In The Rookie, we experience up close the everyday experiences of Los Angeles police officers as we follow John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and his colleagues on patrol. The cop series enjoys great popularity – but one consequence is almost punished.
The true crime episode was not well received by The Rookie fans
It is the 7th episode of the 3rd season, A Fallen Star (original: True Crime). In it, John Nolan, Nyla Harper and other characters from The Rookie are called to a scary location. They find a missing cult leader and mysterious traces of blood.
The special thing about the episode that sets it apart from others and that the fans probably didn’t like: The operation is subsequently examined in a true crime documentary. And we see this documentary as The Rookie episode. So it’s in a different style than the usual episodes, including interview cuts and a found footage flair.
The script for the episode came from series creator Alexi Hawley himself, among others. Unfortunately, the overall package didn’t quite meet the audience’s expectations. This can also be felt on the global rating platform IMDb, where A Fallen Star is rated just 4.4 out of 10 points is assessed – or rather punished. Over 3,000 people rated the episode.
The Rookie mostly impresses with a solid mix of humor, tension and interpersonal, touching moments. There isn’t much of that in this episode. The implementation of the concept lacks the necessary bite.
45 minutes of boredom – despite the brilliant guest star from Malcolm in the Middle
Instead, the characters we know are brought in front of the camera in repeated interview sequences. The flashbacks themselves, with which the audience is catapulted to the scene of the event, also remain strangely rigid. This means that most of the tension is eliminated. Not even Frankie Munizmain actor from Malcolm in the Middle, was able to delight the fans. In keeping with his early success as a child star, he plays a fallen… child star.
In the case of more comfortable episodes, series like The Rookie usually know how to enhance them with humor. Given the subject matter – cult, missing young people, potential violent crime – it’s not entirely possible to bring in this ingredient. So that leaves us with A Fallen Star a stale aftertaste and the modest rating is understandable.
Fortunately, most episodes of The Rookie feel significantly different and feature fun and exciting stakes that leave no thought of boredom at all.