The Rookie Season 4 Episode 21 Review: Mother’s Day
It was an eventful Mother’s Day.
Angela’s day went about as well as you’d expect for her on The Rookie Season 4 Episode 21 when a case fell into her lap after getting personal. At the same time, Harper threw herself into work.
But Nolan took a sizeable blow to his dreams and plans as a T.O.
The anti-rich thieves who went on a crime spree were a bit of a snooze fest. It took us a bit before we even learned what their motivations were beyond a fun lie of crime for kicks.
And it was an odd collection of cases that comprised their crime spree. The whole situation with the actress on set felt silly. And there was nothing memorable about them stealing a Porsche from some fancy restaurant.
Marina: They made my character, so I got pregnant in real life.
Grey: She’s method.
Their case got interesting when they imposed on a Mother’s Day brunch, held everyone at gunpoint, and got away with Angela’s Mother’s Day bracelet and many other expensive and sentimental belongings from others.
Angela’s quiet, confident assertion that she would catch them and have them in cuffs sooner rather than later was exciting. It gave you the impression that she was about to kick some major ass when she poured her all into finding this Great Value modern-day Bonnie & Clyde.
And sure, they went on their spree and had most of the LAPD looking for them. They even engaged in a shootout with cops. But overall, the potential for what this storyline could’ve been was better than its reality.
They teased a fun cat-and-mouse and a supremely pissed-off Angela, and we got the opposite of that exciting premise. The arc fell short, which was a bit disappointing. It’s always fun when we spend more time with Angela Lopez.
But she had more passion and irritation when she was burning a hole through Wesley for sleeping in on Mother’s Day instead of making her breakfast or taking care of the baby.
The storyline meant we had Wesley’s mother around more, and she had many amusing moments as she seemed to serve as the unit mother of whom everyone sought advice or comfort.
She had plenty of that for her son, too. She’s not wrong about the good that can come from Wesley working in the D.A.’s office. I think everyone is overselling and incredibly ambitious about how much power and influence Wesley would have there.
Nevertheless, there’s some merit in the argument that if he wants to change the system and how citizens are routinely railroaded and overcharged, then he could do that as a prosecutor.
Wesley: I’m thinking of changing jobs.
Angela: To what?
Wesley: There is an open spot in the D.A.’s office.
It’s still a bit of a headspin how quickly his suspension ended, and now he’s talking about jumping into a different position. Whatever the case may be, you felt his anger and frustration.
It was disturbing to hear that his client faced a felony charge for stealing food to eat. It’s criminalizing the poor for being poor, which does nothing to stop the cycle of poverty, only ensures it keeps spinning.
On the topic of spinning, what exactly are they doing with Chenford? Whether you ship the pairing or not, it’s obvious that the series loves playing with these two.
They spent the entire installment with their back and forth bantering because Lucy pointed out that a trip to Hawaii could give Tim’s girlfriend the wrong idea.
The storyline was a bit dry, but only because, unlike Bailey, who is shoved down our throats ad-nauseam, we see Ashley so infrequently that I genuinely forget she exists or that Tim is still dating her. And to be honest, I also forgot her name.
If all of that isn’t already a bad sign as far as the longevity of their relationship, Ashley laughed off Lucy’s presumption when Tim talked to her. Somehow, in however long they’ve been dating, she and Tim never spoke about the future.
Ashely said she wasn’t the marrying or motherhood type, and Tim appeared stunned and disappointed by that revelation. It’s a sure sign that they’re doomed.
Not only has the series not invested in this relationship at all, but they gave us a reason to write it off completely.
Nevertheless, Lucy and Chris are doing marginally better. However, it’s only a matter of time before he takes issue with Lucy’s deeper feelings for Tim. She almost freaked out when she saw him “propose” to Ashley.
They’re teasing something there for these two partners, but at this point, they need to pull the trigger on it or drop it altogether.
Some of the sweeter personal moments came from things like Grey trying to figure out what to get his wife and settling on those horseback riding lessons and an evening trot together.
We saw the soft, sweet side to him there, and it was cute that he succeeded in giving his wife the perfect gift.
Donovan’s mother seems like such a sweetheart, and it’s good to know that she didn’t even approve of her son being such a jerk to Harper, especially when keeping their daughter away from her on Mother’s Day.
Soon enough, I’ll be putting a different kind of bracelets on you.
Angela
Harper is the daughter that his mom never had, and not only was their scene sweet, but it may you wish that Donovan’s mom stuck around, and we got to see that relationship build.
It’s an absence of mothers in this series, and others, like Chen, have “mommy issues.” We could use some of that familial energy. It would have even been sweet, albeit weird if Donovan’s mother stuck around more and helped Harper through this pregnancy.
Grey and Nolan never have a shortage of solid moments when they team up together. Nolan wanted to go for the T.O. position, and Grey was the perfect person to prepare him for it.
They handled their informant well enough, especially when the gangs came after him and his mother. And it’s a testament of a mother’s love that she chose to go into WITSEC with her son after all of that.
I have no interest in being married or having kids. I’m not wired that way.
Ashley
But after most of the season went by before they revisited Nolan’s career aspirations, the storyline lost the momentum it deserved. It was hard to recall that Nolan faced resistance and blocks from higher-ups.
Now, he’s in a catch-22. If he declines the temporary transfer assignment, he’ll face all types of flack for resisting a direct order. However, it means that he can’t take the exam either.
And the next exam won’t happen until another two years. Nolan is getting stonewalled from climbing the ranks, and it sucks.
He’s a great enough cop where he should have a plethora of options for advancement, but they all fall through for one reason or another, and it’s unfair.
Over to you, Rookie Fanatics. Are you bummed for Nolan? Should Wesley become a prosecutor? Sound off below.
You can watch The Rookie online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
