The fourth episode of The Rookie's sixth season commences with a profound moment for Thorsen. Engrossed in a memory exercise with his therapist, he finds his heart rate remarkably steady for the first time, a sign that he's accepting the fact that there was nothing he could have done to avert the attack. Recognizing this shift, Blair decides it's time for Thorsen to resume his duties, and the prospect fills him with excitement.
Meanwhile, Chen confides in Bradford her disappointment over failing the detective exam, yet assures him she's alright. Despite her assurances, her colleagues remain unconvinced, but Bradford endeavors to offer her support.
Upon arriving at the station, Wade assigns Bradford to accompany Thorsen, tasked with gauging his ability to handle both the mental and physical stress of the job. Wade's concern is palpable; he fears Thorsen may freeze in the face of intense situations.
During their patrol, Bradford administers one of his renowned "Tim tests" to Thorsen. With determination etched on his face, Thorsen apprehends a man named Tyson, known for his history of assaulting police officers and other illegal endeavors. Fortunately, Tyson is injured and poses no immediate threat.
As they escort Tyson to the police car, Thorsen spots a suspicious woman lurking in the shadows. He approaches her, and as he interrogates her, she suddenly erupts in anger, striking him across the face. Swiftly, Thorsen arrests her, earning Bradford's admiration for his prompt response.
Now, Bradford challenges Thorsen to uncover the motive behind the woman's attempt to flee and attack. He sets a deadline, and Thorsen frantically begins piecing together the puzzle.
After delving deeper into the mystery, Thorsen felt a sense of revelation. However, he remained skeptical that Stacey had paid Tyson to safeguard her husband in prison. Wade, noticing his exhaustion, urged him to take a respite and continue his investigation the next morning. Following a discussion with Blair, Thorsen's conviction grew stronger that he had overlooked something crucial, especially considering Stacey's husband was slain even before the deadline for the protection payment.
Meanwhile, Nolan and Juarez returned, and Nolan was eager to hear about Juarez's time with Harper. Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon a distressing scene—a woman had stumbled upon a lifeless body in the public washrooms. They promptly alerted the authorities and awaited the detectives' arrival. Harper and Lopez took charge of the case and soon discovered the telltale signature of the Pentagram Killer, a notorious figure from unsolved murders in the early 2000s. This long-vanished killer seemed to have returned, Nolan speculated, sparked by an imminent documentary highlighting his victims.
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Nolan instructed Juarez to alert the watch command. However, in her haste, she unwittingly mentioned the Pentagram Killer over the radio, causing a stir among the police scanner listeners, including the media. Harper, Lopez, and Nolan were horrified, fearing the ensuing frenzy would unnerve the public and result in a flood of potentially spurious reports.
Chen, the first to arrive at the scene, was tasked with securing the perimeter. She stumbled upon vomit, potentially belonging to the killer, and promptly reported it. However, she was left to wait impatiently for the crime lab officers to arrive and inspect the evidence. Wade, enraged, reprimanded Nolan and Juarez, ordering them to scrutinize the influx of calls about the Pentagram Killer. Among them was a woman, Opal, who claimed her fisherman husband was the perpetrator, a plausible theory given that most victims had been tied up—a skill fishermen are adept at. Nolan and Juarez promptly decided to visit Opal, eager to uncover the truth.
Alternately, Lopez and Harper succeeded in identifying their latest victim's identity. They made contact with her brother, yet he remained unyielding in his cooperation. Nevertheless, his demeanor suggested he was unlikely the perpetrator.
At Opal's abode, Nolan and Juarez were taken aback when she presented them with the driving licenses of previous victims she had stumbled upon. Remarkably, her husband had been deceased for seven long years. The police conducted a thorough search of the house, seeking additional evidence, and escorted Opal back to the station for further interrogation. Nolan lingered behind, offering Opal his contact information in an attempt to establish a rapport.
Opal claimed that she only discovered the gruesome trophies after her husband's demise, yet Juarez questioned how she could have been unaware that she was married to a serial killer. Harper found it difficult to dismiss Opal's innocence, given that her husband had never been a part of the initial suspect pool, suggesting he was adept at evading detection. Meanwhile, Wade was impressed with Nolan and Juarez's diligent work and invited them to join him at the press conference.
Unfortunately, Chen, while delighted for her colleagues, felt a pang of disappointment that it could have been her moment. She confided in Bradford about her tumultuous day, and he tried to lift her spirits.
The following morning, Harper, Lopez, Nolan, and Juarez delved deeper into the investigation surrounding the Pentagram Killer's newest victim. They uncovered that she had numerous enemies and had her sights set on a man named Conrad, who had antagonized her online and issued dire threats. Before Nolan and Juarez could embark on interviewing Conrad, Nolan received a distress call from Opal. The media was relentlessly hounding her, and despite his efforts, Nolan was powerless to intervene.
Upon arriving at Conrad's residence, they found the door ajar, revealing a lifeless body within. They promptly issued a Be On the Lookout (BOLO) alert for Conrad, their suspicions now firmly pointed at him as the perpetrator.
Back at the precinct, Thorsen uncovered Stacey's deception: the money she claimed to have paid Tyson as protection was in fact intended for hiring an assassin to eliminate her husband in prison. They cleverly deceived Stacey into believing her husband had survived the assault. She hastily called one of Tyson's cronies to confront him, unaware that their entire conversation was being recorded. Consequently, Stacey was apprehended and accused of orchestrating her husband's murder.
At Conrad's residence, the police identified his wife as the victim. The investigation intensified as the police tracked Conrad's whereabouts and inquired among his acquaintances. The team was in full swing, pursuing a potential clue. Juarez and Nolan encountered a man exiting one of the locations under surveillance. They summoned backup, and Chen arrived first on the scene. It was Conrad, but he revealed he wasn't the killer. He confessed to murdering the first victim and planting the Pentagram Killer's sign to throw the police off track.
As he was being transported to the hospital due to his injuries, Nolan and Juarez hastened to Opal's residence, where she had accidentally run over a journalist. Meanwhile, Conrad was on the verge of divulging further details about the second killer, but an unexpected assailant opened fire, killing him instantly. Chen called for reinforcements and retaliated, engaging in a firefight.
Harper and Lopez swiftly arrived, but the shooter had them trapped. In a moment of courage, Chen took a daring leap, with the detectives covering her, and dashed into an alley to intercept the shooter. For a heart-stopping instant, we feared she had been struck, but thankfully, the bullet only hit her radio. She swiftly concealed herself and waited for the shooter to make his escape. She issued several warnings for him to surrender, but he persisted in advancing toward her. Left with no alternative, she fired, striking Jeff, who turned out to be the brother of the first victim. He sought vengeance against Conrad for his sister's death.
Elsewhere, Nolan and Juarez reached Opal's abode, attempting to defuse the situation. Opal confessed that she felt abandoned, admitting that while she found her husband's behavior odd at times, she refrained from inquiring further for fear of uncovering unpleasant truths.
Later, at the hospital, Chen was cleared of wrongdoing, yet she remained troubled by the fact that she had shot Jeff. Wade assured her that he survived, but Chen was required to submit a statement to the DEA. If Jeff succumbed to his injuries, the investigation into the shooting would proceed as per protocol. Bradford did his utmost to console Chen in this trying time.
