John Nolan has come a long way on The Rookie, but his recent actions show that he still has a lot to learn and that he should face major repercussions. Played by Nathan Fillion, Nolan is no longer the titular figure among The Rookie season 7’s cast of characters. Instead, he has forgone countless other career paths to become a well-liked training officer in his own right. However, that didn’t stop him from some extremely poor, reckless, and downright frustrating decisions in The Rookie season 7, episode 3, “Out of Pocket.”
Throughout the latest episode of The Rookie, Nolan continued to fret about the safety of his wife, Bailey (Jenna Dewan) ahead of her season 7 return. That worry translated into fitting their home with an elaborate security system and trying to track down a renowned assassin who was also after Bailey’s dangerous ex-husband. Both turned out to be massive mistakes. Where the former security system was played for laughs, more alarming was his encounter with the aforementioned assassin. It ended up being a situation for which Nolan should face severe consequences rather than be glossed over like it was.
Nolan Made Rookie Mistakes In Season 7, Episode 3 But Even Worse
In the wake of Aaron Thorsen’s poorly-handled exit in The Rookie season 7, two new “boots” joined the ranks of the LAPD. They came in the form of Seth and Miles, who were assigned to Lucy and Tim, respectively. Their training hit a huge stumbling block in The Rookie season 7, episode 3, “Out of Pocket,” however, when Seth and Miles defied orders and rushed into a hostage situation. Though the situation had a happy ending, Seth and Miles received a severe dressing down from their superiors, and it was only by pure luck they weren’t fired.
That made it all the more damning when Nolan did the same thing later in the episode. After a tip from Smitty, Nolan was able to track the assassin and corner him without back-up. The situation escalated into a stand-off which saw a hostage taken. Unlike season 7’s Aaron replacements Seth and Miles, Nolan’s situation ended a lot worse. The hostage ended up shot and fighting for his life, while the assassin escaped. It was a frustrating turn of events, especially since, as a training officer now, Nolan should be leading by example.
Why Nolan Needs To Deal With The Consequences Of His Errors In The Rookie
The only reason Seth and Miles weren’t fired was because of how public their hostage rescue was. Given that the corruption scandal was still raging, the LAPD decided it would be positive publicity. Regardless, they were made to write lines saying “I will not go rogue” and it was stated just how thin the ice they were skating on was. That fact will no doubt be reflected in Lucy and Tim giving them short shrift while on future patrols. Tim, especially, knows of the consequences of going rogue, having been demoted for it in The Rookie season 6.
When it came to Nolan, however, the scenario he’d ended up in was treated as one to rescue him from. His friends and colleagues focused on him potentially being in danger and ignored that it was a position he himself had created. Though Nolan managed to keep the wounded man alive, it wouldn’t have happened had Nolan just followed protocol. Now that man is likely traumatized, and a dangerous killer has walked away scot-free.
Despite all of that, there was no reprimand or consequences to be found, in what can only be described as a bad case of main character syndrome. Instead, things shifted back to the comedy storyline and even rewarded him with the early return of Bailey Nune’s character. Even instinctively interfering in Celina’s plain clothes day came with more punishment, as Celina firmly enlightened him. If the show wants to remain consistent, then The Rookie should rectify that lack of consequence soon, as they did with Miles, Seth, and Tim.
