ABC

‘The Rookie’ 5×20 Review: “S.T.R.”

After a long hiatus, we’re back! Although Chenford is one of the central focuses of The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.,” this one isn’t quite what we expected…and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ready?

Here we go!

The Past Always Knocks Twice

THE ROOKIE – “S.T.R.” – Officer Tim BradfordÕs ex-wife returns and asks the team to help her save someone from her undercover past. IsabelÕs return also creates additional pressure in Lucy and TimÕs relationship as they assist in the search. TUESDAY, APRIL 18 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Raymond Liu) MIRCEA MONROE

As we mentioned, The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” is not exactly what we expected. We thought that Chenford was going to be the focus of the episode and that they were going to have a conflict, solve it, and move on. However, this episode is only the beginning of a conflict that will escalate and explode later.

Consequently, while Chenford was an important part of the episode, it wasn’t the only main focus. The problem is that the other two focuses of the episode were intended as comic relief…which makes The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” an episode that is not well balanced. That doesn’t make it a bad episode, just different from what we expected to see.

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Focusing on Chenford, much of what we saw about them in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” it’s closely related to the case of the week, but there are a couple of points that are going to cause problems later.

Isabel’s presence stirs up a lot for Chenford in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” It’s inevitable that she and Tim think about the past together that it went overboard. However, this was necessary for both of them to have closure.

We don’t think that Isabel has any intention of winning Tim back, even subconsciously. She knows what she did wrong in the past and everything she lost because of it. Isabel grieves for what it could have been… but she is aware that the past will never return.

Tim, for his part, also regrets what could have been but he’s over it. His past with Isabel feels like another life and he is happy where and with whom he is. They just needed to talk to have a proper closure to their story.

**Present and Future Chenford Conflicts in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.”**

So we don’t think Isabel and the past are a problem for Chenford. But what Isabel represents does. And it’s seen in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” Isabel was an undercover cop and that ended up making her lose everything, including Tim. Now, Lucy is walking a similar path. Being an undercover cop is her calling. She likes it and knows it well, she wants this to be her career…but she’s afraid of losing Tim in the middle.

That is why she asks Isabel how it was for her in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” Lucy is afraid of losing herself at work, of the sacrifices she will have to make for it, and what that might mean. As Isabel tells her, not all undercover cop stories have to end like hers. Harper also went undercover and, while her personal life didn’t turn out well, she didn’t miss sobriety.

Yeah, the risk is there but it’s more risk that can mean for personal life. It doesn’t mean that it’s an unwritten rule but Lucy must compartmentalize very well all aspects of her life to avoid it. And our girl can do it!

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The question is: what about Tim? Lucy as an undercover cop, the secrets, the silences, the fight or flight that Lucy will feel every minute of every day, Tim holding his breath until he sees Lucy safe by his side… all of this will inevitably remind him of what he lived with Isabel and how it finished. And it will not be so easy to overcome it, as we see in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.”

Tim knows this, even though he tries to convince himself and Lucy otherwise. He knows. That’s why he is so serious, so pensive, and so… emotionally closed at the end of The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” He tries to convince himself that everything will be okay for both his and Lucy’s sake. Tim would never ask her to give up something she loves. But deep down, he knows nothing is right and he’s not sure he can go through it all again hoping it ends differently.

Tim avoids conflict at the end of The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.” much like Lucy does at the beginning of the episode when she doesn’t tell Tim how she really feels about him inviting Isabel to her house for breakfast and forgetting to tell her. But they both need to get out of that status quo of peace before the storm. Most of the time, storms are necessary because, without them, there would be no rainbow.

So all this, especially what the path Lucy is following means for Tim, will cause a conflict with Chenford a few episodes into the season finale… which is dangerous. The show can choose to fix it fast or something slower. We will see…

Well-Intentioned Jokes

As for the little joke that Tim makes with Isabel about Lucy in The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.,” we have to confess that it’s not a big deal for us. Is it inappropriate? Yes, almost as much as bringing your ex-wife to your current girlfriend’s house for breakfast without telling her first. Almost. But it’s only weird and inappropriate because it’s Isabel.

We mean, Tim did it without thinking because, many times, we laugh at some things that those we love the most do or say. Isabel is not the right person for it because of their story. But it’s nothing more than an innocent comment from Tim that serves as one more comic relief from The Rookie 5×20 “S.T.R.”