The Rookie Season 8 Episode 13: Bailey’s back in LA, but is it a mistake? Here’s what we think

In The Rookie Season 8 Episode 13, Bailey is back in LA. Episode 13 opens with her first EMT shift again, and within just a few minutes, things go haywire, impacting Nolan, too.

At this time, we wonder whether bringing Bailey back is the right move. It feels a little bit too shaky because we think that even though the episode gives her a bit of action to deal with, we also think that there is no major growth in the character.

And that’s where things start to feel a little off.

Bailey is back in the field in The Rookie Season 8, but nothing about it feels new

Bailey’s return to LA in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 13 should have changed something, shouldn't it have? A new arc that would take her somewhere new, a new energy that would've hyped her up a bit more?

However, there is no change in pattern from what we've seen before. She’s paired with a rookie EMT, Oakley, who actually had potential to shake things up. He’s smart, overqualified, and clearly out of his depth, and that alone should have stirred up something new.

But that does not really seem to happen. Bailey immediately pulls Nolan into her first call, and the situation turns into a hostage situation that involves a wounded man and a group of criminals who're chasing stolen money.

The ambulance gets hijacked, they’re forced into a warehouse, and things escalate fast from there. Oakley gets shot, and the victim even loses an arm.

And yet, it all circles back to Bailey and Nolan working together like always.

That’s lowkey the issue. Instead of letting Bailey stand on her own or build something new with Oakley, the show goes back into exploring her relationship with Nolan.

Even Oakley exits by the end, deciding he’s not cut out for the job. So the one new angle Bailey had is gone just as soon as it came in.

A good episode that works, but what about when the storytelling feels stuck?

There’s no denying that Episode 13 of The Rookie Season 8 is all packed. The hostage storyline, the ambulance, and the warehouse, all of this moves as fast as it can, and it keeps you hooked. But once it’s over, it doesn’t really add anything to Bailey as a character.

Season 8 has been moving really fast this season, sometimes too fast, and Bailey’s Pentagon move was one of those rare chances to change her story into something different. Bringing her back to LA could have built on that.

Instead, it resets her back to square one.

Even the way Nolan gets involved feels a bit too off. It’s his day off, yet he’s out here with Bailey. Why? Well, we can't really say. We all know that the pattern is getting predictable. And when everything keeps looping back, it starts to feel repetitive.

The Rookie Season 8 Episode 13 gives Bailey a chance to return, but not really in a meaningful way, because as a character, she still feels like she's very stuck.

Bringing her back to LA feels less like a new chance for the character, and it feels more like a reset, with her going all the way back to square one. Bailey deserved a stronger direction, but right now, her return feels more convenient than it feels necessary.

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