Like his lies, no one sees Seth Ridley (Patrick Keleher) coming when he returns to Mid-Wilshire in The Rookie Season 7, Episode 16, “The Return.” The logline for the episode airing on Tuesday, April 29 reads as, “The team has mixed feelings when a familiar face returns hoping to prove himself. Meanwhile, an influencer gets his fans to come after Wesley (Shawn Ashmore), and Tim (Eric Winter) supports Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) as she prepares for the sergeant’s exam.” Ridley’s return throws the entire station out of whack as his reputation enters rooms before he does. ABC released a sneak peek of the episode, previewing Ridley’s return, which triggers a series of events.
Once bitten, twice shy, and Lucy has been bitten by Ridley more than once. It stands to reason that she would not want to revisit that while also trying to pass her sergeant’s exam. Ridley’s return spreads around the division like wildfire, and everyone is surprised. Many could have sworn that his career was over since the LAPD keeps rookies on a tight leash. No one can hide their surprise when he shows up and announces that he’s back on the FTO program. Lucy makes sure to spread the message that Ridley is bad news. “He is a danger to any case he works on and any cop he works with,” Lucy laments. He’s assigned to John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), who brings out a side of himself that people rarely see. “Your previous errors have been documented. I won’t believe anything you say. I am your nightmare TO,” Nolan says with uncharacteristic firmness. Other cops like Tim hope the problem will solve itself soon enough, and Ridley will wash out. But will that happen before his behavior lands people in danger?
The Sergeant Exam Is Huge for Lucy in ‘The Rookie’ Season 7
Lucy’s performance on the sergeant exam will greatly affect her future. It allows her to move up in the LAPD and solves a major problem she and Tim have been having. Career-wise, they will finally be on the same level, and the skewed power dynamics will resolve themselves. “It’s very necessary for Lucy to pass that for them to get on equal footing, if they were to be together. But I do think that her finally realizing that she has forgiven him — and him having done the emotional work on himself he needed to — is a good sign,” showrunner Alexi Hawley told TV Line. There will be some waiting, but Hawley promised that viewers will get answers soon enough. “We’ll know the answer before the end of the season and maybe we’ll have a bit of storytelling with that,” he said.
