Fire Fight

Fire Fight
Season	4
Episode	7
Air date	November 14, 2021
Written by	Corey Miller
Directed by	Tori Garrett
Episode Order
← Previous	Poetic Justice
Next →	Hit and Run
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"Fire Fight" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of The Rookie. This is the sixty-first episode of the series overall.

Summary

In the aftermath of Fred’s house explosion, Officer Nolan and Bailey discover there’s more to Fred’s death than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford demand a treasure hunt rematch and enlist Sergeant Grey to help set the terms to a new bet, all while they arrest a series of wealthy female criminals. Elsewhere, Wesley struggles to keep it together under the pressure of his debt to Elijah.

Plot

Picking up from the previous episode, the explosion has knocked John, Lopez, and Bailey down. Lopez and John are okay but Bailey has suffered an injured leg, due to projected debris piercing her leg and leaving her in agony. John quickly helps Bailey while Lopez calls in for help, as the gathering neighbors witness the fire before Bailey pleads they need to help Fred but a second explosion occurs. John tells the protesting Bailey, Fred is gone.

John swings by Fred's house and finds nothing of note. He calls Bailey who is still recuperating at home and they share some flirtations with him promising to come home. Soon John spots Marcus Lindsey paying respects and they share a talk about how his help that has allowed the police to make progress. As Marcus leans down to place flowers, John notices a burn mark on his lower back, recalling how the victim told him and Harper about such mark on his attacker. John tells Marcus that he has to head out but as they part, Marcus strikes John with his car and sprays something in John's face, knocking him out.

The next day, a drowsy John finds himself hearing music before spotting Marcus playing the harmonica and taunts John about his situation. Marcus stomps John when he sees the latter is still dazed and soon reveals himself as the killer John has been looking for, stating he has been doing this for a decade, but he managed to stay ahead of the authorities by taking up new identities and moving to new areas, thinking LA would be the perfect place to commit his crimes. However, he never counted on people like John or Bailey to get close, while blaming himself for getting careless. He beats John when he tries to break free, stating he intends to do that for him, calling it one last game before he goes off the grid and start over. When John questions what will happen if he refuses to participate, Marcus shoots the wall to indicates he dies where he stands.

Marcus voices his anticipation by remarking this is what addicts must feel like and John asks if he is punishing a version of himself by targeting addicts. Laughing, Marcus makes it clear he commits his crimes for the thrill and has no shame in it. He releases John and sprays him with a drug laced substance to make him groggy, stating this will make the chase more fun, while giving him a one-minute head start. A twisted game of cat and mouse starts, with the wounded and dazed John managing to hide while Marcus gloats that he had time to prepare and there are weapons everywhere. John soon stabs Marcus in the gut with scissors, forcing him to retreat while John pursues him and demands he surrender but Marcus grabs a shotgun while John runs away when fired upon. Overwhelmed by Marcus' relentless hunting, John soon discovers the exit and escapes the building using a forklift. John finds Marcus' car, just as the latter follows him outside. Finding a cellphone, John calls his team for help before hotwiring the car and using it to run over a fleeing Marcus.

Marcus survives but is left heavily wounded. With his foe down for the count, a dazed John proceeds to strap his hands with zip ties, declaring his victory and putting Marcus under arrest before passing out from his injuries and collapses next to him.

At the hospital, John's team arrive and congratulate on his success before revealing he will be better in no time. They tell him to get some well-deserved rest. After they leave, Bailey arrives and joins John in bed with both being happy by John getting justice for Fred.

Cast

Main

• Nathan Fillion as John Nolan
• Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers
• Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper
• Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez
• Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey
• Melissa O'Neil as Lucy Chen
• Eric Winter as Tim Bradford

Guest starring

• Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune
• Brandon Jay McLaren as Elijah Stone
• Maury Sterling as Marcus Lindsey
• John Marshall Jones as Mr. Andrews
• Susan Walters as Sloan
• Benita Krista Nall as Aston
• Mary Beth Evans as Mrs. Carter
• Allie Gonino as Tinsley
• Billy Miller as Ken
• Kevin Holloway-Harris as Jay

Co-starring

• Stephen Joseph as Moreno

Trivia

• Strapping a water heater in place is a safety measure required by law in many states of the U.S. where earthquakes are a concern.
• In humans, the adductor longus is a skeletal muscle connected to the thigh; along with other muscles, it's used to bring the thighs together.
• The abandoned factory where the climactic scenes were filmed is the defunct Archer-Daniels-Midland flour mill in Los Angeles, shut down in June 2020.,
• This marks the second time a member of the squad was captured by a serial killer, after Lucy Chen.
• Guest star Billy Miller passed away in 2023.

Promotion

• The Rookie 4x07 Promo "Fire Fight" - SpoilerTV