6 Years Later, 'The Rookie' Episode That Completely Changed the Show Still Isn't Talked About Enough

The Rookie Season 8 has been one of great reflection and change for many characters, especially Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil). Lucy has experienced a lot and has come a long way. During Season 8's third episode, "The Red Place," Lucy helped a victim who was kidnapped, tortured, and held in captivity by a violent sociopath, Ezra Kane (David Krumholtz). Lucy recalled her own experience when she was kidnapped by a deranged serial killer, Caleb Wright (Michael Cassidy), which took place in the epic Season 2 episode, "Day of Death." It's time to look back at this thrilling episode of The Rookie, which still doesn’t get talked about enough.

Lucy Faces a Harrowing Ordeal in 'The Rookie's "Day of Death"

"Day of Death" is one of the most suspenseful and high-stakes episodes in the show's history. It picks up right from the end of the last episode, when Lucy's date with Caleb becomes a nightmare. Caleb is revealed to be a protégé of the brutal serial killer (Rosalind Dyer), who drugs and kidnaps Lucy, tattooing her "day of death" on her abdomen before burying her alive. It's now up to Lucy's colleagues at the Mid-Wilshire Division to piece together what happened before her time runs out.

In one of the more chilling scenes in the episode, Caleb reveals why he tattoos his victims, explaining, "It's not for me, silly. It's for you. To force you to face the truth of your death. It’s the gift of something we rarely get in life. Clarity." Despite Lucy's valiant attempt to fight off Caleb and her effort to escape, she's soon recaptured and forced at gunpoint to climb into a barrel, which Caleb buries in an unmarked grave like that of his previous victims. It's a visceral moment for viewers, as Lucy has never come closer to death than her ordeal in "Day of Death."

This Episode of 'The Rookie' Teases Tim and Lucy's Eventual Romance

Ever since the first season, we've anticipated a potential romance between Lucy and her then-training officer, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter). Throughout this episode, the Mid-Wilshire Division is on edge, desperate to rescue Lucy from Caleb Wright. However, none are quite as on edge as Tim, who had already grown quite close to Lucy by the second season. In "Day of Death," Tim shows care for Lucy beyond that of a colleague, signaling their eventual romance, as the two would start dating later in The Rookie Season 5.

It's Tim who contacts Angela Lopez (Alyssa Lopez) to help aid the search for Lucy, telling Angela how badly he needs her help. Later on, Tim professes his extreme guilt to Angela, believing he's at fault for Lucy's kidnapping because he encouraged her to go on a date with Caleb. Tim has never looked more desperate here with Lucy's life at stake, showing how much she means to him. Tim is appropriately the one who finds Lucy's burial site, finding the ring that she threw on the ground before Caleb buried her.

In a poetic moment, Tim performs CPR on Lucy and revives her after she nearly suffocated to death. Tim's expression of relief and joy after Lucy wakes up is one of his purest displays of emotion throughout the series, due to his stern personality. It’s a crucial Chenford moment that foreshadows the two officers eventually falling in love and starting a life together.

Lucy Still Struggles With Her Trauma Years Later on 'The Rookie'

The trauma of Lucy's kidnapping and her near-death experience continues to haunt her throughout the rest of the series. Although she eventually returns to work, she struggles with memories of the event during her relationship with Los Angeles assistant district attorney, Chris Sanford (Konoa Goo). During the Season 4 episode "Coding," Lucy momentarily panics when Chris hums the same song Caleb did during her captivity.

However, the terrible ordeal does help Lucy assist Samantha (Bailey Gavulic), Ezra Kane's unfortunate victim, in "The Red Place." Lucy explains how, for months, she "obsessed over every second" she spent with Caleb Wright before he drugged her. Revealing how the event continues to haunt her, Lucy says, "I wanted to believe I was in control, but I wasn't." Lucy advises Samantha to focus on the most important thing about their shared trauma: survival. Her counseling of Samantha about her bravery and power in surviving and escaping from Kane provides the young woman with some solace — something she will need in her recovery.

Despite the physical and mental trauma of her kidnapping, Lucy ultimately decides to keep the tattoo Caleb gave her in the next episode, "Now and Then," owning it as a sign of her survival. It's Tim who gives her the idea, stating:

"You can choose to see that tattoo as your greatest failure. But I see it as proof that you're a survivor. It wasn't your day of death, Officer Chen. It was the first day of the rest of your life. And no one can take that away from you."

Lucy's message to Samantha beautifully mirrors Tim's heartfelt advice from that episode. These moments enrich "Day of Death" that much more, and cement Lucy's experience as one of the most high-stakes episodes of The Rookie.