Nolan can never have a regular anything.
It was a hellish honeymoon for him and his new wife on The Rookie Season 6 Episode 3, providing a heaping dose of humor for an hour that felt mostly like filler.
And Lucy’s aspirations stalled to our displeasure.
Things have settled down after the excitement and fun of the season premiere and big 100-episode celebration.
While there was some fun in this installment with the honeymoon antics, and we got that blow for Lucy Chen with the results of her long-awaited detective’s exam, it was an understated hour.
And only a little forward movement happened with the plot.
One of the standouts from John Nolan and Bailey’s honeymoon was the fantastic camera work utilized to depict the various surveillance Nolan brought for the trip.
I love it when this series plays with cinematography and other things.
The different ways they captured each type of camera, from the night vision to the pin camera, was so creative, and it was laugh-out-loud funny how excited Nolan was about the water-proof one.
One can appreciate the techniques in this series and how creative it is.
Unsurprisingly, Nolan and Bailey couldn’t have a normal and fun honeymoon. The resort was nothing like the brochures, and once they saw that mysterious man with the wrapped-up face, they knew it would go downhill from there.
Have Nolan and Bailey ever had an outing outside their home that hasn’t ended in disaster or endangered their lives?
We barely saw the newlyweds able to have fun, and after a couple of seasons of hearing that there is virtually nothing Bailey can’t do, it would’ve been nice to see Nolan beat her at kayaking.
Because they investigated Martha’s death after her body washed up on shore, they were put even further on the perpetrator’s radar.
But even with Nolan going all badass and breaking from bondage to knife fight this man, the real fun and amusement was in Angela Lopez finessing a mini-vacation with Harper out of the situation.
She wasted no time using Wesley’s credit card to book a flight to paradise (although it seemed unseasonably cold) to get out of the office and save their friend.
And because our modern-day Cagney & Lacey are who they are, they came prepared with two bags full of everything they needed to track Nolan down and weaponry.
They’ll forever be the most badass duo on this series, and it’s a blast when the show leans into that.
It’s a pity they didn’t get to perform much once they go to the scene, but it’s the sentiment that counts.
Ultimately, Bailey and Nolan continuing their honeymoon at home was their best option.
But with Nolan away, Celina Suarez was at the mercy of Bradford, and there’s never a time when The Rookie doesn’t excel at mixing and matching pairings.
They were a hilarious duo, especially since Bradford wasn’t here for any of the astrology talks, but she had no problem gossiping with Lucy in the shop.
I appreciated that Bradford, Harper, and Sgt. Grey took a moment to check in with Celina and determine if she was good.
Grey: I’m worried that I focused too much on Aaron after the attacks that I did you a disservice.
Celina: Thank you, Sir. But I”m fine.
It’s true that with everything else happening with Thorsen, ensuring he was mentally and emotionally fit for the job has taken priority.
They didn’t check in with Celina as much when she was attacked along with him and endured the emotional rollercoaster of not knowing whether or not he would survive.
She also was the one who did something reckless, leading to the team going guns ablaze during The Rookie Season 6 Episode 2.
They acknowledged that Celina may not be all right, but they haven’t delved much further into that. But she had a rough couple of days with that bizarre John Doe case.
The poor woman got puked on and had to deal with a thief who smelled like urine and plaster.
But it’s doubtful anyone else would’ve taken the time to figure out all the facets of that John Doe case and solve it as she did, so her work was impressive.
However, she’s still confused about her personal life.
Things are awkward between her and Thorsen, and it’s something that they’re struggling to broach adequately.
Celina: I know I said that the kiss wasn’t a big deal, but it still feels weird. And I have to be okay with that. You have to be okay with that.
Thorsen: OK. How?
Celina: I don’t know.
Interestingly, they do a great job of leaving us in the dark about these two and what their feelings are for one another.
We mostly had other people speculating or drawing their own conclusions.
Thorsen’s therapist reminded him that it’s not uncommon for something like that to have transpired when he and Celina have experienced a shared trauma and have spent so much time with each other since then.
But when Thorsen spoke about the whole thing, it was hard to tell if he had genuine romantic feelings for Celina or knew it was about something else entirely.
Related: The Rookie Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Strike Back
He admitted that he felt hurt that she rejected him, but is that more of an ego thing or because someone he’s developed feelings for doesn’t have the same ones for him in return?
It’s very muddled territory there, and the hour didn’t commit either way regarding that, which is probably the best and most interesting choice.
It was also interesting to see that one of his biggest efforts to clear the air with Celina so things weren’t awkward was to buy her something.
You can tell that Thorsen is still that rich kid who grew up feeling like he had to buy people’s affection. And that’s not something that Celina requires.
Thorsen: Today feels less weird than yesterday, doesn’t it?
Celina: Yeah.
Thorsen: And tomorrow will feel less weird than today.
Celina: Yeah.
Thorsen: Good, because I miss my friend.
Neither seems to know what they feel after that kiss or what it means, but they’re willing to move past it while they quietly and individually work through or ignore what may have stirred up within them.
One relationship that is crystal clear and rock solid is Chenford.
It’s the season of Chenford.
They got so many adorably domestic moments throughout this installment that you sometimes couldn’t tell if they were the “It” couple and newlyweds or Bailey and Nolan.
Tim: I’m going to take a shower.
Lucy: Right now?
Tim: Yeah.
Lucy: Maybe I could take a break.
It doesn’t seem they ever knew what to do about Tim Bradford‘s mixed feelings regarding her detective aspirations. However, he’s supported her and proved to her that he’s willing to set aside his fears and reservations.
Lucy was pulling all-nighters and even practicing with Smitty.
Her only real distraction was taking a shower with Bradford, which, can you blame the girl? Hot damn!
But she was fighting an uphill battle with this. It’s abundantly clear. Primm had it out for her, and there was very little she could’ve done about it.
Whoever moved the time up only had her waiting for hours until she was the last one there was an evil person.
It was clear that Primm wanted to rattle Lucy and get her off her game, but she handled the barrage of questions well and his attempt at owning her with her error at the clown crime scene with aplomb.
She had the best possible response about where she went wrong, how she rectified it, and that it wasn’t a mistake she would ever make again as a result.
The others seemed impressed by her humility in that moment.
Lucy: You really thought I was going to come in first?
Tim: Of course I did.
Lucy: I’m sorry for disappointing you.
Tim: You could never disappoint me.
But it didn’t stop her from ranking low, and that’s such a disappointment.
It just means that Lucy Chen must work a bit harder and find another way to get where she desires. After all, we saw how things played out for Nolan when it seemed that he would be screwed over and stuck as a rookie forever.
This development means that Lucy going undercover exclusively won’t be an obstacle for her and Tim any time soon.
And as down as she was about it, it was lovely to see that Tim was there to comfort her and reassure her that he would never a million years be disappointed in her.
Lucy: Sarge, I’m going to die on this list.
Grey: Sorry, Chen.
Chenford is in such a great place right now that I’m torn between enjoying every second of it and waiting for a shoe to drop.
Over to you, Rookie Fanatics. What did you think of this installment? Are you upset about Lucy not making detective? Sound off below.
The Rookie returns March 26 at 9/8c with an all-new episode on ABC.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.