It seems like The Rookie season 8 has only just begun, and yet we've finally reached the final episode of the season! Heading into the finale, we were promised a moment eight seasons in the making along with a moment that no one would see coming, hinting that The Rookie would close out its season with a bang.
As the finale opens, Nolan is sinking in a body of water as bullets speed by him as he wakes up from the nightmare he just had. He stumbles into the kitchen, where he finds Bailey helping Dash with his college applications. Before Nolan heads out, Dash asks if Nolan could help write him a letter of recommendation, and Nolan offers to do his best in the tight timeline.
Tim goes to see Wesley and Angela and seems to be struggling to figure out how to ask Lucy. Angela notes that he has a day, maybe two, before she finds out. That's when we move on to the case that will be at the heart of the finale.
Everett, the man who crashed the prison transport plane earlier in the season, is being taken to court. Garza and Grey head to see Everett in prison to prepare him for his court appearance and make it clear that if anything goes wrong, they’ll bring down the full weight of the law on his legal team and move him to maximum security. Malcolm Walsh has joined Everett’s legal team.
Back at the precinct, Nolan asks for Tim’s help in writing a recommendation letter, but he admits he’s never written one as he shows Nolan the ring and packs it away in his pocket as Penn comes in ready for the day but doesn't get a reaction from either Tim or Nolan. Turns out Penn is anxious about his last day before graduation and is starting to get in his head and worried that perhaps he won’t be graduating.
Wesley seems to make a deal with the devil
Wesley gets a surprise visit from Malcolm, who has dropped by to make amends and to try to balance the scales. Malcolm makes it known that Tim is feeling like a little bitch as Everett wants the bribery charge dropped. He makes Wesley a deal: Get Tim to drop the charge and he’ll be paid handsomely.
After the meeting, Wesley arrives at the precinct and informs Tim he’s been hired to work the bribery claim and tries to get Tim to drop the charge. Tim does not take kindly to Wesley trying to leverage their friendship to get him to drop the charge and tells him to get out as Wesley presses him on whether he fingerprinted his body cam to have proof that it was Everett who turned the camera off.
We cut to the transport as Everett is placed in a van, and a heavy police escort joins Garza, Tim, Grey, Celina, and Nolan in accompanying them to the courthouse. On the ride in, Tim questions whether Grey is going to want his job back once the task force finishes its case with Everett, and he suggests not being sure what’s next but offering to step in when Tim is away for his wedding.
Tim mentions that he’s struggling with the proposal as Grey encourages him to not worry so much about being flashy but about making it memorable.
As they’re crossing the bridge, they go into high alert, stopping the transport as a helicopter emerges and they take heavy fire. Attached to the helicopter is a super-sized magnet, which is used to lift the transport vehicle into the air and carry it away.
The search for Everett begins after he escapes during the transport
After the magnet carries Everett away, Lucy is tasked with finding a way to keep things in check at the precinct while finding extra manpower to help with the search, and things get chaotic quickly. Penn offers to head out to the streets to help, but she orders him to stay put and keep things in order at the precinct while she goes out to try to coordinate.
The helicopter and van are found abandoned with the transport officers tied up. They notice Everett taken away by a number of vehicles and began coming up with a plan to get him. That’s when Tim notices the ring isn’t in his car and calls Nolan to ask for his help searching for the ring on the scene of the crime where they were ambushed. Nolan offers to help and brings Celina into the fold to help with the search.
Back at the precinct, Malcolm is brought in for questioning and informs Angela and Garza that he will be recording the call and coming for them both should they allege he had anything to do with Everett's escape. That's when Angela notes she’s been chatting with the FBI about her suspicions about the role Malcolm played in the various cases he's worked as of late and that Garza is going to use every resource to look into Malcolm, which will knock him down to the minor leagues. His other option is helping them find Everett. Malcolm notes he denies there is any truth to Angela’s allegations as he stops recording. He then tells Garza about hearing Everett take a call asking if Demetrius was ready. He then leaves as Garza and Angela question the validity of the tip but run with it.
