Clean Cut

Clean Cut
Season	2
Episode	8
Air date	November 17, 2019
Written by	Mary Trahan
Directed by	Toa Fraser
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"Clean Cut" is the eighth episode of the second season on The Rookie. This is the twenty-eighth episode of the series overall.

Summary

Officer Nolan kicks off his birthday by babysitting a crime scene at a law office. Meanwhile, Officer Bradford and Officer West are set to receive special awards, and Sgt. Grey rides patrol with Officer Harper after she requests an early annual evaluation.

Plot

While collecting concrete and talking to Henry Nolan through a video call, John Nolan gets a call from Sergeant Grey asking him to come in on his day off to "babysit a crime scene." Nolan is supposed to be relieved in "a few hours" but ends up at the scene most of the night and into the next day, waiting for detectives to come and clear the scene.

Meanwhile Lucy Chen complains to Jackson West, who is steaming his Class A Uniform, excited for the award he is about to receive, about John texting her all night during his vigil. Harper goes to Grey and asks for an early evaluation to impress the judge in her battle to gain joint custody of Lila, her daughter.

Back at the crime scene, John's phone indicates that there is only 10% charge left; Grace Sawyer calls to wish him a happy birthday, but just after the call ends, the phone's battery gives out. There's a visitor at the entrance to the crime scene, Ellroy Basso, who identifies himself as "Bioremediation" - "crime scene cleaner" - and he and Nolan hang out while waiting for the detectives to arrive. At one point, while theorizing about the crime scene, Ellroy and Nolan investigate an adjoining unfinished space and find the body of the prime suspect.

Bradford and Chen accidentally rear-end another car, and Bradford tells Chen he may be suspended or terminated. Chen goes to the LAPD garage and talks to the officer in charge of examining the damaged vehicle, and they find that the car's brake lights have been deliberately disabled. Bradford and Chen go to the hospital to interview the woman who was driving, and she admits that the man she was living with has been known to scam people with fake injuries and staged accidents.

When Nolan contacts Nell in Dispatch to ask about the detectives' ETA, Ellroy chats with her and they seem well acquainted, although Ellroy later tells Nolan he's never met Nell in person. Ellroy tells Nolan that one of the reasons he became a crime scene cleaner was his sister's suicide; he wants to put everything back the way it was, even though it can't bring people back.

Meanwhile, West and Lopez pull over a man in whose car West finds some kind of white powder concealed behind the dash; he accidentally gets some on him and starts acting strangely. Lopez makes a quick assessment and realizes West is under the influence of some unknown substance, so she takes his weapon away and takes him to the hospital for testing. Eventually they find that the substance was not toxic, that West had an allergic reaction to it, and that he will not be impaired or reported.

Harper's ride with Grey brings in a man who thinks L.A. has been invaded by zombies, and a woman who is drunk at 10:00 in the morning; we find out later that she has had a devastating result on her test for breast cancer.

Just as Ellroy decides to leave, he catches sight of two men entering the crime scene with guns and realizes that the criminals who killed their victim(s) have returned to the scene. Nolan's walkie-talkie gets broken in the ensuing fire fight, and he and Ellroy retreat to the unfinished space, where Nolan trips the fire alarm in order to bring backup. The two criminals get past the door blocked by a cabinet and start searching for Nolan and Ellroy, who are hiding behind separate pillars. Eventually, Nolan knocks one of the criminals out with a loose brick, and shoots the other after Ellroy shrieks in terror, distracting the man.

In the end, the group meets up at the food court to celebrate Bradford's and West's awards and to wish Nolan a happy birthday. Nolan introduces Ellroy to Nell, who greets him enthusiastically.

Cast

Main 

• Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
• Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
• Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
• Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey
• Titus Makin as Jackson West
• Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen
• Eric Winter as Tim Bradford

Guest starring

• Alan Tudyk as Ellroy Basso
• Sara Rue as Nell Forester
• Chloe Bridges as Stephanie Davis
• Bob Stephenson as Kevin
• Adam Busch as Mike Garvey
• Zayne Emory as Henry Nolan
• Rebecca Field as Sarah Murphy
• Bobby Hosea as Walter
• Blue Kimble as Trevor Reed
• Ali Larter as Dr. Grace Sawyer

Trivia

• Alan Tudyk, who portrays Ellroy Basso in this episode, previously starred with Nathan Fillion on Firefly, Serenity, Con Man, and Resident Alien.
• Goof: Wade Grey calls in the drunk woman as being at 6th and Beverly, but the street sign clearly reads Ventura Blvd. (The actual location is Ventura Blvd. and Laurelgrove Ave.)
• Cornell University is in Ithaca, New York; UCSB is the University of California, Santa Barbara, which is about two hours north of Los Angeles.
• "Horizontal nystagmus" is a standard police field examination for probable intoxication in which the motion of the subject's eyes is observed. [Wikipedia]
• Henry Nolan references the movie Lady and The Tramp while he is on the phone with John Nolan at the beginning of the episode. He mentions that he and Abigail were watching the movie instead of studying that night.
• Jackson West's idea of predicting crime is the center point of the TV series Person of Interest (2011) which features one of The Rookie 's guest stars, Sarah Shahi.
• The DUI arrest should have been a 647 F (drunk in public); they could have stretched it to an attempted DUI, which is still a crime in California.

Quotes

West: Like, a few weeks ago, I thought I was gonna get bounced from the program, and now I'm getting an award from the Deputy Chief.

West: Tim is gonna be in a really good mood today. Chen: I know. I'm really happy for me, too.

Bradford: I don't do this for the medals and plaques, Boot.

Nolan: There's only two reasons to torture someone. Basso: You hate their guts. Nolan: Or you want them to tell you something. Basso: Or it's a sex thing. So, three things. Nolan: I'm super uncomfortable.

West: No, no, I-I don't do drugs. I've never done drugs before. Lopez: Shocker.

Lopez: And if you can hallucinate at any time, you can't carry a gun. It's an automatic retirement. He'll be off the force.

Bradford: What do they call it when a doctor has an accident? Sawyer: Malpractice.

Chen: You've got time now. This is important. Officer Bradford is a 12-year veteran. He's been wounded five times in the line of duty. He deserves your respect, not whatever macho crap this is. (in more respectful tone) Sir.

Bradford: Little advice - if you can only afford one retainer, I'd start with a criminal lawyer. You're gonna need that one first.

Basso: I'm bringing a pipe to a gunfight? Nolan: It's better than bare hands.

Bradford: You make that your home screen, you're gonna be running the Academy training course in a bomb disposal suit. Chen: I would never do that. It is now my lock screen. Bradford: Listen, I wouldn't have gotten this stupid plaque if you didn't have my back today. So, you know, thanks. Chen: For what? Doing my job?

Nolan: You know, um - a year ago, I never would have believed this would be my life. I mean, new beginnings are rare, and rewarding ones, even more so. And here I am, surrounded by the best people I've ever known. And Lopez. (off her look) Just- That's just jokes. (lifts his cup) To us.