The Rookie Season 8 Episode 17 Delivers a Shocking End to an Iconic Villain

Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0

4.2

I have to hand it to The Rookie, I did not see that coming.

Not only didn’t I see that coming, but I’m actually a bit heartbroken. But only a little bit because after roughly three seasons of Monica Stevens evading capture, her death was a long time coming.

The Rookie Season 8 Episode 17 was another hour of the series on a winning streak, balancing interesting cases, fun character dynamics, and tying up a storyline.

Glasser and His Criminal Minds Vibes Remain a Menace to Society

The biggest dangling thread in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 16 was that Miranda, Glasser’s wife, took off with the kids and had no intention of attending her court hearing to determine custody.

I can’t blame the woman for freaking out about the fact that the justice system could really decide that Glasser, a whole serial killer, had the right to see his children. But bolting would’ve made things worse.

Fortunately, Nolan and Harper were on the case, trying to locate her in time, and I still love it when those two work together. It feels like we haven’t had nearly enough of that anymore.

They tracked her down to an old classmate’s home, and just when it seemed like Glasser’s irritating lawyer would be able to make his case that Miranda fled with their children and should be under arrest, they delivered her to the courthouse as if nothing had happened.

But the best part about the Glasser custody hearing was that the judge was not kowtowing to Glasser or his lawyer, and he put Nolan on the stand to better understand the character of the man he needed to decide about.

I did appreciate that the series remembered that Family law is a whole other thing than Criminal law. Glasser’s lawyer was trying to pull all these maneuvers as if he were in the middle of a criminal proceeding, but none of that was up for question.

Serial Killer Dads Take L’s

The judge didn’t give a damn about any of that, only about what would’ve been in the kids’ best interests.

Whether Glasser was guilty or not, whether a lawsuit was pending against the department or not, the information they did have — the concrete stuff, like Glasser attacking Nolan as he did — was enough for the judge to give Miranda full, sole custody of the kids and an order of protection.

And to the surprise of no one, Glasser didn’t even seem torn up about the fact that he can’t reach out to his kids again and may never see them. Like a true narcissist, they were only an extension of him anyway.

But I do worry about whether he’d find a way to get back at Miranda after all of this, or even the judge. I put nothing past that man; he’s evil as hell.

And his parting words to Nolan weren’t exactly a vote of confidence that we won’t be seeing this man and his handiwork again. It’s true to form for The Rookie.

They find a villain they love, and they go all-in on it. Essentially, I’m going to assume that Glasser will be the new Monica. They offered one villain, but they still have him in their back pockets for plot points down the road.

Glasser telling Nolan that without his kids, he’ll have all of this time to continue killing people is some crazy work. But the truth of the matter is that his kids never stopped him from killing people in the first place, so it was just designed to make Nolan feel bad about something inevitable.

Bring Back Aaron Thorsen, Please and Thank You!

I can do without some of the villain returns, but Thorsen coming back is another story. How is it possible that he’s more enjoyable now than he was when he was regularly on the series?

It’s like they give him more to do when we only get him in these short spurts, and more of a personality than they did in the years we had him.

The carjacking was brutal. I love Thorsen, but he’s a walking target at any given point because of his flashy cars and other such things. He can’t really shake the “rich kid” image no matter what he does, but it’s also part of his charm.

But at least that had him working alongside the others again, which was fun. He’s just such a great personality, and his interactions with the others are always fun.

He always comes through clutch for everyone, too.

Like, him setting things up so Tim can find the perfect ring for Lucy is just so peak Thorsen, and I love that. And he was buying Celina a new phone because her voicemail mishaps were making her life hell.

I love that man to pieces.

They got to bust up a whole carjacking operation, and he was able to spare his jeweler the indignity of having a known criminal working under him and stealing from his clients.

Thorsen was winning! And so were we for having him around.

Celina’s Phone Gag Was on the Cusp of Being Too Damn Much

Thorsen was also the only reason that phone gag didn’t veer into a place of no return. I love Celina, and the character has truly come a long way since her introduction.

The Rookie has given her layers, fleshed her out, and stopped treating her like a joke or a punchline at every given turn. Maybe that’s why her becoming one during this hour when she otherwise hasn’t had too much to do this season was so annoying.

Celina has been underused and misused almost as badly as Miles has been sidelined. Side note: he’s fine after getting shot, and we got to see him at least.

The first time around with the voicemail, it was slightly amusing, but then it went on and on.

We had to deal with Rodge reeling from the news that he supposedly wanted to propose. Somehow, it had him calling Nolan, which, on one hand, is endearing enough.

Nolan has been like a paternal figure to Celina, and Rodge tends to recognize him as such and as a close friend of hers.

But on the other hand, it was just ridiculous because why call Nolan about something like that instead of just talking to Celina in the first place?

