Why Lucy’s Hidden Rivalry in The Rookie Season 7 Could Lead to Major Trouble

John Nolan faces ongoing threats from multiple villains after The Rookie season 7 ended with two major antagonists running free, but Lucy Chen’s set up to triumph over a rival who hilariously doesn’t even know they’re competing. Most of The Rookie cast work well together regardless of circumstances, such as when Nolan was able to practice patience and forgiveness while working with Seth Ridley despite hating his return to the LAPD as much as anybody. And while horrendously lazy at the outset, Chen’s new squad pulls through when they’re needed most in The Rookie season 7 finale.

While it’s good to know that Chen, Nolan, and the rest of the LAPD all have each other’s backs, it’s only normal for colleagues to occasionally engage in a bit of friendly competition now and then. What’s entertaining in Chen’s case is that nobody else, aside from her, is tallying her and her rivals’ successes, making it a contest that exists almost entirely in Chen’s mind. However, for fans who do find it interesting to see whether Chen comes out on top, The Rookie season 8 could prove to be a rather significant game-changer.

Lucy Is Envious Of Bailey’s Action Hero Skills In The Rookie Season 7

Tim Can’t Convince Her To Look At Things Reasonably

The Rookie season 7, episode 11, may not rank as one of the most important episodes of The Rookie overall, but the episode’s bus heist plays a pretty significant role in setting up Monica’s final scene of the season. As far as Chen is concerned, one of the most notable moments of the episode is Bailey Nune leaping from a moving SWAT vehicle onto the speeding bus when one of the hijackers demands medical attention. As Chen puts it, “Every time I think I’m a badass, Bailey suddenly shows up and says, ‘hold my beer.’”

Tim Bradford was quick to point out that Chen had also jumped from a moving car when he needed help a mere few months prior, but Chen dismissed his validation without hesitation on the basis that her heroic stunt jump didn’t involve a vehicle with a bomb on board as Bailey’s did. She deems her actions less heroic unless there’s at least a chance of being blown to smithereens. And while the whole interaction is more or less a throwaway joke, Chen’s now in a position to call back that exchange in a very exciting way.

Lucy’s New Position Makes It Easier For Her To Outdo Bailey In The Rookie Season 8

Chen Could Easily Wind Up Taking A Dangerous Call By Herself

Now that Chen’s officially a sergeant, Chen and Bradford’s relationship in The Rookie faces one less major obstacle. Unfortunately, making rank has also put Chen in charge of a squad that prefers to spend the night shift dozing off in the parking garage while Chen takes every incoming call on her own. Throughout much of The Rookie season 7 finale, every night call is exceptionally uninteresting. Nonetheless, if her squad continues this behavior, it’s only a matter of time before Chen answers a call on her own that turns out to be life-threatening.

Technically speaking, her squad already endangered the life of a fellow officer in The Rookie season 7 finale. While it’s tempting to give them credit for immediately responding when Chen wakes them up to save Miles Penn from the Eastern Front, Chen having to drive to the parking structure and wake them in the first place wasted time in a life-or-death situation. Miles was in a high-speed chase with a gang that had no qualms about killing out in the open. Night shift procrastination might very well sign a colleague’s death certificate one day, and Chen is at the greatest risk.

The Rookie Season 8 Sending Lucy On A Dangerous Solo Mission Would Benefit Her Storyline

It Would Affect Much More Than Her Unspoken Bailey Rivalry

Responding to a serious gang threat or similarly deadly call without backup would certainly outweigh Bailey’s most recent feats of bravado, not to mention Chen’s passion for undercover work could lead to her being exposed while her squadmates snooze in the surveillance van. If nothing else, Melissa O’Neil’s stunt driving training for The Rookie season 8 suggests Chen has at least one major action sequence coming up. But, in a way, taking on any of these risks solo could present Chen with a much better opportunity than the mere chance to one-up Nolan’s wife.Insubordination almost always boils down to a respect issue, and while a sergeant shouldn’t have to earn her squad’s respect for them to do their jobs, Chen resolving a particularly hazardous situation on her own would show the rest of the Mid-Wilshire night shift that she’s not someone to mess around with. If The Rookie chooses to have Bradford make a callback to their earlier conversation about Bailey when Chen tells him the story, then that would just be icing on Chen’s death-defying cake of righteousness.