Episode 1 of The Rookie Season 6 bursts into action with a flurry of cash flying chaotically through the air. A man, engulfed in flames, screams frantically as he dashes through the smoke, pursued by the sound of gunshots echoing in the distance. Amidst this turmoil, Nolan finds a hiding spot behind his shop, frantically calling for backup.
Flashing back 97 minutes before the commotion, we find Juarez at the hospital, her heart heavy with worry for Aaron's second surgery. She speaks anxiously with Sergeant Wade over the phone, inquiring about what she can do to assist. Wade advises her to remain at the hospital and keep a close watch over Aaron.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Wade and his team are still at the scene where they apprehended Lucas and his alleged accomplices. Despite their efforts, a nagging sense of unease persists, as if something crucial is still missing. Back at the hospital, Angie and Wes opt to check out due to the commotion, seeking refuge in the hotel where the team is lodging with their families.
The team puzzles over how Lucas could have financed a war against the LAPD, certain that someone with significant resources must be backing him. They suspect Lucas was merely a diversion, but the real target remains elusive. Nolan, however, senses that the real action is already unfolding, and the team remains vigilant, eyes peeled for any suspicious activity in Los Angeles. They stay in constant communication with dispatch, scanning for any reports of anomalies, no matter how minor.
And Nolan's intuition is spot on. Boyd and his team of seasoned criminals have just launched their meticulously planned heist at the Federal Reserve Bank. Their efficiency is evident in how seamlessly they overpower the guards and proceed to the next phase of their plan, leaving no trace of their passage.
Dispatch urgently alerts the team that the Federal Reserve Bank's hourly check-in call is lagging behind by a mere 17 seconds, barely noticeable in the regular scheme of things. However, Nolan, the closest available, decides to investigate, sensing a potential threat. Upon arrival, he remains oblivious to one of the robbers acting as a lookout, who immediately alerts Boyd of the impending danger.
The lookout then unleashes a barrage of gunfire, catching Nolan off guard. By then, Nolan had already reached the door, spotting blood and an empty reception desk devoid of guards. He quickly ducks for cover and retaliates with precision fire. Inside, Boyd urges his team to expedite their actions and shift to Plan B.
This cunning plan involves deploying a transport vehicle laden with cash and a bomb, designed to divert the police's attention. Concurrently, they digitally steal a substantial amount of money, leaving behind a virus in the computers to obfuscate their tracks. The bomb explodes, and a burning figure attempts to flee the scene, but collapses lifeless before any assistance arrives.
Meanwhile, backup arrives, and Boyd eliminates their lookout from a third-floor window, executing a calculated move. Sergeant Wade and his team swiftly deduce that the robbers must possess a secondary escape plan, given their willingness to eliminate their own lookout.
Sergeant Wade steered Harper and Nolan through the dimly lit basement, where they stumbled upon Boyd and his crew fleeing in haste. Alas, their arrival was untimely, and the perpetrators slipped away from their grasp.
Six weeks later, it marked Nolan's final shift before tying the knot, and Harper mischievously suggested he should've chosen paperwork instead. She and Juarez were believers in the ominous curse of the last shift, yet Nolan shrugged off their warnings. As fate would have it, things went from bad to worse for Nolan and Bailey. Their air conditioning abruptly gave way, and they were informed by a new neighbor that the adjacent house was to be demolished. The demolition, ironically, was scheduled for that weekend, effectively dashing Nolan and Bailey's dream of getting married in their own home.
Juarez fretted about taking Harper's place while Nolan embarked on his honeymoon. She sought advice, but Nolan remained tight-lipped. Meanwhile, Aaron returned to work after narrowly escaping death. His reunion with Angela, who had just returned from maternity leave, was heartwarming. She counseled him to take it easy and assured him that his nightmares would eventually fade. Sergeant Wade urged Aaron to consult the department's therapist and remain on desk duty until she deemed him fit. Aaron was reluctant but had no alternative.
As for the heist case, the police's every lead seemed to lead them nowhere. They suspected the criminals had erased their criminal records from the police database, explaining why even face recognition had failed them. However, the police persisted in their search, though it felt like looking for a needle in a haystack. Given the criminals' vast wealth, they could be anywhere in the world, making the task all the more challenging.
We reunite with our beloved couple, ChenFord, amidst the chaos of Chen's preparation for her detective exam. Chen's anxiety is palpable as she fears the ill-will between her and the Lieutenant overseeing the exam could spell doom for her aspirations. Her hectic schedule has left her lagging behind in her studies, so she seeks Bradford's companionship and asks to ride with him, hoping he can quiz her along the way. However, this strategy backfires as Bradford's support turns into a distraction.
Amidst their study sessions, Chen's confidence waivers, and a simple mistake leads to the compromise of a crucial crime scene. Now, with her reputation at the station at stake, she must rely solely on extracting a full confession from the killer to secure a conviction. As she struggles with the case, Chen becomes the butt of jokes at the station. Miraculously, she manages to obtain a confession and salvage her investigation, but the tension between her and Bradford reaches boiling point.
By the end of their shift, Chen lashes out at Bradford, accusing him of sabotaging her efforts due to lingering jealousy over his ex-wife. Bradford, wounded by her accusation, considers ending their relationship but manages to restrain himself. He asks for a night off, seeking some respite from the tumultuous situation.
Just when things seem to be at their lowest, a stroke of luck presents itself in the case. One of the robbers, Banks, suffers an accident, and his fingerprints are discovered to match those of the robbery suspects. Harper quickly rushes to alert the police, but Banks notices the officer's movement towards his gun. In a moment of desperation, Banks takes a nurse, Lisa, hostage, and the policeman accidentally fires, striking her.
As Banks dragged the wounded nurse to a secluded room, imprisoning her within its confines while her blood trickled down, Sergeant Wade, Harper, and Nolan arrived on the scene with swift precision. Nolan skillfully diverted Banks' attention, while Harper capitalized on the distraction with a precision shot, ending the threat. Her aim was true, and Banks fell, triggering an inevitable OIS (Officer Involved Shoot) investigation.
With Banks' demise, the team delved into his background, searching his home. They uncovered a hoard of cash and a secret phone concealed in the kitchen's recesses. The sole number saved on the phone piqued their curiosity, receiving a call every day at 4 PM. This narrow window of two hours challenged them to devise a strategy.
A task force assembled promptly, and they surreptitiously tapped the suspect's phone. Thanks to the camera's keen eye, they identified Boyd, Kim, and Cyesha with certainty. However, Boyd sensed a disturbance after his call to Banks and grew uneasy. He shattered the phone, yet the team had already procured its GPS coordinates. Boyd and his cronies, originally headed for LAX, altered their plans due to the growing sense of unease.
Racing against time, the team hastened to intercept Boyd and his cohorts upon their landing at a new airstrip in Los Angeles. Nolan, determined to play an active role, narrowly escaped death during the tumultuous arrest. With Boyd in custody, Angela took charge of the interrogation.
As anticipated, Boyd invoked his legal rights, and lo and behold, Monica materialized. Despite the police's offers of leniency if he betrayed his boss, Boyd remained steadfast. After their encounter, Monica whispered into her phone, insinuating that eliminating Boyd would be beneficial. And so it transpired, Boyd met his fate on the way to prison.
The case concluded, Aaron extended an invitation to his parents' serene spiritual retreat for Nolan and Bailey's wedding. Ecstatic, they readily accepted. As Aaron departed for his therapy session, a spark of infatuation seemed to ignite in his eyes as he gazed at his new therapist, Blair.
