Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan) takes the car ride from hell in “The Rookie” Season 8. Intending to leave the city, she gets into a vehicle expecting to be driven to the airport, only to learn that the driver is an assassin. Creator Alexi Hawley believes the character needed to die, hence the decision to write her out of ABC’s beloved procedural series.
“It felt like it was time. Ultimately, it felt like she’d escaped a lot of things,” Hawley told TVInsider. “And I never like to just tread water or feel like we’re telling the same story over and over. So I think it just felt like it was a natural end.”
Actor Bridget Regan also understands why Monica had to be written out of “The Rookie.” The performer noted that she was happy that Monica survived for as long as she did, despite all of the attempted hits on her life. This was not a shocking TV death, as it was only a matter of time until an assassin got her. Be that as it may, Regan was upset that her villainous character didn’t find redemption prior to her passing, telling TVInsider, “I felt like there was this version of Monica that could have been something else, but she just could never get there.”
How fans of The Rookie reacted to Monica’s death
Monica Stevens was a complex character toward the end, so her death stirred up mixed emotions in fans of “The Rookie.” While she was on the wrong side of the fence, Monica’s final moment with her ex-boyfriend, Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore), touched some viewers in the feels, as it showed she wasn’t completely consumed by villainy. “I hated the character with passion but her last scene with Wesley kind of broke my heart,” one Redditor wrote.
“Monica was a formidable opponent. She was also a scene stealer, and she was delightfully easy to despise. Bridget made me a new fan,” another viewer added.
Other viewers believe the shady nature of Monica’s death was fitting, as she was so used to scheming and getting away with it, so, really, she got a taste of her own medicine. One commenter wrote on YouTube, “[Her death wasn’t] some dramatic shootout or chase. Just all of her decisions finally catching up with her, leaving her as just another body in an alley.”
Fans can potentially look forward to more villains biting the dust, as “The Rookie” was renewed for a 9th season earlier this year. A spin-off series, “The Rookie: North,” is also in the works.