And then it seemed like they were going to drag the thing out and maybe even have Rodge panic-propose, which would’ve been such a disaster and undermined the actual proposal they’re planning, so I’m relieved they didn’t give in to their intrusive thoughts on that bit.

Rodge & Celina Are Still Going Strongzzzzzz

But that part of the arc just felt like another reason to shoehorn Rodge into the mix and remind us that he and Celina are still dating and they’re going strong.

That’s fine, Rodge doesn’t even irritate me nearly as much as he usually does, and to his credit, he’s proven to be a pretty decent boyfriend.

I just don’t care, though.

Then the gag had to switch to Thorsen, where she made that comment about him being the wrong person to help with Lucy’s ring, which felt so random. Perhaps, the biggest issue with all of that was how contrived it was.

Celina wouldn’t say anything about that in the first place, especially since Thorsen and Lucy were pretty close and he had a good read on people, and it was a favor.

Also, the whole thing was supposed to have us stressed out the entire time, because we were supposed to be worried about Celina and her wonky phone, and voice notes were the reason Lucy found out about Tim’s proposal before he had the chance to do it.

I won’t lie and say it didn’t come with some amusing moments, but that bit lasted too long and felt unnecessary the longer they dragged it out.

The Rookie Finally Pulls the Trigger on Killing a Popular Villain

But The Rookie makes dragging things out an art form, which is why Monica’s fate was such a surprise.

I thought she’d make it out of yet another season alive and in the wind, and she’d be terrorizing or charming the pants off the team come next season.

But shockingly, The Rookie finally let the consequences of Monica’s actions catch up to her. That auburn goddess has had more lives than a cat, so it’s been well past time for her luck to run out.

It was the first time we truly saw her properly rattled in the entire series, and it apparently was for good reason.

Garza and the Feds had all the leverage they needed from her, and they had enough information to determine that she had been playing them and conspiring.

She would’ve been sitting pretty in a jumpsuit that matched those lustrous locks of hers for the rest of her days, but we all know Monica wasn’t going down like that.

Monica has been playing fast and loose with way too many people, the Feds, Cooper, Aidan, the list goes on.

Had she not gotten out of town, she would end up dead, so her fate was something that she’s been running toward rather than away from for quite some time.

Just when it seemed like she might get away again, that wasn’t the case, but the interesting thing about it was that Monica pretty much knew her fate.

Let’s Pour One Out for The Rookie’s Best-Dressed Villainess

The moment she went to Wesley’s house to talk to him, it was evident that she knew she’d be dead. She wanted to have one final conversation with him, as herself, so she could make peace with the past and get some closure.

It was one of the best scenes of the hour. Monica may have worn out her welcome, but Bridget Regan has always been a force, bringing such charm, warmth, and vulnerability to this character that it’s hard not to feel something for her.

When she wondered if Wesley ever loved her before she became everything that she had become, you could hear the vulnerability in her voice, and the confirmation that he did healed something in her.

There was that little bit of comfort in knowing that Wesley still cared about her and that she was someone lovable once upon a time. She realized the mess she had made of her life and that no path led her to run for her life.

She played with fire, got too close to the sun, and she’s been coasting in that dangerous spot all this time.

Monica sealed her fate, but she wouldn’t be her if she didn’t give it a try.

I didn’t expect a nice, young Uber driver to be the one to take her out, though. At least she respected Monica’s wishes and didn’t shoot her in the face.

It’s been long overdue for the Rookie to end Monica’s chapter. And she went out the only way she really could. Her death does leave an impact, though. Kudos to her.

The Proposal Cutness Continues

At this rate, if Tim doesn’t propose soon, the news will reach Lucy before he has a chance.

I cackled at Angela running down all the diamonds, cuts, and clarity to them, and then enlisting Harper and the others in the mix.

Tim coming back into his office, with Angela, Harper, Celina, and Thorsen all debating rings, was hilarious. And Celina, attempting to casually bring up rings so she can get an idea of what Lucy might want, had me cringing.

Our girl isn’t subtle for anything in the world.

Nolan being out of the loop until Celina spilled the beans was also a great moment. And everyone giving Tim their input was fun as well.

But the heartfelt stuff came when he explained to the jeweler who Lucy is and what she means to him.

“She makes me feel love in a way I didn’t think I deserved.”

It’s something I never envisioned Bradford saying out loud to another person in such a vulnerable way, a few seasons ago. His evolution as a character comes through in the moments when he acknowledges how this dynamic has changed him.

And if these are the words he uses when speaking to a stranger, or in front of Angela, can you imagine what his proposal is going to sound like? Or his vows, for that matter? Quality stuff!

He picked out the perfect ring, too. I loved that, from that simple conversation, the jeweler knew exactly what was right for Lucy and Tim, and Tim picked a vintage ring with a story similar to theirs.

Perfect! What a feels fest!

Over to you, Rookie Fanatics.

Did you expect Monica’s death? How do you feel about it? Should Thorsen return?

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