Rookie cop Andy McNally (Missy Peregrym) is told to trust her gut in the beginning of episode seven, Hot and Bothered, of “Rookie Blue†and, by episode’s end, she learns trusting herself could very well save her life.
The whole city is acting selfish and crazy when a heat-wave rolls through town. Chris Diaz (Travis Milne) takes his frustration - about the selfishness of everyone - out on his new gal Gail (Charlotte Sullivan), and then on the 62 jerks he books in one day. Then again, when Traci (Enuka Okuma) is partnered up with him, she doesn’t do much to keep him in line.
Meanwhile, Dov (Gregory Smith) and Gail hear a woman screaming and burst through an apartment door to find a woman eight-months pregnant and in labor. Only thing is, she’s agoraphobic and refuses to go outside. The rookies end up helping her give birth, led by the sweet and often under-appreciated Dov, and despite not fighting crime, they both know their day was worth it.
The big story, though, comes with Andy. She again takes the initiative when she notices a pattern. Earlier in the day, she catches a runaway ice-cream truck driven by a thirteen-year-old girl, whose feet are covered in tar, outside of Garrison Park. Then, just before the city’s power goes out, she learns about a missing girl, who was also last seen in the same exact park. Andy insists on checking it out, and sure enough, trusting her instincts pay off.
Along with Officer Shaw (Matt Gordon), they find a tar pit and an empty rec center that’s under construction. They separate and take different floors. Shaw finds an employee and rather than question why he’s there, he gets knocked over the head and then - gasp - shot at. The tension doesn’t stop there though. (And luckily, Shaw ends up okay).
Andy is alone, and she needs to find the missing girl before she’s killed. The old Andy quickly shows up: wide-eyed, fearful, and breathing hard. But when she meets the serial rapist and kidnapper and he goes for his gun, she does what she has to do to save herself. She kills the guy.
Hot and Bothered was one of the best episodes of “Rookie Blue†to date, and not just because of Andy learning to trust her instincts. It also took the personal relationships to a whole new level. Chris Diaz seems to bring out a nicer side of Gail, with Gail even proving “not everyone is a selfish idiot.†And then there’s Andy and Sam (Ben Bass). When Luke (Eric Johnson) chooses Andy’s serial-kidnapper case - more victims were found - over helping Andy cope with killing a man, Andy brushes him off and turns to Sam instead.
But just as things get hot and heavy - or hot and bothered as the episode title implies - the electricity comes back on, and everything goes back to normal. Andy’s face drops, realizing that she’s cheating on Luke. And Sam, poor Sam, just looks heartbroken and lost and so disappointed.
“Rookie Blue†clearly isn’t a typical violent cop television show. It focuses more on the emotions and character relationships, following the ups and downs of all the officers and not just the rookies. Next week, things promise to heat up even more; for one, Sam and Luke duke it out over Andy. Who do you want to see win? And do you think Chris and Gail will last?
If they keep swapping partners - and not of the cop partner variety - this show will start to seem more like a cop version of “Grey’s Anatomy.†But, hey, what’s so wrong with that?
© Copyright: 2010 Elizabeth SanFilippo at Gather.com
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