The Q Word

The Q Word
Season	2
Episode	19
Air date	May 3, 2020
Written by	Natalie Callaghan & Nick Hurwitz
Directed by	David McWhirter
Episode Order
← Previous	Under the Gun
Next →	The Hunt
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	Transcript

"The Q Word" is the nineteenth episode of the second season on The Rookie. This is the thirty-ninth episode of the series overall.

Summary

Their rookie year is coming to an end and officers Nolan, Chen and West are about to be squeezed harder than ever before as their training officers evaluate whether they are truly ready for the job. Meanwhile, after one of their rookie classmates is involved in a shooting, the team uncovers some unsettling evidence.

Plot

When a fellow rookie colleague Chris Rios is fatally shot in broad daylight by a member of the Derian crime family, the entire police department commences a manhunt where multiple complications arise. Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen raid the gunman's house and learn that an L.A.P.D. officer is on the crime family's payroll. John Nolan and Nyla Harper recover the murder weapon from the crime scene, but find out it is stolen after a raid on Ruben Derian's residence. Jackson West attempts deals with the aftermath of Chris's death at the hospital while Angela Lopez attempts to search for the mole.

While viewing through the officers' body camera footage, Lopez learns that rookie officer Erin Cole did not have her body camera function on at all during her shift, with the Wilshire precinct then conducting a manhunt on Erin. Nolan encounters a guilt-ridden Erin by himself after she flees into the Rose Bowl stadium and learns that she was the actual target of the assassination attempt, with Chris being collateral damage. Despite Nolan's successful attempt in calming her down, Erin is fatally shot by Nick Armstrong. During the aftermath and inspired by a recent conversation with Harper, Nolan reviews his body camera footage and deduces that Armstrong was the actual mole working for the Derian family.

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

• Harold Perrineau as Nick Armstrong
• Jeff Pierre as Emmett Lang
• Hannah Kasulka as Erin Cole
• Chris O'Shea as Chris Rios
• Greg Serano as T.O. A Martinez
• Hrach Titizian as Ruben Derian
• Brent Huff as Officer Smitty
• Ali Larter as Dr. Grace Sawyer

Co-starring

• Crystal Coney as Nurse Lisa
• Molly Baker as Lawyer
• Ashlee McLemore as EMT
• John K. Wilson as Ambulance Driver

Trivia

• Greg Serano, who plays Training Officer Martinez in this episode, played another law enforcement character, FBI Agent Napier, in the Castle episode "And Justice for All".
• "T.C." is police shorthand for "traffic collision", as heard when Rios reports on their pursuit.
• When Harper reports that their suspect is "GOA", it means they are "gone on arrival".
• "ATL" is short for "attempt to locate", as Armstrong refers to their search for Serj.
• The RV Cole drives has California license plates, front and back, not Arizona plates.
• The climax of the episode, where Nolan confronts Erin Cole, was filmed at the Rose Bowl Football Stadium in Pasadena, California.
• The "245" reported during the vehicle chases refers to California Penal Code section 245, which deals with "assault with a deadly weapon".
• When Detective Armstrong directs police officers around Ruben's house before the raid, he lists Officers Jennings, Sanchez, Stapleton, Brady, and Cole. All these names are shared by legendary players for Arsenal FC, the Premier League team in London - (Pat Jennings, Alexis Sanchez, Liam Brady, Frank Stapleton, and Ashley Cole).
• In Police Tactical circles, the methodology to clearing a house or room breaks down as follows: The main entrance is designated number 1. The other sides of the house are labeled 2,3, 4, etc. in a clockwise manner. The corners where the sides meet are indicated by designated numbers joined by a forward slash in the middle, ex: 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 etc.
• In the Los Angeles Police Department, there is a Special Investigation Section, which is a tactical surveillance unit formed in 1969 to apprehend robbers and burglars. The section is part of the Robbery-Homicide Division.
• The "Q word" is used to mean "quiet", or in this case, minimal criminal activity.

Quotes

Chen: No joke, my T.O. goes, "When you're in the LAPD"... Chen, Nolan, West: "You're never alone."

Chen: I mean, maybe if you're playing pick-up with him, but not when he's your T.O. He once designed an IED to blow up baby powder in my face just to make a point.

Grey: The end of the race is always the hardest. The Push is to remind you not to celebrate until you cross the finish line. Understand?

Chen: I didn't realize happiness was an impediment to being a good cop.

Lopez: Do I look like a woman who's ever worn peach? West: No. You're definitely an autumn.

Harper: Na-na-ah-ah-ah-ah! Stop! You do not, under any circumstance, ever use the "Q" word while on duty. That is like saying "Macbeth" in a theater or talking about a no-hitter in the dugout.

Bradford: It's the hardest part about being a T.O. Okay? We drill it into their head, but at the end of the day, they make their own calls.

Bradford: She's my Boot. I'll talk to her however the hell I want to so she doesn't end up eating through a tube the rest of her life. You got that? Let's go, Boot.

Grey: I know I can trust you. So I'm making you acting detective until this calms down. You already passed the exam, so I might as well take advantage of you until the brass realizes what they're missing out on.

Bradford: You may be 30 days from crossing the finish line, but the only thing that happens when you cross it is that I won't be there to keep you from washing out. Or worse. So you better believe this next month is gonna be tough. 'Cause I know you can handle it. Chen: That's oddly sweet. But you're not the one I'm mad at right now. I'm used to you.

Lang: Uh... You're one of the toughest women I've ever met. The last thing you need is a protector, and I didn't mean to imply that you did. I'm sorry. Chen: Thanks. I accept your apology.