#The Rookie Season 3 Episode 13 Review: Triple Duty

The war between La Fiera and Cesar Madrigal has started on The Rookie Season 3 Episode 13, and in a cemetery, no less.

That would seem convenient if they didn’t have to drag the bodies to the morgue first before burying them. 

But as Nolan pointed out, they got lucky during this firefight as there were no innocent victims, but that won’t last so the LAPD had to step in.

I was a bit surprised when Sgt. Grey sent Angela over to try and reason with La Fiera. It seemed like such a useless endeavor. Cesar killed Sandra’s son; there was no way she was going to let him live.

But La Fiera wanted two things, and Lopez could get her at least one of them. 

She wanted the recording of Señor Madrigal making the deal to turn over control of running his operation to her. Cesar might never accept it but Madrigal’s lieutenants would likely honor the deal, especially since an all-out war would likely get them killed.

The DEA was so darn smug when they took the recording, that it was easy to root for La Fiera to avoid their malware scheme. I practically cheered when she pulled out the air-gap computer. 

Sandra was right, the DEA underestimates her and Angela, mostly because they’re women. 

Underestimating La Fiera is foolish. For a woman to reach that level in such a chauvinistic world, she must be incredibly intelligent, clever, and strong. 

Agent: I shouldn’t have sent in a novice.

Lopez: When you look at her all you see is a woman from a third-world country with a 4th-grade education. But she’s smarter than you.

Agent: Oh, really. But not you?

Lopez: No, she probably is. But I’m humble enough to know that, which is why I’m going to be the one who takes her down.

And La Fiera also proved she could be downright brutal because the second thing she wanted was for Cesar to suffer by losing his child the way she lost hers. Harper was correct when she said the woman lost her only sense of humanity when her son was killed. 

I can’t say I thought very much of Cesar. What wanna-be drug lord leaves his girlfriend and baby alone and unprotected, especially when he knows he’s in the middle of a war. Yes, there appeared to be security around the perimeter but there was no one at the house.

His father obviously made the right decision in handing over control to La Fiera. 

Also, I clearly overestimated Galena. I thought Nolan was in big trouble when La Fiera’s top henchman pulled that knife, but Nolan handled himself extremely well. Even Bradford was impressed.

But will Cesar simply put his tail between his legs and go home now that La Fiera has that recording? Is this war really over? 

Let’s hope so, especially for the sake of Angela and Wesley’s upcoming wedding!

The drug war also opened up a dangerous opportunity for Lucy. 

Being pushed into undercover work before you’ve had the proper training seems reckless, but Lucy is excited about this next step. Lucy even felt as though she’d be letting Sgt. Grey down if she wasn’t ready to go and I hope she took his response to heart.

It’s not about letting me down, Officer Chen. There is no failure in finding yourself unprepared for a job you didn’t prepare for.


Sgt. Grey

Every test Harper put her through felt somewhat predictable. From the grill guy being an officer, to not blowing her cover when Tamara appeared to be in trouble, and even the threat that “Coco” was about to be set on fire; as a viewer, I spotted all of them as a set up from the beginning. 

But if Lucy could get through the faux abduction and still want to go into this line of work, even after she was sealed into a barrel by a serial killer last year, then more power to her. 

The most surprising twist of the hour was the reappearance of Officer Doug Stanton, in uniform and back on the street. 

Jackson had every right to be furious. Not only had Stanton set him up to be beaten to death, but now he was badmouthing Jackson to any cop who would listen, and a lot of them were doing just that. 

I couldn’t blame Jackson for going to Prof. Ryan for help when he felt like he had exhausted all of his options within the LAPD but Grey wasn’t wrong in what going to the press would accomplish.

West: If my life is worth less to the department than a lawsuit, then why should I protect them?

Grey: You shouldn’t. You should protect yourself. And I’m telling you, going on TV, going on blast will just cause the department to circle the wagons. They will shield Doug to defend their own reputation. You will be inadvertently making a martyr out of him and isolating yourself.

It was Fiona’s attitude that bothered me. She was happy to push Jackson to go on TV for the good of the cause but didn’t seem to care that he’d destroy any hope that he had for a career in the LAPD, which was his lifelong dream. 

Jackson had every right to take this fight public, but he also had the most to lose by doing so. Thankfully, Sgt. Grey stepped in and found another option.

Was that option perfect? Not even close, but showing that bodycam footage stopped Stanton from portraying himself as the victim. How many cops will want to partner with him now that they’ve seen him set another cop up to die?

I hope they follow up on this story. I’m curious to see what happens with Doug Stanton next.

Finally, as much fun as it was to watch Bradford scramble with the wedding RSVPs and Nolan spinning tales to help, it was even better to hear the real conversation they shared about Nolan’s desire to become a training officer.

Tim was spot on when he confronted Nolan about his motivation. It wasn’t long ago that John wanted to become a detective instead.

And being a cop who has to partner with an untrained rookie and teach them the ropes while doing the job must be frustrating and risky.

Nolan: Any advice?

Bradford: Think how hard it is doing this job. Now, think about doing it while babysitting an armed toddler.

In a lot of ways, it may be the perfect position for Nolan. He’s calm, encouraging, empathetic, and has a lot of common sense. 

But maybe he should just be a cop on his own for a while before learning how to train someone else.

So what did you think, TV Fanatics?

• Were you shocked to see Doug Stanton back in uniform?

• Was Sgt. Grey’s solution adequate, or should Jackson still consider going to the press?

• Is this drug war really over, and is this the last we’ll see of La Fiera?

• Is Lucy ready to go undercover long-term?

• And what are the odds that Angela and Wesley’s wedding goes off without a hitch?

Hit that big, blue SHOW COMMENTS button down below to share your thoughts, then check back in next week for our The Rookie season finale review. Yup, you read that right. It’s the final episode of The Rookie Season 3! 

In the meantime, you can watch The Rookie online here at TV Fanatic. 

C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.