The Rookie Season 8 Episode 10 Delivers Unhinged Zombie Madness & Trauma

Critic’s Rating: 4 / 5.0

4

You guys, I don’t know what that episode was, but I was entertained.

No question, The Rookie Season 8 Episode 10 is the type of installment that people will either love or hate.

But one of the best things about The Rookie is its boldness and ability to fully let its freak flag fly eight seasons into its tenure.

Sometimes, The Rookie can pull off some of its zany ideas, and other times, they fall short. But its willingness to go balls-to-the-wall is admirable.

And this hour was definitely out there.

A good 40 minutes of the hour was just Miles, Harper, John, and Dash playing some twisted form of tag with a bunch of zombies. Yes, you read that right.

Westview has been a weird little gift that keeps giving, depending on who you ask. It has allowed them to go full-on horror whenever they put that creepy psych ward place into play.

It is also where badass women endure some of their worst beatdowns and emotional scars that disrupt them to their very bone marrow. At least for as long as it takes them to crawl their way out of the darkness.

For the fun aspect of this hour, they actually did pull off the zombie vibe.

There were so many elements of this hour that reminded me of The Walking Dead. Of course, it was also giving us that video game feel.

Dash was getting lost in the fray and having to dodge all of these people who were battling some psycho drug; it felt like he was channeling his inner Cooorl! I mean, Carl.

Out of Hawley’s nepo baby characters, I have to admit that Dash is my favorite. He’s been such a fun addition to the series when he pops up.

One of the most endearing things about him is how he idolizes Nolan, but not in a nerdy, sad way, but in a genuine, respectful way that even catches Nolan off guard.

He is also happily ready to throw hands for Nolan, and I have to respect this scrawny little kid for that level of bravery and willingness.

I could not stop laughing when he jumped right into that yucky pool to beat down one of the zombies, kicking Nolan’s butt. And he didn’t let up until the zombie was no longer a threat.

Maybe Dash will be a good cop after all. Frankly, I’m more intrigued by all his gadgets and his ability to catch the craziest things on video.

That was one of the most unexpected and unhinged ride-alongs ever.

It’s one for the books, and Dash most certainly can use his experience for his assignment and ace it. But what’s interesting about Dash, too, is how unfazed he is by everything.

He’s already experienced some pretty out-there things, and his life has been in jeopardy practically every time we’ve seen him. But he’s always fine and cool under pressure.

I can’t help but think he embodies that particular trait of Gen-Z that is as admirable as it is eerie, only because they’re a generation that has seen so much that it’s actually disturbing that nothing rattles them anymore.

The zombie antics were just totally batshit. And you can tell the DOP had an absolute blast with this episode.

I can’t lie, I did, too, as far as watching the slick camera action, how they used drones, and them using that upside-down camera trick not once, but twice.

There were moments when it felt like they were transporting us into a video game, and then we’d get those peeks via the body cams, too.

Again, The Rookie always has fun with these techniques and bold takes, and I love that for them, and us.

The entire area of Westview felt like a ghost town. Zombies were coming in endless streams from everywhere, and for reasons I’ll never understand, at no point did any of the first trio of cops get their shots when they could have.

Miles running football plays on zombies had me cackling, and so did his wandering in Westview and happening across clown dolls. Deric Augustine has such great comedic timing and presence. I love him.

Harper, as usual, held her own, and Nolan was kicking complete ass for most of the hour.

But the fun stopped when Lucy entered the picture. It took a while for Bradford to send backup after not hearing from anyone, and once Lucy and Celina hit the scene, it was evident that something was seriously wrong.

What’s unfortunate is how everyone kept getting separated. I know it’s something that Celina may beat herself up a bit over because she had to flee in another direction.

The ladies got separated, and then Lucy ended up fighting for her life. When Martin banged her head against that grid, I gasped, horrified.

Lucy had no choice but to kill Martin. It was self-defense, and if she hadn’t stabbed him, he would’ve killed her first.

But it was such a traumatizing experience for her to take this life, after nearly dying, too. And she’ll carry with her the guilt of killing a man she knew was innocent and was under the influence of some psychotropic drug.

The entire sequence of Lucy getting beaten up, Tim finding her, and the processing was difficult to watch. All I could think about was how she was just holding a young survivor’s hand, talking to her about how she worked through her trauma.

And now she’s back in that headspace, struggling, and I foresee her struggling for quite some time after this.

Lucy breaking down sobbing after Tim went to bed was heartbreaking. I understand him giving her space and respecting her request, but it still threw me off that he didn’t stick around and leave her to process on her own.

I half expected them to pan out to him listening to her on the other side of the wall or something.

I’m torn because Melissa O’Neil excels at dark, traumatic arcs, and we get some of her best performances from them. But I also wonder how many times The Rookie can inflict trauma on Lucy?

The hour also delivered Wesley being super damn hot again. Seriously, I love that he’s married to the most badass character on this series, and he still defends and protects her like nobody’s business.

Not only does he go feral when it comes to protecting Angela, but it’s believable. I can fully believe that he would put Malcolm into a hospital bed for disrespecting Angela, and he wouldn’t blink. HOT!

That aside, he took a huge risk talking down that witness. I need him to stop putting himself in harm’s way when it’s not warranted.

The poor man did well during the deposition, but once he started talking about Glasser and the hold he had on him, you could tell he was triggered and haunted. It was like the mere memory prompted some activation code or something.

And now everything he said falls apart because he had a mental break while recounting his experience during that deposition.

The installment also touched on Wade and Luna’s relationship, and I still don’t know what we’re doing with that. It’s annoying.

Luna seems cold and apathetic about the entire situation, which is just so bizarre. It was so dismissive to imply that Wade probably found other women attractive before.

That is NOT the same as having an emotional affair, for goodness sake. And the mere fact that Luna, of all people, is making false equivocations is pissing me off.

Wade also called in a favor with Bailey. But frankly, it just felt like another instance of The Rookie trying to find a way to shoehorn Bailey into something.

So, now she’s on the radar of some covert Special Forces organization inside the Pentagon, and it’s connected to Everett. Sure, okay. Fine.

You can let me know how you feel about that storyline, zombies, and more Lucy trauma below in the comments! I’ll see you there.

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