic is that this happens in a “funny” episode, utilized mostly to highlight how the “screwup rookie” is actually a decent cop.
The Rookie Remembers Why Wesley Evers Is a Prosecutor
Wesley’s Corruption Storyline Is True to His Character
Wesley Evers was one of the best characters on The Rookie when he was an advocate for suspects’ rights — something that was ignored by making Wesley a prosecutor. In “April Fool’s,” he is assigned a murder case involving a suspect named “Ben Dover,” a classic prank call name. This is still a genuine case, and he has less than 24 hours to decide if it’s worth prosecuting, so he calls in his wife Angela Lopez and Harper to help him get to the truth.
Lopez and Harper quickly discover the case is shaky, and while off-screen learn that Detective Berman — the investigating officer on the case — was having an affair with the murder victim’s wife. Berman killed her husband and framed the poorly-named patsy, assuming prosecutors would push the man into accepting a plea deal. This is exactly the kind of thing Wesley wanted to do when he left his defense career behind. Not only did he save an innocent man, he got a corrupt, murderous cop off of the streets. This subplot is far more reflective of Wesley’s character and how much more can be done with him.
The Rookie Season 7, Episode 12’s Action Sequence Is Controversial
The Riot Scenes Are Unnecessary and Implausible
Despite its overall excellence, The Rookie sometimes gets too experimental or goes too big for its stories. The idea that a clueless social media intern created problems for the LAPD is a funny premise. From parking ticket amnesty to a “get out of jail free” QR code, her posts were dumb but harmless. But having her post that “all crime is legal” lead to a riot destroys the tone the rest of the episode has built. This is possibly meant to be a nod from The Rookie to The Purge film series, which itself is built on a ridiculous premise. The idea that a tweet would start a riot that led to people’s deaths is ludicrously over-the-top — and not in the fun way The Rookie usually goes there.
Chenford Fans Are Given an April Fool’s Joke of Their Own
This Episode Once Again Teases Chen and Bradford Reuniting
