‘The Rookie’ Season 8 Episode 4 Recap: The Long-Running Procedural Just Put Another Favorite Couple at Risk

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Jenna Dewan and Nathan Fillion talking to Tuc Watkins in The Rookie Season 8, Episode 4

Published Jan 26, 2026, 11:00 PM EST

Erin Konrad's love for everything entertainment dates back to elementary school when she became obsessed with classic Hollywood musicals. When she's not catching up on all her favorite television shows, she's advising her friends and family on what they should binge watch next.

She has her Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Creating content for Collider gives her the opportunity to combine her writing skills with her passion for television and movies. She spends her free time trying to beat her personal record of reading 126 books in a year and cuddling with her dog, Gracie.

One of the hardest parts of being a fan of The Rookie is that they like to separate our favorite couples. The past few seasons have been a roller coaster for Chenford — we were all impatiently holding our breath, waiting for Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil) to finally get back together again after one of the saddest breakups ever on the ABC series. Well, now that we're in Season 8, I was so relieved to see that Chenford is finally in a good place and can start their happily ever after. And that's when The Rookie writers decided to pull the rug out from under us again, but this time with another one of our beloved couples.

Nolan and Bailey Have a Major Conflict in 'The Rookie'

Jenna Dewan and Nathan Fillion in The Rookie Season 8, Episode 4

Episode 4 opens with John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) meeting up with Bailey's old captain, Russ. He's putting together a Pentagon think tank and offers Bailey a job. But this wouldn't be any ordinary position; Nolan and Bailey would actually have to move to Washington, D.C. if she decided to accept the offer. Initially, they both dismiss the idea, but Russ shows up at Bailey's house one more time and reiterates how great he thinks Bailey would be at the job. He also encourages her not to turn down an opportunity just because she thinks she isn't worthy of it. Bailey then asks Nolan to reconsider and at least ask questions about what a relocation might mean for his career.

Nolan spends some time picking the brains of his most trusted friends, Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) and Wade Grey (Richard T. Jones), and discovers that moving to D.C. would mean that he has to become a rookie all over again. But Grey points out that he will actually be 50 years old this time, which would make it an even more rigorous and challenging undertaking. It would also mean a decrease in salary, which would make it a hard pass in my mind. Wade notes that the "LAPD would be sad to see you go," which seems to remind Nolan of the family he's created at the Mid-Wilshire precinct.

The episode ends with a somber conversation between Bailey and Nolan, where she admits that she still wants to take the position, and Nolan confesses he very much wants to stay in L.A. Bailey sadly asks, "Where does that leave us?" Although it's always a bummer when a couple breaks up, having Bailey leave the show for D.C. might actually be a really positive thing for the series. Bailey's character is so superfluous these days, and having Nolan on his own again could actually provide the show with a lot of fresh storylines. I'm not sure how it will all play out yet, but I'm encouraged that this couple might be heading in a new direction (even if it's apart from each other).

Alexi Hawley, the showrunner of The Rookie

'The Rookie' Showrunner on the "Real Effects" of the Chenford Breakups and the Return of Aaron Thorsen

Alexi Hawley also discusses the villains we'll see again at the end of the season and what it was like working with Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej.

In the midst of all the Nolan/Bailey drama, The Rookie offers a suspenseful mystery with plenty of twists and turns. When the couple meets up with Bailey's captain, they happen to witness the assassination of a man. He is later identified as Fred Wilson, and there were two shooters involved who strangely ran with two different gangs. At first, suspicion falls on Fred's wife (and her boyfriend), but more investigative work zeroes in on two men named Ryder Frost and Kingston Holmes. During a pursuit by Nolan and Miles Penn (Deric Augstine), Ryder ends up trying to jump between two rooftops and falls to his death. The cops then discover that Ryder and Kingston had an interesting connection.

It turns out that the two men actually grew up as foster brothers. They were taken in by a woman named Mabel Sinclair. A few days prior, she had been injured in a hit-and-run accident. The culprit behind the accident was none other than Fred. That means that his murder was actually a revenge killing. Nyla and Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) interview Mabel in the hospital and learn that Ryder and Kingston had drifted apart because they joined different gangs as young men, but it seems that they found their way back to each other in order to kill Fred in Mabel's honor. The cops end up tracing Kingston to a house inhabited by his fellow gang members. The gang starts to beat him for teaming up with Ryder, and a shoot-out ensues when the cops get there. But before they can rescue Kingston, the youngest gangmember shoots and kills him. This is a heartbreaking end to the story of these foster brothers, but also a realistic and authentic look at the awful ripple effects of gang violence.

Wesley Decides To Run for DA in 'The Rookie'

Necar Zadegan and Shawn Ashmore together in The Rookie

One storyline that Rookie fans theorized about is finally coming to fruition in Episode 4. Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore) is offered the opportunity to run for District Attorney. He notes that he's not a squeaky clean candidate since he was temporarily disbarred because of the craziness with Elijah Stone (Brandon Jay McLaren), but the people backing his campaign think it will only make him look tougher on crime. Wesley's opponent, ADA Vivian Eckert (Necar Zadegan), is furious that Wesley is running, even before he officially announces his campaign. Wesley and Angela have a tough decision to make because Angela is concerned about the public scrutiny involved with this type of office. But by the end of the episode, Angela offers her blessing, noting that Wesley could actually provide the city with a shot at real change. This storyline is likely to set up some interesting drama going forward, especially since Wesley is often sitting on the sidelines.

There's also a side storyline about Lucy losing evidence in a case she's about to testify in. She discovers that Smitty (Brent Huff) is actually responsible for the mishap. This plot doesn't really go anywhere, except to allow Lucy and Tim to share a few brief scenes together, and to show that there is much more stress for Tim as the current Watch Commander. My main takeaway is that both Angela and Wesley and Nolan and Bailey are in for some serious marital conflicts, which could allow the series to include even more compelling tension in future episodes.

New episodes of The Rookie air on Monday nights on ABC, with episodes available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

Release Date October 16, 2018

Showrunner Alexi Hawley

Directors Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill 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 Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro

Writers Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff

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