We’re back! The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place’ presents a rather murky and dark case that stirs up some of Lucy’s worst memories while she and Tim are adjusting to living together and Seth unexpectedly re-enters Miles’ life. Ready?
Here we go!
Traumatic Memories
This week’s case in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place’ is a disturbing one. Especially for Lucy. When she hears Julie talk about how she feels, about her guilt for not having done more, for what she could have done differently… she saw herself reflected in her. Lucy also felt this way after her kidnapping.
It’s not something Lucy has said out loud or shared with anyone for fear of seeming foolish or weak—though she’s neither. They didn’t do anything wrong. What happened to them isn’t their fault. But it’s normal to feel this way. It’s normal that they feel that if they had made different choices, everything would be different. And they hate and blame themselves for not having done so.
However, that’s not fair. The only ones responsible for what happened to them are the monsters who kidnapped them. No one else. And there’s nothing they could done differently to change what happened. The monsters had them in their sights. And Lucy and Julie did the only thing they could do: they survived. That’s all that matters.
Julie and Lucy are incredibly strong and brave, and from what we saw in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place,’ Julie will recover. Just like Lucy did. That said, we liked learning a little more about how Lucy felt after what happened to her and what it was like for her to deal with her trauma. And we love that she and Lucy formed this bond, and the show portrays them for what they are: survivors.
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Incomplete Move-In in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place’
Not everything was bad for Lucy in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place.’ Living with Tim has its advantages…but also some disadvantages. Those boxes are a problem and making Tim grumpier. We didn’t like how harsh he was with Lucy, but we loved that he realized it wasn’t right. That shows how much he grown.
Playing devil’s advocate with this box situation, we understand both points of view. Tim needs Lucy’s things to be integrated into the house because that will make it real and, in a way, permanent. And having the boxes with all her things lying around makes it all seem too…temporary. Almost as if Lucy could change her mind about moving in at any moment and take her things with her.
Lucy, on the other hand, wants to take things slower for the same reason. She loves Tim, but as she told him in episode 1, some wounds leave scars that haven’t fully healed yet. So part of her is afraid that moving out will feel so real, like there’s no going back. And those boxes there, in the middle of the living room, make Lucy feel like, if she needs to, she’ll have a way out.
However, after the day she has in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place,’ Lucy realizes that’s garbage. She doesn’t need a way out because she loves Tim and wants nothing more than to live with him and build a life together. Putting it off is just wasting time. So she decides to make it final…or watch Tim do it. What a queen!
MORE: The Rookie Season 8, Episode 2 Review: ‘Fast Andy’
Learning from Mistakes
We didn’t expect to see Seth in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place!’ Seth is wallowing in self-pity, but the worst part it’s that he still refuses to take responsibility for his actions. He blames everyone around him for what happened to him. Anything but accept his own role in all of it. Miles genuinely wanted to help him, and Seth treated him like garbage.
That said, Seth is right about one thing: Miles doesn’t know how he feels. Empty words or pointless conversation aren’t going to help Seth. The first thing Seth needs is to be heard. But he also needs boundaries and to stop acting like he didn’t do anything wrong. He needs to take responsibility for his mistakes so he can learn from them.
That’s why we’re so proud of Miles when he does exactly that in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place.’ He’s willing to help Seth and listen to him, but not to play along. And we really hope this works out and that, this time, Seth respects the most important rule: don’t lie.
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Other Stuff in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 ‘The Red Place’
- It was weird when Celina asked Lucy about what happened to her. It was like, ‘Hey, remember when a killer kidnapped you and you almost died? Well, we can talk about it if you want.’
- We wouldn’t have complained if, in one scene, Lucy had told Tim about her day, traumatic memories included, while he hugged her tightly.
- We finally saw them have breakfast together!
- Chenford domestic bliss is the best!
- Miles still has hope for Seth…we don’t have as much, but we hope he really starts to get better.
- This episode was a dark one. I never thought this show would ever be this dark, but it shows they’re really going for it this season.
- This episode put Brianna Blake on our radar. Her performance as Julie was brilliant. It gave us chills in the best possible way.
The Rookie Season 8 airs Tuesdays — but remember that starting next week it will be air on Mondays — at 10 pm on ABC.
