Pilot (The Rookie)

Pilot
The Rookie episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Liz Friedlander
Written by	Alexi Hawley
Original air date	October 16, 2018 (2018-10-16)
Guest appearances
Mircea Monroe as Isabel Bradford Tessa James as Rey Anthony Bonaventura as Lance Selby Renes Rivera as Carlo Julie Ann Emery as Stacy

Pilot is the pilot episode of American television series The Rookie. This episode begins the storylines of the regular characters. It received a mixed bag of reviews from critics who all did praise Fillion's acting. The character of Tim Bradford did receive some criticism despite the twist in his backstory. The episode aired on October 16, 2018 on ABC.

Premise

In Foxberg, Pennsylvania, John Nolan is sitting in his truck outside a bank reading his divorce papers when Stacy a bank employee informs him that he can come in. They discuss his divorce while Stacy opens his safety deposit box where he places the divorce papers and his wedding ring. As John is leaving the bank two robbers appear and attempt to rob the bank. John keeps one of them talking until the police show and apprehend them. Stacy tells him that he was brave.

Nine months later in Los Angeles, John has graduated the police academy and is starting his career alongside fellow rookies Lucy Chen and Jackson West. Lucy on her way to work arrested a man who attempted to carjack her broken down car while Jackson has always dreamed of being a police officer as his father is a police officer. Angela Lopez and Talia Bishop tell Nolan that he has to present himself to Captain Zoe Anderson where she informs him that he was punked. In roll call, Sergeant Wade Grey places Nolan with Talia Bishop, Chen with Tim Bradford and West with Angela Lopez. After roll call, Grey berates Nolan for being a middle-aged man trying out the police service. Bradford, Bishop and Lopez brief the rookies about setting up the police vehicles and bodycams. Nolan and Bishop's first call is to a domestic disturbance where it appears a well-built man is abusing his wife, but it is soon revealed that the woman is the abuser, but the man won't admit it. Bradford tests Chen by suddenly stopping the car claiming to be shot and asking where the nearest hospital is, when she can't answer he makes her jog alongside the car. When a car with Spanish speaking gardeners blares their horn at them, Bradford abruptly exits the police car and has Chen translate a racist tirade which she doesn't, and he reveals it was another test. West and Lopez respond to a call where a lesbian couple broke into somebody's house just to have sex as a turn on. Nolan, Bishop, Chen and Bradford then respond to a call where a man is damaging cars, the man claims to be hunting a unicorn where Nolan tries to get him to stop damaging the vehicles which he succeeds in, but the man runs off, Nolan and Chen chase him. Nolan takes a shortcut but gets caught in a fence while Chen tackles the man to the ground. The man's wife rings him, and it's revealed that his son, Lucas is missing to which the man says a "unicorn" has him. Due to the heat everyone rushes to find Lucas which Nolan does and tries to break the car window with his baton, but Bishop breaks the window with a window punch device.

At lunch, the rookies discuss their day so far while the training officers discuss their rookies. Bishop informs Nolan that they're being called back to the domestic disturbance which has escalated, the wife has stabbed the husband in the neck, Bishop retrains the wife while Nolan tries to but unsuccessfully save the husband and he dies in Nolan's arms. When Grey comes to the scene to get a report, Bishop commends Nolan for his bravery, but Grey sees it as an issue due to Nolan being older.

That night at a bar, a barmaid hits on Nolan where Chen and West joke about it being his first badge bunny, the barmaid leave him her number on a napkin while Chen and West sing Cheers (Drink to That) on a karaoke machine. It's then revealed in the morning that Chen and Nolan are in a relationship.

Back at work, Grey hazes Nolan by showing his fellow officers the video of him getting stuck and then announces in roll call about a wanted felon, Lance Selby who has violated his parole, Nolan notices that he and Bishop could speak to a known associate of Selby. At the gym owned by Selby's associate, Nolan notices a hiding hole of drugs. Meanwhile Bradford takes Chen to a bodega where outside he orders her to search a suspect who fights her, but she overpowers and arrests him. Bradford is shocked to see a woman at the bodega who demands his money which he gives. He then tells Chen that she is to release the man and that the woman is his wife Isabel who he hasn't seen in a year. Bishop radios for assistance in going to apprehend Selby where Bradford informs, he'll respond. He and Chen arrive first and decide to park in an alleyway where Selby starts shooting at them, Bradford gets injured, Chen radios for help and back up while returning fire. Bishop and Nolan arrive where Nolan rushes to Chen's aid and leaves Bishop to deal with a criminal on her own who she subdues. Selby then starts shooting at the patrol car with West and Lopez in it, Lopez returns shots but West freezes and doesn't shoot back. Selby briefly takes a hostage where Nolan tries to talk him down but then shoots Selby in the leg and arrests him.

Later, Bishop informs Nolan that Bradford made it out of surgery, but Grey berates Nolan for leaving Bishop. Anderson informs Grey that she feels Nolan deserves a chance because it's valuable having someone with Nolan's perspective. Nolan informs Grey he has no intention of quitting. Bishop informs Chen that she is aware of her relationship with Nolan and advises her to break it off. Lopez chastises West for freezing and informs him if it happens again, she'll ring his father and tell him. Grey informs Nolan that the job is his calling but that if the job is Nolan's calling nothing he can do will matter.

