The Rookie gave us everything we wanted and more in "The Gala" β the Valentine's Day themed episode of the week. From a major Chenford development to Wesley pulling the most hilarious scheme, the episode is bound to become a fan favorite to frequently be revisited. Lucy teases Tim about his GrumpyCop reputation, and Miles helps set up the booth, although his back is sore from sleeping in a bed.
He and Camilla are apartment hunting, which brings a sense of tension. Instead, she arranges for Graham to meet their friend, Gretchen. The action picks up when Nolan and Celina respond to a disturbance call involving a security guard restraining a man. He claims an escort knows the whereabouts of his missing daughter, Claudia. The investigation heats up as they learn that Claudia has ties to an apartment with some shady characters, one of whom, Anton, claims to have a daughter that might know Claudia.
Back at the booth, Tim and Lucy end up closing shop after a lack of visitors. Later, Tim and Lucy find themselves on a stakeout in a van, betting on what illegal goods Matt might be moving. At the gala, things are heating up. Nolan calms him down and takes him home. The night ends with a brief fight between Tim and a drunk guest, leaving Tim with a small cut on the back of his neck.
Lucy offers to help, and the two share a charged moment β leading to a passionate encounter that feels too complicated for words. The next morning is full of awkwardness. Tim tries to talk to Lucy, but she brushes it off as "just ex sex," despite the tension between them.
In the midst of it all, Camilla packs her things, deciding to leave Miles and Texas to follow her own dreams. Now, Miles Penn wasn't a focus of this episode, but the insight into his relationship and his dedication to the LAPD really stood out to me. He didn't start off as my favorite character with his cocky attitude and flirting with a superior officer right out the gate.