Penn works to handle the overflow as an armed man emerges from holding and begins firing off shots. Lucy and Penn manage to secure the gun, but not before he fired off multiple shots. Lucy makes it clear to Penn that everyone needs to be searched during processing as she and Harper question Penn over the search and whether he missed any steps. Making matters even worse for him is the fact that the prisoner who was shot died on the ride to the hospital.
While Nolan and Celina were unable to find the ring, they did recover some parts from a drone that caused them to have to pull over during the transport. They head out to drop off some pieces of a drone to evidence. On the way, Dash calls Nolan to check in about his letter, and Nolan assures him he'll help get it in before the deadline.
The GPS from the drone showed that it was connected to a company called Demerits LLC, which has several ships. They believe they’re going to use one of these ships to transport Everett. They assemble a team to search the boat, and everyone loads up as they head out to the boat, including Bailey, who suits up as a medic to support on the scene.
The plan is to split into three teams: Team 1 will search the top decks, Team 2 the bottom decks, and Team 3 will disable the engine so they can’t leave. The odds are not the best, and Tim admits the odds they pull this off are incredibly low.
Tim and Lucy split up and begin clearing their floors of the ship, locking Everett’s men up as they go room to room quietly. Nolan and Celina do the same, working to clear the area without giving their presence away. Meanwhile, Garza, Grey, and Walker head to the engine room and kill the engine.
Tim and Lucy find the nest, but it’s empty with no signs of Everett. That’s when Nolan and Celina spot him with seven other men and call for backup. Alarms begin to go off as gunfire goes off. The group is able to secure Everett and throw him down to the boat outside waiting for them. Nolan stays back as the others head down and we hear gunshots as Bailey looks on with concern.
Nolan takes heavy fire but makes it out alive
Up in the ship, Nolan is taking heavy fire and has to think on his feet. He spots a car and jumps in, driving up to the top of the ship, taking heavy gunfire as he drives through. Once up top, he jumps into the water below, and we revisit the scene that opened the episode and realize this was no nightmare.
Just when it looks like all hope might be lost for Nolan, Bailey jumps in and pulls him up to the surface.
When Bailey and Nolan arrive back home, Dash is waiting for them to thank them for helping him. He admits their letters meant so much to him and feels really nice. Dash admits he’s been thinking and doesn’t want to go to college; he’d like to take a year or two off to try his hand at indie filmmaking. Nolan admits that without the foundation of his old life, his current life wouldn't exist as he assures Dash that there will always be a path of reinvention and his choices now won’t define his future.
As for Penn? Back at the precinct, Harper reveals that Penn was not to blame. The officers from the night shift failed to do a proper sweep, which allowed the prisoner to hide the gun in the lockup room. He asks about his status as a rookie, and Harper asks if he counted the days he was in specialized training and admits he has a few more weeks as a rookie, but she notes that given how he handled himself today, she’ll put in a request to move that timeline up.
Tim and Lucy are taken captive by Everett's men after his proposal
Angela drops by to see Tim and admits that Wesley only helped Malcolm so he could look into him. That’s not the only good news she’s come bearing, as she’s also found Tim’s engagement ring. Their chat is interrupted as Lucy comes to the door and he invites her for a walk on the beach.
The pair stroll along; he gets down on one knee, and we get the proposal we’ve been waiting eight years for as Tim bares his heart and promises to spend the rest of his life being worthy of her love as he asks her to marry him. Thankfully, Lucy accepts the proposal, and the pair embrace, giving fans the moment they’ve been waiting seasons for.
Their happy ending is cut short when a couple walks up alongside them and injects them both in the neck with an unknown substance. Before they lose consciousness and have bags placed on their heads, the woman tells Tim that “Heath Everett says payback is a bitch.”
Of course, The Rookie couldn't let fans enjoy the Chenford proposal without a shocking twist that is definitely going to keep fans talking until season 9.
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