Angela is a badass, but is she badass enough to take down Elijah and Abril now that they’re working together?
Our TV Fanatics, Jasmine, Denis, and Christine, are here to debate the action-packed The Rookie Season 5 Episode 15.
What was Angela’s best badass moment? Is Monica a dead woman walking, or will she turn on Elijah? What was Nolan’s mother’s most surprising con? And is Bailey starting to win any fans? Read on to find out.
What was most shocking: Angela going to Elijah, Wesley going to Abril, or Elijah reaching out to Abril?
Jasmine: I love a good “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” We already knew Angela would go to Elijah and that it would likely be a ruse. And the “Previously On” flashes had to be leading somewhere while showing Abril. I didn’t expect Elijah and Abril to team up, though, so that was the bigger shock for me, and I rather enjoyed that.
Denis: Definitely Elijah and Abril teaming up. Each separately is a formidable foe but both of them together? Like Grey said, they are grenades, and now the pins are off, and the grenades are in the same room.
Christine: Yeah, I didn’t expect Elijah to go to Abril. That was a definite game-changer. The two of them working together puts Angela, Wesley, and Jack in even greater danger.
I’m relieved that Angela and Wesley are working with the FBI, but it’s still going to be a hell of a fight to take both Abril and Elijah down and keep their family safe.
Once again, Angela was a badass. What was her best moment in the episode?
Jasmine: I was and still am one of the first to criticize the show for how it keeps bringing back baddies and running their return and ability to wreak havoc into the ground. I even noted as much when Elijah was back yet again.
But I enjoyed every second of Angela and Elijah’s one-on-one moments. Alyssa Diaz and Brandon Jay McLaren killed this episode and are so great together. I loved every single scene with them.
Denis: The opening scene. I was on the lookout for a tell that might betray her intentions, but Miss Diaz can act. I would have been fooled if I were Elijah.
Christine: I loved when Angela told him, “if it was just me, I’d fight you in the street with a claw hammer.” I have no doubt. Although she was right when she told Wesley a sniper rifle would be the smarter way to go, but perhaps not quite as satisfying.
Will Elijah kill Monica now that the FBI has arrested her, or will she agree to help take Elijah down?
Jasmine: Possibly both. I don’t think it’s an either/or with death and working with the Feds. She still seems too arrogant and full of herself to work with the Feds right now, but Wesley pointed out that she’s a survivor, so she may go along for self-serving reasons.
I just don’t see Monica making it out of this season alive, though. I feel like Elijah killing her is inevitable.
Denis: She is a firm believer in fighting for her clients, and I don’t think she’s that stupid that she doesn’t know how bad Elijah is.
On one side, she will end up labeled a rat if she works with the FBI, and if she emerges on the other, she will be trusted not only by Elijah but other LA gangs. She stands to lose more if she sides with the Feds.
Christine: I’m guessing Elijah will consider her a liability and try to have her killed in lockup, but perhaps fail, which will send her to the Feds for help.
But either way, I think Monica is a dead woman walking. I don’t expect her to last until the end of the season.
Do you enjoy having characters from The Rookie: Feds? Would you like to see them do this more or less often?
Jasmine: I’m indifferent to it. I tune into the other series every now and then, or I tend to use it as background noise. But at least I appreciate that the crossovers and cameos between them feel organic. And they handle them better than Grey’s Anatomy/Station 19 has.
Denis: As someone who watches both shows, I want them together as much as possible. They felt like they were really needed in this episode, not ABC trying to bait viewers into watching. I genuinely enjoy both shows, so this was a treat for me.
Christine: I’ve watched some of The Rookie: Feds, but not every episode. I didn’t like how seamless this crossover felt, and it made me want to check back into The Rookie: Feds soon. So if they have more storylines where it makes sense for LAPD and FBI to work together, I’m all for it.
What was your favorite part of Nolan and Bailey in Nolan’s hometown?
Jasmine: None of it.
Denis: How Nolan and Bailey took down those brothers. I have started enjoying watching them together as they complement each other well. As of today, I love Bailey!
Christine: Nolan getting in and out of that Smart Car was the funniest visual I’ve seen in a long time.
I also enjoyed how everyone in town already knew what a mess Nolan’s mother was. It was nice that he didn’t have to justify himself at every turn.
Which of Nolan’s mother’s scams was most surprising?
Jasmine: I repeat… You know what? I’ll say the heroin. The heroin was marginally unexpected.
Denis: No scam will ever beat her selling Sergeant Grey’s wife snake oil.
Christine: I’ll say the heroin. It seemed most of her scams were con artist level, where she’d take advantage of people and basically steal their money but nothing violent. The heroin took it to another level.
But having Capt. John Nolan labeled on her tasers was pretty epic.
What, if anything, disappointed you during this installment?
Jasmine: They could’ve left the Nolan and Bailey storyline out of this episode. It didn’t fit with everything else happening, and it wasn’t even a fun or interesting distraction or departure. I wanted to flick that portion of the hour out of the way to get back to the good stuff.
I really don’t know what’s happening with Nolan, but it’s surprising how much Nathan Fillion disappears in his own show. Nolan’s storylines recently haven’t been the most compelling and, most times, feel perfunctory at best.
Despite my enjoyment of the Elijah bit this time, I need them to wrap it up sooner than later, and it would’ve been a good episode to do that.
Denis: Nothing much. It was intense and action-packed. I have my reservations about Thorsen as a character, and his utter carelessness didn’t make me like him more.
Christine: Not a lot. I will say that Nolan and Bailey’s adventures reminded me of their trip to the border on The Rookie Season 4 finale. But I still enjoyed this trip back to Nolan’s hometown.
And as much as I’m looking forward to Angela taking Wesley down, I’m not disappointed that it didn’t happen this easily.
The only disappointment was not seeing Lucy and Tim on Valentine’s Day! But it appears the show miscalculated their air dates, and we’ll see our favorite couple next week.
Was there anything else, good or bad, you’d like to discuss from this episode that we’ve missed?
Jasmine: I really loved how this operation utilized many of the characters and the focus on their job like this. It was a lot of action. It was exciting to see them piecing things together and trying to enact this plan that could’ve fallen apart at any point (and did, poor Thorsen).
I would’ve watched the entire episode dedicated to that solely. Also, Lucy’s death glare directed at Thorsen made ME shrink away.
Denis: They pulled all the stops with building suspense. From showing all characters to the music, it had my heart thumping in my chest. I loved how they didn’t go the easy route and solve the Elijah problem that easily.
Did anyone else catch the Annie Wersching dedication?
Christine: Yes. The Annie Wersching memorial page got to me. I was a big fan of hers, and she died much too young.
I also have to mention that Bailey has been growing on me over the last couple of episodes. I liked her here more than I have in a while. I’m hoping that’s a trend that continues.
Okay, TV Fanatics, now it’s your turn! Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to tell us if Nolan’s visit home was a hit or a miss. Which Angela moment was your favorite? And are you enjoying Bailey more or less in recent episodes?
Then check out Jasmine’s, The Rookie Season 5 Episode 15 review and watch The Rookie online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.