Tim’s ex-wife, Isabel, returned to The Rookie Season 5 Episode 20 and needed help from Lucy.
Our TV Fanatics, Denis, Jasmine, and Christine, are here to debate Isabel’s visit, if Tim is really okay with Lucy going undercover long-term, the return of Skip Tracer Randy, and more!
And was Bailey binge-drinking with her college friend good fun or a stupid waste of time? Read on to find out.
Isabel and Lucy got to know one another. What did you think of their conversation? Were you surprised that it wasn’t more focused on Tim?
Denis: I expected it to be more about Tim and Lucy as a couple and how Isabel’s reappearance would affect them. I thought it was brilliant to have Isabel offer advice about undercover work instead of a dumb fight over a man. I wasn’t surprised it wasn’t more focused on Tim because I didn’t expect it to be.
Jasmine: I expected them to go in the traditional direction of it being exclusively geared toward and about Tim and he and Isabel’s relationship versus him and Lucy. I was pleasantly surprised that they bonded and spoke about the job, and I loved everything Isabel told Lucy about it.
Sometimes Lucy can take on that role of trying to better understand Tim or even the sillier route of having something to tease him about, and I was just thrilled that there was none of that at all with any moments with Isabel.
They could really talk as women in this male-dominated field which can be difficult and can take a toll on a person. I loved their interactions a lot.
Christine: I was happy that there wasn’t even the hint of jealousy from Isabel or insecurity from Lucy and that Tim didn’t think twice about them working together. They all acted like mature adults, which is odd for TV.
I loved that Lucy didn’t hesitate to help Isabel with her old case, and Isabel gave Lucy honest advice about working undercover. They’re both generous, caring human beings, and that says something about Tim as well.
Lucy orchestrated the five people trade at work so that she and Tim could work similar shifts, yet Lucy is talking about going undercover for six months to a year. Does that contradiction make sense?
Denis: It’s most definitely not a good look on Lucy, but I understand how it happened. When she planned that trade, she wasn’t craving to do undercover work.
It was a development after the fact. Sometimes the future has something in store for us, and we can’t know until we get there.
Jasmine: I think more than anything, Lucy wanted Tim to be happy and fulfilled at work, and regardless of if they were spending time together or not, he wasn’t feeling that way working the desk as a liaison.
But the lure of undercover life has really started tugging on her after the fact, and she’s great at it and has people like Nyla backing her. It’s just a tough situation all around.
Christine: Sometimes we really want two opposing things. Lucy enjoys working with and near Tim and spending their free time together, but she’s also excellent at undercover work and wants to do more of it.
But when she gets back from UC work, she’ll want to spend as much time with Tim as possible, so in that way, it still makes some sense.
Tim says he’ll be okay if Lucy goes undercover long term, but given what happened to Isabel, do you think he’s really okay with that?
Denis: Once bitten, twice shy. He’d be an idiot to expect different results from the same act. He masked his feelings nicely when Lucy told him about wanting to go undercover, but we will have to wait and see how he acts in the future.
Jasmine: He’s not okay. He tried to support Lucy and prioritize that, and I give him credit for it. He did a good job. But he’s not the least bit okay, and Isabel coming back only made him feel worse and more worried about all of this.
She and Lucy are different people, so he can’t expect things to play out the exact same, but he’s also been through the wringer with Lucy in other ways, the biggest difference being that he had access to her then, he won’t with her undercover.
This tests his lack of control and his inability to be protective or just be there for her for the first time since they met and started working together, and now it’s even harder for him since he loves her. I feel really bad for Tim here.
Christine: Tim wants to support Lucy, and undercover work is something she’s good at and really wants to pursue, but did you see the look on his face at the end? He is clearly not okay with it.
Given how badly things went for Isabel, Lucy becoming a long-term UC is going to be incredibly difficult for Tim. I’m curious to see if Lucy picks up on that, despite Tim’s assurances.
Was Bailey’s college friend’s visit a fun romp or one of the stupidest stories of the series thus far?
Denis: It definitely did nothing for the story, but I loved it nonetheless. Maybe it was because I could identify with having a wildcard of a friend who you can’t keep up with the craziness, but I loved the twist at the end.
Jasmine: It added nothing to the story and wasn’t even worth mentioning. It’s like they have an obligatory Bailey storyline shoehorned in to check off a box, and that was it. I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It was just there.
Christine: It was such a stupid storyline! Bailey is an adult who is more than capable of telling an old friend that one night of partying is enough now that they’re long passed their college years.
But when I first heard Bailey throwing up in the bathroom, I was worried it was morning sickness, so I guess I’ll take this waste of space story over that!
Did you enjoy Skip Tracer Randy’s return? Would you like to see him come back for another episode in the future?
Denis: He was so much fun! They lost me on what was supposed to be happening in most scenes, but it was so funny it didn’t need to make sense.
Jasmine: There is no doubt that Randy will come back. It’s The Rookie way. But less is more with Randy. So we’ve had our fill for the rest of the season. I agree that it was one of those weird cases that didn’t fully make sense or was the easiest to follow. But it was just fun.
Christine: It’s difficult not to like Skip Tracer Randy. And Nolan yelling, “Put the German down,” did make me laugh.
But Jasmine is right. A little Randy goes a long way, so I’m good if we don’t see him again until mid-season 6.
Were you surprised that Angela was still working so close to her due date? Was Sgt Grey right to tell her to start her maternity leave now?
Denis: We respect the hustle, but at some point, we have to start respecting the hustler more. She was at the end of her rope, and Sgt. Grey was right in telling her to take leave.
I’m sure she is valuable to the department, but her value depreciated when the department had to divert resources for her comfort.
Jasmine: I wasn’t because Angela is going to be Angela. She would’ve dropped that baby in the middle of a scene and taken out five dudes one-handed while bouncing the new ball of baby because that’s just Angela.
But I’m glad Grey finally sent her home. She was beyond the point of comfort. And the pregnancy montage surpassed funny and veered into ridiculous, and at some point, she wasn’t contributing as much as she was distracting.
Christine: It didn’t surprise me at all that Angela wanted to stay, but it was time to go home.
And I had to laugh because I remember carrying around the extra large bottle of Tums to get through the day. A lot of pregnancy is no fun.
What disappointed you the most in this installment?
Denis: I’m a sucker for action, and when it’s missing, I notice.
Jasmine: It was light on action and was all humor. Dara got on my nerves, being so mad at Isabel that she ran right into gunfire and nearly endangered all of their lives.
Christine: That so much time was wasted on Bailey trying to keep up with her ridiculous friend grated on my nerves.
What was your favorite quote, scene, or storyline in this episode?
Denis: “Do you know the Britney song, Oops, I did it again?”
Jasmine: I just really enjoyed Isabel all around. I’m glad they didn’t demonize her character for being an addict or having issues, or breaking Tim’s heart.
I both could understand her self-deprecating way of speaking about herself and hated that she still feels like she has to jokingly give people a disclaimer when she walks into a room or feels like she doesn’t have a place in that room. I just really appreciated all of her scenes.
Christine: I loved Isabel and Lucy working together. They make a great team, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Isabel return for another episode sometime in the future.
Now it’s your turn, TV Fanatics. Did you enjoy Isabel’s visit? Will Tim be okay with Lucy doing a long-term undercover assignment? Was Bailey’s storyline a fun romp or a stupid time-waster?
Hit that SHOW COMMENTS button below to let us know, then check out Jasmine’s The Rookie Season 5 Episode 20 review.
And you can watch The Rookie online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.