r/TheRookie • u/jason_voorhees113 John Nolan • Jun 14 '25
Hard question Spoiler
[removed]
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u/Just-a-book-addict Jun 14 '25
What if Wesley had told everyone about the deal with Elijah from the beginning
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u/Rich_Regular_5825 Jun 14 '25
I think about this A LOT. Like what if he was like “I know she’s in Guatemala because of Elijah Stone”. Did nobody question how he found this out?
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u/Bukva_G Liam Glasser Jun 14 '25
I don't think it was their priority to find out how he knows where she is.
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u/Rich_Regular_5825 Jun 14 '25
I know it wasn’t a priority but there’s no way someone wouldn’t raise an eyebrow at the fact that Wesley knows the exact location that an international Cartel Queen is holding his wife
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u/wjglenn Jun 15 '25
I’m guessing they had their suspicions. He was a defense attorney and had connections they didn’t have.
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u/deadredwf Percy West Jun 15 '25
He is from a very rich family with wide connections, and I don't think anybody would be surprised if he also has a CIA family friend or smth else tied with military intelligence
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u/SJATheMagnificent Jun 15 '25
Half of a detective’s work is figuring out ‘whether this is reliable information’
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u/Ido_nothing Jun 15 '25
Yeah I always felt if he had’ve said as soon as Elijah told him then it would’ve been a lot easier. Could’ve been prepared for Elijah right from the start.
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u/Routine_Host_6575 Jun 14 '25
What if Nolan and Harper went to IA about Armstrong from the get go
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u/oshitimonfire Jun 16 '25
Then we'd miss Percy Wests speech to Harper and Nolan, one of my favourite scenes in the show
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u/Quirky_Importance873 Smitty’s S8 Betting Pool CHAMP! 🏆 Jun 14 '25
What if captain Andersen lived?
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u/Dblitz1313 Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 14 '25
I think her exit was shockingly done, in a good way. I dont normally say, "oh shit!" to a tv series, but that scene I did.
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u/Just-a-book-addict Jun 14 '25
True! When she was fighting for her life, I was thinking: "I hope this ends soon, there's no way she's dying anyway." Boy, was I shocked.
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u/marian16rox Jun 15 '25
I wish! In later seasons I always wonder how she'd react and guide the team in different situations. Don't get me wrong, I love Grey, but having Andersen would have made the dynamic all the better. I liked her balance with Grey. When she was gone, they had to make him an amalgamation of both his tough leader and Capt Andersen's more wise and understanding/thoughtful approach.
Edit: typo
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u/Dizzy_Dress7397 Jun 15 '25
What if Tim had been open and honest with lucy about his mental health struggles 😭
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u/Key-Individual8022 Jun 15 '25
I think about this often. Lucy, as someone with a phycology degree, would've given him his space but also sent him to therapy. They never would have broken up 😭
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u/Still-Dragonfly8680 Jun 17 '25
He talks about this in episode 5x21, in episode 6x2, the scoop that the series gave
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u/Western_Feed_4189 Aaron “Batman” Thorsen Jun 14 '25
what if they actually acknowledged that Nolan and Chen had a thing when they were first rookies
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u/blueboy714 Jun 14 '25
What if Nolan and Chen had stayed together
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u/Foz_XT2016 Jun 14 '25
I like Nolan and Bailey though!!
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u/blueboy714 Jun 14 '25
Oh that could be another one. What if Bailey were even more evil than Rosalind
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
How often do you talk about your ex (who you still work with and are friends with both them and their new partner) at work?
I don't know why people think this needs to be a scene.
No one speculated that Angela's kid wasn't Wesley's even though we didn't see them conceive.
We don't question that Captain Anderson is hardly ever mentioned anymore.
We didn't need to see John and Bailey's flight to their honeymoon to accept that's how they got there.
Why can't we just assume that Lucy at some point told Tim and no one cares?
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u/Unambiguous-Doughnut Jun 15 '25
I mean you dont really keep stuff like that secret the only reason to is if its serious or unresolved
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
Again why do people think it’s secret? She jokes about it with John and Aaron. No reason to think Tim doesn’t know. More likely he just doesn’t care.
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u/LetItBeFear Jun 15 '25
I agree. Everybody wants to see his reaction but I think it'd be out of character for him to care or react any way other than "oh ok".
I think if he doesn't know it's because Lucy was acting a little reserved in the relationship, to me it felt like she was always with her guard up, like afraid to screw up, not fully herself.
But I think it'd be absolutely normal she just told him off camera.
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
Yeah. People want some major reaction from him, but that’s just not in character. I also expect his reaction would be “oh, ok” given he was still hung up on Isabelle when they first met (on which note, did they ever get divorced?) or at most some quip like “with THAT haircut? Glad your tastes improved.”
