The Rookie's "Daddy Cop" pulls off the impossible by bringing nearly its entire ensemble together to help Tim Bradford. In the same interview that inspired Kelly Clarkson's Rookie cameo, the cast spoke about how difficult it was to film ensemble scenes because of how distracted they get being around each other. Despite that hurdle, this episode highlights how beneficial group scenes are to The Rookie. Time well spent with the characters outside the Mid-Wilshire Station is crucial.
The comforting pattern of a procedural drama makes the subgenre a fan-favorite among TV watchers, but the shows under that umbrella can dampen their appeal by misunderstanding their allure. Sometimes procedural shows rely too heavily on the case of the week format and lose sight of the characters and their relationships. For parts of Season 5, The Rookie has struggled to give the characters storylines independent of their work. However, the ensemble scenes in "Daddy Cop" prove those stories are worth investing in.
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The Rookie's Ensemble Teams Up to Help Tim Bradford
In The Rookie Season 5, Episode 12, "Death Notice," Tim resolved his and Lucy's professional conflict by becoming the Court Liaison Sergeant. Through Lucy's keen sense that Tim is putting on a brave face and Wade Grey's knowledge that the monotony of his desk job doesn't challenge Tim, The Rookie makes it evident that the transfer won't stick. So instead of dragging out Tim's stint as Court Liaison Sergeant for drama's sake, the series utilizes a grand team-up to find Tim an LAPD position that better suits his skills and doesn't jeopardize the appropriateness of Chenford's relationship.
It's great to see the characters unite to support Tim, but how most of the ensemble comes together makes their scenes even more delightful. Los Angeles experiences a heat wave during "Daddy Cop," leaving John Nolan and Bailey Nune's house as one of the few to have consistent electricity and air conditioning. James Murray and Nyla Harper, Wesley Evers and Angela Lopez, and Lucy and Tim all come to their house for various reasons. The hilarious arrival sequence establishes that the characters have a group chat and that Lucy needs her friends' assistance.
"Daddy Cop" doesn't need a scene of Tim and Lucy's friends discovering that Chenford is official because her off-screen explanation of why she needs to help Tim find a new job says it all. Their friends know Tim well enough to know he wouldn't give up his previous position if there weren't a good reason. Plus, Angela, Aaron and Tamara Collins have been on to Tim and Lucy all along. Even Tim's sister Genny caught on to Chenford's next-level partnership during a Little League game. Chenford is The Rookie's worst-kept secret — but it provides a reason to bring the whole cast together.
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How The Rookie Benefits from More Ensemble Scenes
If the characters' arrival at Bailey and Nolan's house is fun, the team trying to find Tim a new job energizes "Daddy Cop" with a new level of found-family humor. Fittingly so, too, since Grey repeatedly reminds Lisseth Chavez' recent arrival Celina Juarez that she has a new family in her coworkers. Mostly, seeing the characters in the same room makes it easy to reminisce about the frequent roll call scenes from the earlier seasons or even the group operation in Season 2, Episode 14, "Casualties." It's special and rare to see everyone together outside their day jobs.
That rareness underscores how long it has been since The Rookie Season 5 or any of its characters other than Angela have checked in with James and Nyla since their potentially life-threatening experience. It also emphasizes how the show could better enforce relationships between Bailey and people other than John and Celina. Wesley's absence from the Post-It Note fun serves as a reminder that he, too, could have better interpersonal relationships with the characters beyond giving occasional legal advice.
"Daddy Cop" spotlights the friendships within the ensemble (minus a few key players) and how they show up for each other. The Rookie infuses the episode's group scenes with levity and sincerity, and it works wonders to glue the ensemble together in a fun and personal way. The moments move the plot forward, but they also reinforce the necessity for more scenes like them. The Rookie must never lose sight of its characters' personal lives and interpersonal relationships, because then the procedural element will lose its stakes.
New episodes of The Rookie air Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
