The things we do for those we love…
Some of the best installments are when they lean heavily into the dynamics and how this wonderful group of characters has become a family.
And there were so many Family Feels in The Rookie Season 5 Episode 13 that it made you smile.
Celina is one of those characters who has been on the polarizing side. She’s what you’d confidently call an “acquired taste,” with her quirks and unorthodox way of doing things.
But the more time we spend with her, the better they have managed to round her out. It’s even better when they switch up the people she gets to interact with and introduce new dynamics that bring out different sides of her.
Celina and Grey paired up were one of the highlights of the installment, although the Celina and Tim interactions were endearing as well.
Grey is such a dad and a mentor. He’s gotten so much softer than in the early days when he came across as a hardass.
It may have made her and Nolan nervous when they learned she’d be spending the day with him, but in reality, he wanted to see what she was like in the field and help her work on some of her weaknesses.
And Grey was 100% right when he called Celina out on her inability to ask for help. She’s new to the gang, so it’s understandable that she’s still trying to find her footing and place.
But if she hadn’t learned already, she’s gotten the message; they’re all a family, and she’s part of that, too. It’s no shame in letting people in, seeking them out, and asking for help.
Bringing up her background again and introducing us to her mother was a lovely way of peeling back those layers to her character, reminding us of what Celina has endured and what inspired her to be there in the first place.
Celina’s quirks are great for a few laughs or an annoyance to some. However, it’s better when we set some of that aside and focus on the more vulnerable aspects of her character and job competence.
Because Celina is a good cop, she’s already grown so much. It was a great installment to check in with her character and showcase that well.
Nolan is a safe space for her to bask in her astrology and other such things unapologetically, and that’s great. She and Nolan have developed a sweet bond, which he comes across as paternal.
Grey: You’ve endured unimaginable loss, and you’ve carried that weight alone, but now you have a new family of brothers and sisters. Remember that.
Celina: Copy that, sir. Next time I need help with something, I won’t keep it to myself.
But when she doesn’t get wrapped up in things like that, we get to see how her hunches and instincts are strong. She captured those looters well and made some excellent calls when Grey put her in command at the scene.
But her heroic moment of the hour was rescuing that girl from the drug den and nearly losing her life in the process. While there wasn’t a fear that they would kill off this new character so quickly, her moments of unconsciousness after falling victim to those fumes were nerve-wracking.
You could feel the fear and worry from Nolan, Grey, and Thorsen, especially Nolan. He was beside himself with worry.
It hit home how close he’s become to Celina and how much he genuinely loves and cares for her. He feels responsible for her, and this is why T.O. suits Nolan so well.
Celina: Hand.
Nolan: What’d you say?
Celina: You’re crushing my hand.
He’s in this for all the right reasons and genuinely cares. As his first rookie, Celina will always have a special place in his heart. They’ve done well building up the bond between those two since Celina’s arrival.
Celina is a brave soul, but it makes you wonder how long she can go on downplaying what she does and misleading her mother.
The poor woman lost one daughter, constantly fears she’ll lose another, and is so afraid of the outside that she won’t step foot away from her home.
Celina has quite a story and a complicated background and relationship with her mother, and it was nice that we got to explore that again more seriously. She also got to merge her new family with the one she has now.
You could see how touching it was for her that Tim not only ensured that she got to do a wellness check on her mother, but he knew how to handle her mother and help her there.
So, with installments like this, when we get to see this side of Celina more, is she more tolerable for those of you who have issues with her? Inquiring minds want to know, and hopefully, you’ll hit the comments with your thoughts on the matter.
The theme of family is carried out in other ways too. It was hilarious and precious that everyone showed up at Nolan’s house because he was the only one with power.
The whole lot of them barging in with kids and equipment, making their place their own, was what you’d expect from family members.
They even had a whole group chat going. Nolan couldn’t have denied them if he wanted to, and it provided more than a few great scenes and moments.
It was particularly hilarious when Tim showed up there and wondered why Nolan behaved so strangely, and everyone else was there and hadn’t told them.
Lucy enlisting the help of Harper and everyone else to get Tim a better position was the cutest. You can never say she won’t do anything for the man, and it’s even better that she managed to orchestrate all of this without taking any credit for it.
Harper was the best person she could approach for advice on the matter because she knew the inner workings of every department and how to get around things well.
Nyla: Did you check your text?
Nolan: I didn’t.
Nyla: Our power is out, and it is too hot for Leah to sleep.
The clear board of how to move people around like chess pieces for what suits their own interest, as well as Lucy’s and Tim’s, was, frankly, the best. And here I thought they would be playing some couples game or something.
Metro is a better fit for Tim than the court liaison, even if he’s great at his job there. It gives him the type of action he loves, keeps him active, and allows him to work with the other characters frequently.
The metro introduction was cool, and the woman in charge was interesting. I wonder if she’ll be around more, and that’s who Tim will have to work with often.
We should definitely get more action for Tim with this new assignment, and the cases will likely be intense, too. We got a taste of that with the one Angela was working.
Smitty: I’ll admit, I’ve been lax about cleaning it.
Lucy: How lax?
Smitty: Either Clinton or Bush was the president.
Lucy: Which Bush?
Angela will always be a badass, and she handled herself so damn well while going undercover at the pharmacy. She kicked all sorts of ass, too. When isn’t Angela the absolute best?
It’s still concerning that she’s pregnant and has a job that constantly puts her in jeopardy like this, but all we can hope is that nothing terrible happens.
The hour was a great way of showcasing the strong cast and the dynamic among the characters. Most of the cases felt like they took a backseat to that, with Lucy’s freezer body and other bits falling away as the installment progressed.
The opener with the garage band was fun, and I’ll be humming Daddy Cop for the foreseeable future because it was way too catchy.
Angela and Wesley arranged something of value with Knuckles, prompting that bust was great.
But overall, the personal elements of the hour shined through best. And any installment with some fun Smitty antics is worth appreciating, too.
Lucy requiring a hazmat suit to clean his trailer was a fun way to end the hour. Godspeed, poor woman!
Over to you, Rookie Fanatics.
Did you love the theme of family with this installment? Are you happy Tim is joining Metro? How much did you enjoy Celina in this episode? Sound off below.
You can watch The Rookie online here via TV Fanatic.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.