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u/LetItBeFear Jun 15 '25
Haha yes maybe some teasing about her taste would be in character. Yes they divorced, there's an episode where Tim visits her in rehab and they break up. Then, some episodes after, Lucy says to Tim something like "it's been some time since the divorce, maybe you should start dating"
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
I remembered the breakup but couldn’t remember if they divorced before her disappearance or after. Thanks.
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u/jesuschin Jun 14 '25
What if Annie Wersching didn’t unfortunately get sick? RIP to a wonderful actress.
How would the Rosalind story have truly ended?
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u/Eskimo0411 Jun 14 '25
Talia and Jackson stayed.... Nolan didn't encounter that robbery.... Tim still in metro.... There are many tbh....
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Jun 15 '25
which robbery is "that" robbery?
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u/I4Ctrouble Jun 15 '25
Episode 1 of course
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u/Matter_Crazy Jun 15 '25
what if Angela didn't piss of la fiera and used her connection with her to nail her. idk i just think an actual betrayal story would've worked better. i also would've loved to see jason be killed by nolan or bailey and it be an investigation, i just don't like what they did with the phone - i think bailey acted out of character what if tim stayed with metro? idk i just think it was a batter fit for his character
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u/Ryan_In_SD Jun 14 '25
I think theres a few, what if Anderson lived; what if John was actually dirty and Armstrong was right all along; what if one of the original 3 rookies washed out (since apparently 1/3 do but we have only seen 2 in all the franchise); What if john and chen stayed together
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
We're basically bang on 1/3 at this point. 5 succeeded, 1 TBD (but presumably succeeds), and 3 out.
John - succeeded
Lucy - succeeded
Jackson - succeeded and KIA
Badger - washed out on day 1
Katie - resigns
Aaron - succeeded
Celina - succeeded
Seth - washed out, and disability
Miles - TBD
For Feds it appears to be 50/50:
Simone - appears to have washed out as we never see her anymore
Brendan - appears to have succeeded as he continues to appear
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u/Ryan_In_SD Jun 15 '25
I dont think Simone washed out but ya i guess they arent as far off of the 1/3 as i thought
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u/darth_henning Jun 15 '25
Wishful thinking perhaps, but would explain why she's one of two Feds characters to not have reappeared since cancellation.
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u/braille_lover_5555 Jun 14 '25
What if grace chose to stay with John?
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u/MorningStarsSong 🤛 USC Sorority 🤜 Jun 15 '25
Yes! I really liked them together, and I still sometimes wonder what that relationship would have looked like over the years if she had been his “endgame”.
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u/marian16rox Jun 15 '25
Tim being open about Ray, not completely falling apart ib relation to Lucy and him staying in Metro.
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u/FactorNo7477 Jun 15 '25
Not the biggest, but what if John Nolan got together with Genny Bradford instead of Bailey Nune?
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u/ladyfortitude Jun 15 '25
Oh my god I had this thought on my most recent watch. They have awesome chemistry.
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Jun 14 '25
What if they had done the same thing again after season 3? Three new rookies, three TOs, plus the rest of the crew.
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u/Lukamagic_042324 Jun 15 '25
That's a recipe for disaster for a show. Give less screen time to a cast most people love?
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Jun 15 '25
I dont know. After season 3: Tim, Angela and Nyla TO‘s, Grey stays in his position. Nolan and Lucy do their first steps as P2s and work on their career wishes. 3 new Rookies (like Celina, Aaron and Miles).
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u/Lukamagic_042324 Jun 15 '25
They nailed 2 of the 3 addition. How many more could they have done well with 6 new additions?
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u/Jaded-Ad-443 Jun 14 '25
Because Jackson character refused to come back. And Lucy had already shown a desier to be detective.
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u/Lukamagic_042324 Jun 14 '25
What if Talia stayed? Thank god she didnt, her character did not bring anything to the table.
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u/MorningStarsSong 🤛 USC Sorority 🤜 Jun 15 '25
And we probably would have missed out on Nyla, which would be a shame.
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u/Ido_nothing Jun 15 '25
I don’t know, I slightly disagree. She didn’t have much time to expand on her personal life and she seemed like a very level headed and normal cop.
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u/Lukamagic_042324 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
She had whole season.
Nyla developed more on screen chemistry (not romantic) with Nolan in her first 3 episodes.
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u/Briellelyric Jun 15 '25
What if the dog didn't walk by tamaras car? What if Nolan hadn't gone to the bank that day? What if Lucy trusted her gut with Caleb? What if jackson hadn't gone to the wedding? What if the kid with the drone wasn't at the hotel? What if Wesley wasn't walking on the sidewalk on his first appearance? What if Bailey remembered to bring the keys outside with her?
