‘The Rookie’ Recap: Who Wins The T.O. Competition?

It’s competition time in The Rookie Season 1, Episode 5. The rookies and their training officers are pitted against each other, but who will come out on top? Just how far will they go to win? Here’s everything that happened in “The Roundup."

It’s T.O. Competition Time

After opening with a block party and John and paramedic Antonio saving a boy’s life, John wakes in his apartment to hear someone inside. It’s only his friend, who happens to also be his landlord and is back early from business.

The main focus of the episode is the T.O. competition. Points are awarded for felony arrests and it’s something the sergeant has no idea happens. Bishop makes it clear to Nolan that they aren’t competing, while Bradford brides the dispatcher to get the best calls. We later learn that Bishop and Lopez let Bradford win the competition because its his way to feel close to his wife when she was on the force. 

Nolan isn’t happy that he doesn’t get to compete. He decides to go after a known felon instead, which leads to the two falling off the side of a building and onto an air mattress. Bishop is understandably angry that her rookie disobeyed her orders.

At the next call, Nolan and Bishop head off to a noise complaint, where they end up arresting an older man, Peter, for having a gun on the table. He doesn’t have a permit for the weapon, but Peter doesn’t seem to want to leave the police station. However, his lawyer manages to get him out.

It’s not surprising later that Nolan and Bishop are called back out to the house due to a home intruder. Even though dispatch says the call was a mistake, the two check it out, where Bradford and Chen also turn up. Sure enough, a maid outside is dead and Peter and his wife have been tied up. They’re being beaten, but the officers manage to take down the intruders who Peter (it turns out he’s a mobster) clearly knew were coming.

Bradford Aims to Win the Game

After bribing the dispatcher to get the best calls, Bradford and Chen head out on their calls. The first is a man who was driving under the influence and hit a kid, driving into a fence. He’s been impaled in the driver’s seat. Once he’s freed, Bradford manages to arrest him.

The next call is an armed robbery, where the thieves have locked themselves in a truck. It doesn’t take long for Bradford to smoke them out and arrest them, awarding him another 14 points.

It’s not surprising, considering the way Bishop and Lopez don’t play, that Bradford wins. He takes the dispatcher out for drinks to say thank you, but then later tells her that he’s still married and it’s complicated. Nothing is happening for him tonight.

Nolan and Chen Move Forward

Throughout the episode, things aren’t comfortable between Nolan and Chen since the last episode. They broke up but that doesn’t stop Nolan getting jealous when paramedic Antonio asks Chen out.

In the end, Chen decides to turn Antonio down. She says she broke up with Nolan to focus on her career. To be honest, Nolan was the one to break up with her to protect her reputation, but okay, we’ll take it that Chen was going to break up with him. Regardless, Chen is still focusing on her career and turned Antonio down.

There’s still more to come for the two rookies. Is it going to be a case of “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone?”

What did you think of the two female T.O.s letting Bradford win? Was it fair on the rookies? 

The Rookie continues Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.