Surprises are usually good because you had no idea something was gonna happen. Some episodes are good when there are low expectations.
We strayed from the standard format on The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 12 and dived into the world of true crime. Mark and Laura got hot and bothered by two different things, while Carter fanboyed over bigfoot.
Knowing what to expect is usually a good idea, but changing things up occasionally is not the worst. The Rookie universe has a formula that has proven to be successful, but once in a while, they serve something different.
This was not the first time the universe had done a true crime-style episode. We had seen at least two from The Rookie but never from The Rookie: Feds.
Expectations were low going into this episode, and it was a much nicer surprise. Typically, I have a rough idea of what to expect based on the promo materials ABC releases, but they were so few for this episode, so I was totally in the dark.
It also didn’t help that The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 11 was objectively bad.
I love a good mystery as much as the next person, but some shows have done them distastefully. I expected this to be one of those times since we would visit Vampire Cop.
Who else wondered how that show was so popular when it looked awful?
But in all fairness, most vampire shows are not that good anyway. No wonder Brendon left acting. If that was the material he had been working with for years, it was a rational decision to leave the comfort of celebrity and run toward danger.
Not even Jordana Brewster could make it interesting.
We had a lot of pleasant surprises, the first being Smitty. Smitty is such a good character but is grossly underused. Every scene he’s in is pure comedic gold. He should be written into the shows more.
Smitty: the case of the mudslide marauder…
Interviewer: No one calls him that.
Smitty: On Smitty Streets, they do.
Another pleasant surprise was the interviewer. When dealing with cops and detectives, it can be hard to get anything out of them. Their job is to get the truth out of people, which means they also know how to hide it.
His interviewing style was so good, asking the right questions in the right way. It doesn’t take much to get Mark and Laura competing; if left unchecked, it can go on forever.
Speaking of Mark and Laura, they were the most pleasant surprise.
They might try to convince themselves that what they are doing is just casual, but it is a fair assumption that they are deep in it. Who flies across the continent to partake in a true crime interview? No one is who.
It was an excuse to see Laura, and she wasn’t displeased with it.
While I love torturing myself with shipping couples who get about a minute of screen time every five episodes, I’m ready for the torture to end. These two are so good together it hurts.
One of the reasons the episode could have failed was if it had leaned too much into the supernatural. We all know that vampires — and bigfoot — are not real. They approached this in a comedic manner which made for some good laughs.
The only thing that made it work was focusing on the individual characters.
Simone was the best partner anyone could want in an interview. She was ready to gas up Brendon anytime he lost confidence. Brendon is used to being roasted or shot down when he brings up his former life.
If you’re hot, you’re hot. If you’re not, you’re not.
Simone
Many people treated him as a showoff whenever he mentioned anything perceived as above the normal person’s typical experience. So, what, the man used to party all week? So what that he had a dozen girlfriends? Is it bad that he had millions of fans?
This was not noticeable before, but it is now clear that his confidence was taking a hit from all the constant snarky remarks. He needs to hang out with Simone more.
Most of the time, Carter is portrayed as a serious man. He is always rushing to complete the next task. The interview allowed us to see him in a different light. We saw his playful side. He looked like a child when talking about bigfoot.
Having a boss like Garza is something not a lot of people do. He always has championed his people, working extremely hard to shield them from the politics of the job or unfair criticism. He was actually offended when the interviewer insinuated that Laura was a bad agent.
He was smart enough to hide his face but not smart enough to hide his license plate.
Garza
Laura leaves no stone unturned when working cases. She makes sure she’s thorough. This dedication to the job has cost her a relationship, and this particular case cost her an engagement. That was why she was offended when it was suggested that she did a shoddy job and arrested the wrong person.
The case they found themselves working on was interesting, to say the least.
Jake: I have an evil twin.
Garza: You’ve used that already.
Jake: Damn, those improv classes are not paying off.
It was a tale of success, greed, murder, and penance.
Never having heard of golden blood, it was not only an entertaining thing to watch but also informative. Brendon saved the day again. All thanks to being worldly and informed.
The beginning saw Simone bring up an issue that had been affecting many people but was only being talked about of late.
Lighting is an important aspect of production, and if you are not using natural light, it is only fair that artificial lighting should be tailored to every person’s skin tone. It does a great disservice to performers of color to be lit up with an absurd tone or hue.
This episode felt like a great improvement from the previous one and should help us forget that one existed. It was funny, different, full of twists, and a great case.
What did you think of it? Should they do more true crime-style episodes in the next seasons?
Did anything stand out to you?
We always love reading your comments, so leave one below about what you thought or felt.
You can watch The Rookie: Feds online right here via TV Fanatic.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.