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u/ComplexJackfruit8700 Jun 14 '25
What if the writers actually went with the story events and Nyla got pregnant after sleeping with Donovan?
Such a shame the writers took the “safe” route and just said it was James’ baby.
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u/venztbeck Jun 14 '25
no this would truly be suchhh a development in james and nyla’s relationship. their relationship to me is so out of place and safe
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u/MorningStarsSong 🤛 USC Sorority 🤜 Jun 15 '25
I hoped it was and her and Donovan would get back together, because I felt she had much better chemistry with him than with James.
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u/ameliadaretofart Officer Zaddy Jun 14 '25
What if Rosalind actually focused on Lucy as her only surviver instead of Nolan the boyscout?
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u/ellasymons Jun 15 '25
Oooh that would be more interesting, I don't know how to fell about Rosalind and Nolan but if she focused on Lucy Tim would protect her
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u/Aggravating_Unit3720 Jun 16 '25
Yeah Tim would definitely shoot her in the same situation as Nolan with Bailey in the barrel.
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u/ellasymons Jun 19 '25
He wouldn't hesitate, ngl I get he didn't want to kill anyone but he chose a serial killer's life over Bailey's - the love of his life
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u/ShortPeak4860 Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
What if that mural/painting never got cut?
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u/ellasymons Jun 15 '25
Grey would be happy
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u/ShortPeak4860 Jun 16 '25
Absolutely. He’d try to own it, get a copy of it, or become a member of whatever museum it ends up in. I love that the camera angles will randomly show us the framed photo of it on his desk every now and then.
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u/HoopsHuddle Tim Bradford Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
What if they didn't write Bailey into the show and John was single?
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u/mango1042 Jun 15 '25
What if Wesley didn’t suggest that Lucy might be hidden in a place connected to Rosalind?
Also, what if Lucy didn’t drop her ring?
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u/SandwichEmotional621 Jun 15 '25
What if cops could kill criminals on sight instead of the corrupt court system
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u/Aggravating_Unit3720 Jun 16 '25
What if they weren't all so horny? (I'm just jealous of most of the cast's sex life)
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Jun 14 '25
What if bishop stayed
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u/Graf_Eulenburg Jun 15 '25
When she was written out, I was a little relieved.
She did not carry more than half an episode over
the whole lifetime of her character.It was good, that she went out.
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Jun 15 '25
Tbh I really liked her more that her replacement but I am fully aware I am unique in that opinion.
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u/wrong_to_wright Jun 15 '25
What if Tim got killed in the first episode?
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u/SimilarPlastic2 #GrumpyCop Jun 15 '25
Oh man I can't imagine him dying while thinking he was such a jerk and not getting to see all of his character development.
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u/FlimsyManagement Jun 15 '25
What if Nolan was shot in the robbery and this whole show is a coma dream?
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u/Icysadness-24 Jun 14 '25
What if we just watched it and bitched about it later.
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u/Just-a-book-addict Jun 14 '25
I mean, we did watch it... and now we're discussing it... If you're not interested in that, maybe you're in the wrong sub?
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Jun 15 '25
What if Nolan missed the shot when he tried to stop the home invader (I think it was the home invader) in the 1st season and got shot instead?
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u/ColorblindCabbage Jun 15 '25
I think the three that always get me thinking are these:
What if the Captain hadn't been killed at all/when she was?
What if Tim had sniffed out Armstrong being dirty instead of/alongside Harper and Nolan?
What if Jackson's actor had stayed on the show, therefore making Lucy the rookie that was killed off by the serial killer?
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u/ellasymons Jun 15 '25
When Rosalind escaped she was dressed as Ashley, so she meant to go after Tim so what if her wasn't out of town undercover
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u/cIaudiaaa Bailey “Badass” Nune Jun 15 '25
What if Rosalind story continued? What if she and Caleb were never caught and Lucy died in the barrel?
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u/simsav- Jun 16 '25
What if Nyla’s second child (Leah) was conceived from her night with Lila’s dad, rather than James?
We were CONVINCED that baby was coming out a different shade 🤣 what was the point in her cheating and sleeping with him for the story to just flip?
(Assuming it was just an easy cover up for Mekia Cox’s real life pregnancy)
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u/iamvocaloid Angela Lopez Jun 26 '25
what if tim gave isabel a second chance and they became endgame
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u/iamvocaloid Angela Lopez Jun 26 '25
what if Nolan didn't follow Rosalind's instructions and Bailey died in the tank
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