After A Lackluster Season, The Forgettable Finale Fails To Make Me Excited For What’s To Come In Season 8

Spoiler alert: The next article comprises spoilers from The Rookie season 7 finale, “The Excellent, the Dangerous, and the Oscar.”
Right here we’re once more — some other disappointing finale of The Rookie that feels a lot more like an ordinary episode than one who closes out a season. ABC’s police procedural sequence looked to be regaining its footing in opposition to the center of season 7. Alternatively, the previous couple of episodes of The Rookie season 7 have merely been boring and dissatisfying. After all, there were some highlights, and “The Excellent, the Dangerous, and the Oscar” is not with out some excellent moments.
The Rookie season 7, episode 18 was once directed by means of Invoice Roe and written by means of Alexi Hawley.
In season 7, episode 18, we be told that Nolan has been maintaining with traits regarding Oscar Hutchinson since his break out within the Rookie season 6 finale. This comes as a marvel for the reason that Nolan hasn’t discussed Oscar because the starting of season 7. Nonetheless, Nolan tracks Oscar’s subsequent actions and will get permission from Lieutenant Gray to function a detective for an afternoon along Harper to seek out the prison. They do, however Oscar in the end will get away. Then, on the finish of the season 7 finale, Monica returns after having made a deal for her immunity.
The Rookie Season 7 Finale Does not Really feel Like A Finale
Season 7’s Final Episode Fails To Carry The Stakes
Regardless of Monica’s surprising go back on the finish of “The Excellent, the Dangerous, and the Oscar,” the episode by no means gives the look that it is a finale. The Rookie season 7, episode 8 if truth be told felt a lot more like a finale. It was once ready to drag in a couple of storyline (the wildfire, weeding out Liam Glasser, and the 6th Side road Devils) that every one appeared to attach in some way that made sense and was once extremely entertaining. Episode 8 even ended with a greater cliffhanger than episode 18. Necessarily, The Rookie season 7 finale is lacking prime stakes.
As a substitute of wholly specializing in Oscar and Monica’s returns, The Rookie season 7, episode 18 wastes time on inappropriate, episodic storylines (aka “circumstances of the week”). It is unclear why the hour features a case a couple of girl catfishing her husband and the Japanese Entrance focused on Miles. Each circumstances are solved by means of the finale’s finish, which means they might’ve been in some other customary episode. Most likely the Japanese Entrance will go back. Alternatively, the finale does not spend sufficient time at the storyline to depart an affect, and will probably be forgotten about it by the point season 8 rolls round.

Comparable
The Rookie Season 7, Episode 14 Evaluation: I am Grateful Celina & Lucy’s Thrilling Workforce-Up Saves The Episode From Being A Crisis
Celina and Lucy elevate The Rookie season 7, episode 14, which options them dealing with a clout-chasing true crime podcaster and a lacking individual case.
As for the Oscar and Monica of all of it, The Rookie fails to do proper by means of the villains. Nolan pulling out his Oscar analysis is totally immediately. Oscar has been lacking for a very long time, and we’ve not heard anything else about him because the season 7 premiere. The antagonist’s go back simply feels handy slightly than herbal. Now, Oscar has escaped once more, delaying giving his arc the closure it so desperately wishes in order that the display can transfer on to larger and higher issues. He almost definitely may not even pop up once more till The Rookie season 8 finale.
In the end, it is laborious to care about Monica’s go back once we do not have an inkling of what it manner for the characters or season 8.
In the meantime, Monica’s episode 18 look is anticlimactic. Except her transient stint in The Rookie season 7, episode 11, the display has been warding off Monica. As a result, it is tricky to be fascinated about her coming again, particularly as a result of she has little or no display screen time within the finale. If The Rookie had dropped a couple of teases about Monica’s whereabouts and plans right through season 7, possibly I might be making a song a unique song. Alternatively, that isn’t the case. In the end, it is laborious to care about Monica’s go back once we do not have an inkling of what it manner for the characters or season 8.
“The Excellent, The Dangerous, & The Oscar” Does not Make Excellent On Its Guarantees Referring to Tim & Lucy’s Reunion
Tim & Lucy’s “Communicate” Is One-Sided
The Rookie season 7 finale’s giant draw was once that it might come with Tim and Lucy’s reunion. As a substitute of getting the characters sit down down and feature a mature and fair dialog about their courting, although, the episode ends with none concrete answer for Chenford. Sure, Tim begins the aforementioned, all-important communicate close to the hour’s finish. Alternatively, Lucy falls asleep, now not listening to anything else he stated, making it unclear whether or not they have got formally rekindled their romance.
Tim and Lucy will probably be again in combination in The Rookie season 8. However I will be able to’t assist however really feel annoyed by means of how season 7 has treated their tale. They have not earned a reunion because the sequence has failed to correctly increase their newfound dynamic and end up how Tim has modified, making him the person he thinks Lucy merits. The Rookie wishes to turn, now not inform. Now, it is unclear the place Tim and Lucy stand and the way their courting will probably be other this time round (if they’re again in combination).
How The Rookie Season 8 Can Be told From Season 7’s Errors
The Display Will have to Do A Higher Task Of Creating Its Villains
If The Rookie season 8 needs to proper the send, it must make a couple of adjustments. For starters, the ABC sequence will have to totally decide to creating Monica’s arc and making her the Large Dangerous. Now that the season 7 finale has teased her go back, I be expecting Monica to have a large presence in season 8.
The display additionally has to lift the stakes. Those previous couple of episodes have been somewhat dull and forgettable, and that’s the reason as a result of not anything felt adore it would have a large have an effect on on The Rookie and its characters. As for Chenford, the writers will have to simply go away their breakup storyline up to now and get started from scratch with a greater, extra considerate arc in The Rookie season 8.
The Rookie returns with season 8 all through the 2025–2026 community TV season.

The Rookie Season 7, Episode 18
- Free up Date
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October 16, 2018
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
- Administrators
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Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Invoice Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Primary Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
- Writers
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Corey Miller, Invoice Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Best friend Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
- The Rookie maintains its trademark humor within the season 7 finale
- The drone child is a spotlight (even though it is loopy how simply his mother allowed him to enroll in Harper in a hunt for a killer)
- The episode comprises a few underrated duos, like Harper/Nolan and Celina/Miles
- The finale fumbles Chenford’s “reunion”
- Monica’s go back is not as thrilling or stunning accurately
- The Rookie episode lacks the texture of a finale