Episode 3 of The Rookie Season 6 commences with Nolan and Bailey's honeymoon on a tropical island, but it's not the idyllic start one might envision. Their anticipated villa turns out to be a disappointment, with unreliable electricity and internet, and the only entertainment in sight are noisy possums in their mating season. Despite these setbacks, they persist with their optimistic spirits.
Meanwhile, Chen and Bradford find solace in Chen's apartment, where her anxiety over an oral exam looms large. Bradford, worried she's overdoing it, encourages her to take it easy. As an African child, the concept of "overstudying" was foreign to me, and apparently, so is it to Chen. She dives into her studies relentlessly, even recruiting Smitty for advice. Surprisingly, he offers sound counsel, urging her to delve deeper into the background of the lieutenant she's worried about.
Thorsen, grappling with guilt over his inadvertent kiss with Juarez at Nolan's wedding, opens up to his therapist. She argues that they share a trauma and rely on each other, urging him to clear the air with Juarez and offer her space. He attempts to apologize, but Juarez dismisses it, refusing the laptop he brings as a token of remorse.
Elsewhere, Sergeant Wade is troubled by his focus on Thorsen, fearing he may have neglected Juarez. He and Harper chastise her for her handling of a CI in the previous episode, asking Bradford to oversee Juarez's training as Harper is needed elsewhere. Bradford brings Chen along, hoping to distract her from her exam stress. However, he threatens to evict them from the car when Chen inquisitively probes into the awkwardness between Juarez and Thorsen.
A call about a robbery in progress interrupts their conversation，They rush to the scene and find a dazed robber attempting to flee. He's bleeding from a head wound and claims ignorance of his identity, but a Trusted Security employee tag on his jacket identifies him as Jonathan Knight. Chen and Bradford are skeptical of his genuine condition, but Juarez escorts him to the store, where he vomits on her. Bradford summons an ambulance, and they rush him to the hospital.
At the hospital, they encounter Sergeant Wade's wife, Luna, now a patient advocate. She inquiries about Thorsen's relationship with Juarez and learns of their strained situation. Luna counsels Juarez to set aside her concerns about Thorsen's feelings and engage him in an honest conversation. Heeding Luna's advice, Juarez approaches Thorsen, asking for time but expressing her desire to work on their friendship.
On the serene island, Nolan and Bailey sought to capture their honeymoon in pictures, armed with a variety of cameras Nolan had snagged on sale. Their time was blissful, considering the surroundings, until they encountered a tourist, Dean, sporting bandages from a supposed dog attack. Nolan, however, was skeptical of the tale. Bailey advised caution, urging them to focus on their holiday.
That evening, their camera captured a figure resembling Dean watching them sleep for an extended period. The following morning, a shocking discovery awaited them: Martha, one of the villa's cleaners, was found floating in the ocean, her life cut short. They attempted to alert the authorities, but the island's remoteness left Martha's death deemed an accidental drowning, her body stored in a makeshift freezer.
Fortunately, Nolan managed to reach Harper. Harper and Lopez convinced Wade to grant them a short, unpaid leave, using Wesley's credit card with the city's promise of reimbursement. Wade chuckled and gave them permission to fly to the secluded island.
As the day wore on, Nolan's police instincts flared, especially after they found a piece of Dean's bandage on Martha's body. He convinced Bailey to search Dean's room, where they stumbled upon a gun, which Nolan promptly disabled. They retreated to their room just before Dean returned.
With a blackout looming, they decided to kayak off the island but found the vessels sabotaged. With no other option, they stayed put. Returning to their room, they witnessed the host's daughter being assaulted. Nolan rushed to intervene, but he too was set upon. Bailey, fearful, tried to help but was struck from behind as soon as she ventured out.
The following dawn, Harper and Lopez arrived to witness a distressing sight: Bailey and Nolan had been taken hostage. Swiftly evaluating the situation, they dashed in to lend aid, but Nolan had already gained the upper hand. He deftly rescued Bailey and the hostage's daughter from a paranoid Dean, who had mistakenly believed they were undercover cops plotting to arrest him. Dean, having murdered his girlfriend and undergone plastic surgery, was on the verge of a new life until Nolan and Bailey's unexpected appearance triggered his paranoia.
After safely extricating the newlyweds, Harper and Lopez returned to L.A. with jests about returning to the island to provide their testimony. Meanwhile, in L.A., Chen, Bradford, and Juarez delved into the enigmatic case of Jonathan Knight. Unable to find any record of him, and with Jonathan himself unhelpful as he believed he was a spy involved in some secret mission revolving around North Korea, they faced a challenge. Jonathan was also concerned about his partner's safety.
Juarez decided to delve deeper into Jonathan's delusions of being a spy and stumbled upon a clue. It transpired that Jonathan and his partner had planned to rob Trusted Security to steal diamonds. However, the plan was foiled when Jonathan fell and hit his head. Bradford and Juarez discovered his partner trapped between the walls and apprehended him.
Juarez was elated when Bradford praised her diligent work. Thorsen stopped by her workstation to hear all about her case, and it seemed they were working towards repairing their frayed friendship. They joked that in a few weeks, they might even be able to laugh about their infamous kiss.
As for Chen, she slept in and woke up to the dismaying news that her oral exam had been moved up. With only twenty minutes to prepare, she scurried to the exam hall and found herself at the end of a long line. She eventually became the last person to take the test. Later, it was revealed that she had ranked 17th, and she fretted that she would never be promoted since she had "technically" failed. However, Bradford tried to console her.
The show concluded with Nolan and Bailey returning home, determined to make the most of their remaining honeymoon vacation despite the tumultuous events.
