The Rookie Season 4 Episode 14 Review: Long Shot

Randy is a hoot!

It was a mostly fun hour and action-packed too, and that’s thanks to Randy the Bounty Hunter/Skip Tracer, who served as a definite highlight of The Rookie Season 4 Episode 14.

The hour also had some odd storytelling for Lucy.

Flula Borg was such a delight to watch during the hour. He had an absolute ball playing the happy-go-lucky, excitable, acquired taste of Randy’s character.

Randy was a colossal moron, but he was lovable and funny enough to pull it off. His series of quips and spontaneous behavior made things interesting, and it was fun to see Harper and Nolan united in their exasperation over the human equivalent of a labrador pup.

Randy is not cut out for bounty hunting. For a first day on the job, he did the absolute most. The man got shot twice and locked himself in a sex coffin all in the same day in his quest to catch Ivy.

But if Randy sticks to it, that means he can return, and we’ll get more of his antics, so as terrible as he is at the job, there’s an incentive to see him stick it out.

The case was full of fun twists and turns, and it took Nolan, Harper, and Randy some of everywhere. It also led to some great observations from Harper about sex work and how the system is designed to criminalize the poor. It felt like natural points to make without it coming across as too preachy in its messaging.

It added some layers to Ivy, the madame they were after. On paper, it’s absurd that as a businesswoman in sex work, she’d have an astronomical bail like $250K, and it was because they hoped she would provide information about the high-rolling johns she had in her Blackbook.

Chen: Do you think it’s weird that I never tried to find my biological dad?
Bradford: No. You don’t owe him anything. The only thing he contributed could be measured in milliliters.

Many individuals who commit violent offenses don’t get that type of treatment or pay such a price. It’s no wonder Ivy went on the run.

Interestingly, we learned that Ivy was this intelligent woman who wanted to be a teacher and only got into sex work to help pay for her schooling. Her world expanded from there, and it went back to some of the comments Harper stated about how they’re forced to criminalize the poor.

Harper’s reflections along the way during that portion of the case also served as a buildup to the exact moment when she had to speak to Penelope again, one-on-one.

We should’ve known that The Rookie wouldn’t miss an opportunity to revisit how messed up it was that Harper used Penelope’s past in the custody battle against Donovan. Penelope was not up for talking to Harper at all, and you couldn’t blame her.

But I’m glad she did. Harper’s apology to Penelope was as genuine as it gets, and Penelope was receptive to it. Harper took responsibility for her actions, but she was right to point out that the real dissolution of Penelope and Donovan’s relationship was because of Donovan’s inability to get beyond Penelope’s past.

It was a good scene for the two, and I’m happy these two women found some common ground. They’re both probably better off without Donovan, too.

The series of leads to get them to Ivy also led them to Randy’s girlfriend and rival. Randy was bad enough as it was, but once Alicia entered the picture, it was like Nolan and Harper had two people to babysit while searching for another.

Control — I got a weird one!

Nolan

And neither of them took the situation seriously when it was apparent things were escalating. Randy opening the door for room service was dumb as heck. And Alicia thinking that she’d whisk Ivy away when there was a shootout coming was too.

The shootout was the most action-packed scene of the hour. The Dead Bastards had no qualms about trying to kill Ivy, and it’s insane that they would try that hard in the first place. Was it worth it?

Can you imagine all the people who headed down to the parking garage later and saw their cars riddled with bullets and windows bust out? Hell, they were at a hotel, so what if the vehicles were rentals?

At least after all that excitement, Randy got his bounty and his girl, and Nolan got a new best friend he didn’t ask for and double date night.

The excitement and action were great, but can they ease up on putting Harper in peril when she’s pregnant? It’s stressful.

Angela’s annoyance with Wes was adorable as usual, but the poor guy has difficulty finding a purpose without law. However, they still keep finding ways to bind him to legal services. It was a unique spin on it, with him consulting with an actress playing a lawyer on TV.

And it had its funny moments when she kept hitting on him or Grey. But hopefully, Wes will find something that grounds him while he waits out his remaining three months, assuming he doesn’t consider a career change by then.

Bradford and Chen had some exciting things happening. The woman whose cancer was in remission wreaking havoc on everyone who screwed her over sent them on a goose chase with amusing results at times.

Am I supposed to step into the light or away?

Randy

Lucy getting grossed out by the rats in the diner was a whole mood. The turn the case took when they talked to the perpetrator was unexpected. It went from amusing to grave, and she was a woman you sympathized with despite her actions.

By the time Bradford put the cuffs on her, you almost wished they could just let her go. You could tell that even Bradford respected her when it was all said and done.

But the situation hit home for Lucy; she was dealing with the personal element about her family history and past.

Did we know that Lucy’s father wasn’t her biological dad? It felt like something they pulled out of nowhere without any references to it over the seasons.

It was odd that they made a big deal about it now because Lucy filled out paperwork to freeze her eggs at her mother’s suggestion.

She went from unfazed by knowing anything about to man to realizing the value in knowing for medical information and more. Still, she opted to speak to her aunt for the background instead of her judgmental mother.

It was strange to learn that her mother, a therapist, slept with a patient. Lucy’s not far off in assuming that maybe her mother treated her the way she did because she’s a physical reminder of the mistake she made. It’s the long, hidden secret, and knowing the truth could mean there’s more damage between the two.

Lucy and her mother’s relationship going through some trials is the only reason this storyline is probably coming into play. Otherwise, it’s enough to make you wonder what the point of it is.

She had others look into it, and her father is dead and has no other family. Not giving her the chance to connect with this man or anyone close in his life feels like a missed opportunity, so I wonder what the thought process is behind this random storyline and development for her character.

Where does it go after all of this?

At least it showed how close Lucy and Tim are as their friendship deepens. They’re more than colleagues or a mentor and a mentee. They’ve become each other’s confidant and best friend, which is highlighted more now that Lucy lost Wesley and doesn’t lean on anyone else, and Tim doesn’t spend as much time with Angela anymore.

Tim had sound advice for Lucy when it called for it, but he also went out of his way to make her smile and laugh when needed too. Surely, he”ll be right there to support her if any further developments happen.

Over to you, Rookie Fanatics. What did you think about this Lucy storyline? Were you a fan of Randy? Hit the comments!

You can watch The Rookie online here via TV Fanatic.

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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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