The Rookie Season 7, Episode 2 Review: I’m Thrilled About Nyla & Angela’s Substantial Screen Time After Their Neglect In Season 6

The Rookie season 7 got off to a semi-decent start during its premiere, but luckily its second episode shows improvement, suggesting it will only get better as time passes. Alexi Hawley’s police procedural drama has come a long way since its first season. Whereas Nathan Fillion’s John Nolan was one of the first-year police officers at the show’s beginning, he is now one of the training officers teaching new rookies. However, even as a TO, Nolan is still very much learning.

“The Watcher” features Nolan letting Celina Juarez take the reins (or at least trying to) on Plain Clothes Day, while Nyla Harper deals with issues at home and Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen attempt to overcome their rookies’ mistakes. Overall, episode 2 is simple, but that’s what makes it superior to The Rookie’s underwhelming season 7 premiere. Of course, it isn’t without its faults. The season still has a lot of room for improvement, but “The Watcher” is a good sign of what’s to come in the next 16 episodes.

The Rookie Season 7 Returns To The Glory Days Of Episodic Formats

As Hawley promised before the season 7 premiere, the procedural is returning to its classic episodic format. Essentially, many season 7 episodes (like “The Watcher”) will feature stories that begin and end within the hour, similar to how The Rookie began. Episode 1, “The Shot,” also contains these one-and-done plotlines. However, that style doesn’t work as well in a premiere as in a regular episode, which is why episode 2 is more successful.

“The Shot” should have thoroughly addressed the cliffhangers from the season 6 finale so The Rookie could move on to bigger and better things. Instead, the big questions still linger over episode 2 (despite it being a great episode in and of itself). It’s unclear where Jason Wyler, Oscar Hutchinson, or Monica Stevens are or what their plans are next. So, episode 2 is easy to enjoy when we can ignore the previous cliffhangers. That said, it’s difficult to disregard them when they are the furthest thing from being solved.

Nevertheless, the episode features the exciting return of Plain Clothes Day (which Celina passes with flying colors) and the team catching a vigilante and their copycat, both intriguing stories that conclude at episode’s end. “The Watcher” also successfully touches upon overarching storylines. The ABC series continues teasing Celina’s rookie year coming to a close, Nolan’s self-doubt over being a good TO, Tim and Lucy’s romantic tension, and Wesley’s jealousy.

Nyla & Angela (Finally) Get More Substantial Screen Time

One of the biggest improvements over episode 1 is the increase in Nyla and Angela’s screen time. Nyla gets a worthwhile story concerning her home life, while Angela is there to support her friend. Nyla and husband James fight over policing issues (a sore spot in their relationship since they met) and she questions whether they got married too soon. It’s a serious argument and Nyla retreats to Angela’s house for an escape, emphasizing their strong bond.

Nyla and Angela were severely neglected throughout The Rookie season 6’s ten episodes. Season 7 must make up for their disappointing lack of screen time and episode 2 is a good start. Hopefully, season 7 will continue prioritizing Nyla and Angela (and Grey, for that matter) instead of solely focusing on Nolan, Tim, and Lucy.

The Rookie Season 7, Episode 2 Continues Setting Up Miles & Seth For Success

It will always be hard for new characters to succeed in an established show, but Miles and Seth are on the right track in season 7. Following Aaron’s disappointing The Rookie exit, the series introduced Miles and Seth as Mid-Wilshire’s two new rookies, and each character has intriguing stories after only two episodes. They also couldn’t be more different, which significantly helps them both.

The Rookie season 7 makes it easy for us to care about the two new kids, which is a difficult feat for any TV series.

Miles is arrogant and compulsive but, as the first two episodes prove, Miles is much more complex and relatable than his first impression led us to believe. Meanwhile, Seth is naive and anxious, but Lucy’s rookie also has a heart of gold and a heartbreaking backstory. The Rookie season 7 makes it easy for us to care about the two new kids, which is a difficult feat for any TV series this far into its run.