Development

Nathan Fillion who portrays John Nolan

On 26 October 2017, it was reported in Deadline that Nathan Fillion had been cast in The Rookie. Nellie Andreeva who reported the story said "Nathan Fillion is returning to ABC with a new light crime drama series. In a competitive situation, ABC has nabbed The Rookie, starring and executive produced by the former Castle star, with straight-to-series order. The show, from The Mark Gordon Company and ABC Studios, reunites Fillion with his Castle executive producer/co-showrunner Alexi Hawley." It was then explained "Written by Hawley, The Rookie is inspired by a true story. Fillion plays John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD. At an age where most are at the peak of their career, Nolan cast aside his comfortable, small-town life and moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of being a cop. Now, surrounded by rookies twenty years his junior, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, humorous and unpredictable world of a "young" cop, determined to make his second shot at life count.

On 7 February 2018 Variety reported that Afton Williamson and Eric Winter had been cast as Talia Bishop and Tim Bradford respectively. Their characters got billed as "Williamson will play Talia Bishop, a newly promoted training officer whose first assignment is Fillion's forty-year-old rookie. Winter will play Tim Bradford, an overbearing training officer." The following day Deadline announced that Melissa O'Neil had been cast as a love interest for Fillion, it was said "After casting Nathan Fillion's new female partner, ABC's straight-to-series light crime drama The Rookie has locked in a potential new love interest for the Castle alum. Dark Matter alumna Melissa O'Neil has been cast as one of the female leads in The Rookie, starring and executive produced by Castle alum Fillion."

Actor Richard T. Jones was then cast in the show with his announcement coming on February 12, 2018. Andreeva reported "Wisdom of the Crowd's Richard T. Jones is set to co-star opposite Nathan Fillion in ABC's straight-to-series light crime drama The Rookie, toplined and executive produced by the Castle alum."

On 15 February 2018, Titus Makin Jr. was then cast as Jackson West. It was reported "Makin will play Officer Jackson West, an eager rookie whose father is a high-level commander in the LAPD."

Denise Petski of Deadline then reported on 23rd February 2018, details of Alyssa Diaz's character by reporting "Diaz will play Angela, an LAPD Training Officer on the cusp of making detective-trainee. That all gets threatened when she gets assigned to Jackson West. Not only does she have to play the usual politics within her own station house, she now has her hands full with an entitled rookie whose father has a say in her career at the LAPD."

Mercedes Mason was the last of the regulars to be cast, it was said "Mason will play Capt. Zoe Andersen, Nolan's confident and irreverent commanding officer."

Reception

Ariba Bhuvad writing for TV and City gave the episode a B- highlighting some issues including "Some of the characters, however, try too hard and it comes across in the execution of their dialogue. Case in point is Winter's character, Tim, who is just an a**hole all around, and sometimes tries too hard to be so. However, there is a moment in the pilot that does momentarily show a softer side to him, so there's that." She added some positive notes by saying "I enjoyed the dynamic of the cast, and I think it works well for the plot of the show, and with Fillion at the front and center, everything comes together nicely."

Kevin Yeoman of Screen Rant gave the episode a positive review by saying "What makes The Rookie's pilot episode stand out is the degree to which it shows instead of tells. Or, rather, the way it gets all its telling out of the way with an opening sequence that favors brevity over long-winded explanations of why Nolan relocates to Los Angeles to be a police officer after a lifetime of construction work and a recently failed marriage. The opening is free from too many extraneous details, it has an admirable "just the facts" quality to it that, in addition to being playful almost to the point of being absurd — Nolan stalls a would-be bank robber by telling him (and the audience) his life story — it also demonstrates a willingness to let the past be the past and to put Nolan's uncertain future in the driver's seat." He then concluded by saying "The hour shifts between incidents requiring a police response with surprising frequency, never stopping on one case long enough to give its characters time to breathe. That pace also provides plenty of time for the cops' personalities to intermingle and clash where necessary, creating a more believable (if heightened) world for the show's characters to interact and grow among one another. Though it's not a home run, The Rookie is a better-than-expected new series in what has otherwise been a disappointing fall season."

Christine Orlando of TVFanatic reviewed the episode by saying "I must admit that I didn't have high hopes for The Rookie." She then changed her viewpoint and said "That brings me to this review where I have to eat my previous words because The Rookie Season 1 Episode 1 was damn good. It's a unique cross between the now-defunct Southland and Rookie Blue. It's not quite as dark and serious Southland but not as light as Rookie Blue. It is a solid, entertaining middle ground. Fillion is darn near perfect as John Nolan. Nolan made me chuckle even while feeling his despair in this The Rookie quote: 'Right now I'm just trying to remember to wear pants.'" She concluded the review by saying "Although this is Officer John Nolan's story, he is the rookie in the title; I like that it involves an entire team of characters with their own backgrounds and stories, and it's a good sign that I already care about many of them."

Dino-Ray Ramos of Deadline gave the episode a mixed review due to some of the jokes made in the episode over Nolan's age. He highlighted "The "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" premise is one that has been tackled by TV series and movies many times before, and The Rookie is thrown on the pile and easily can get lost in the shuffle. Within the first 10 minutes of the series, Sgt. Grey lobs old-age cracks at John during a briefing meeting introducing the new recruits. He says one of the three is "pushing an expiration date" and that he was "born before disco died." These jokes get old — and irritating — fast. It's one thing to have old-age jokes throughout the pilot to provide fuel for character growth, but to have them be so basic and bland makes it worse and takes away from the intent of the show." Ramos then highlighted "John Nolan definitely is the type of character suited for Fillion — a mature, thoughtful man with baggage who is trying to live a new life post-divorce. As he enters the police force, we see his experiences of responding to calls of domestic abuse and see him go on a foot chase in hot pursuit of a negligent father. As a rookie, he gets hyper-criticized for his work — and I get it. As one of the new kids on the block, a considerable amount of hazing is in order. But when you throw in the stale, mean-spirited old-age insults, it pretty much negates everything about this show that could potentially make it decent."

External Links

• "Pilot" at IMDb