‘The Rookie’ Season 5 Finale: Is [Spoiler] Really Dead?

Lisseth Chavez and Jenna Dewan in 'The Rookie' Season 5 finale
Spoiler Alert
ABC/Raymond Liu

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Rookie Season 5 finale, “Under Siege.”]

The Rookie Season 5 finale title proved to be fitting. Horror elements were featured throughout “Under Siege,” during which a group of masked men attacked the officers of the LAPD Mid-Wilshire Division with an eery plan.

The group attacked in stages. First, they went after Aaron Thorsen (Tru Valentino) and Celina Juarez (Lisseth Chavez), heading home after a long session of Dungeons & Dragons. The pair split up to evade the attackers, but as Juarez was running back to Thorsen’s aid, he was shot in the back while on his knees. Juarez was then knocked out by one of the other attackers, and just before she went unconscious, they whispered a riddle in her ear.

Thorsen’s fate was left up in the air as he was rushed into surgery. When the hospitalized Juarez came to, she told John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) the ominous rhyme her attacker delivered before passing out again. The next attack was staged at Nolan and Bailey’s (Jenna Dewan) home. Nolan saw the assailant outside and rushed to confront them, but there was only a mask when he arrived. He went back inside to find the assailant attacking Bailey, and the resulting fight led to Bailey stabbing the attacker in the shoulder.

The group targeted Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) by kidnapping her daughter, but she was quickly saved. Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) nearly became the group’s next victims when the hoard of masked attackers approached armed with riot gear, but the LAPD came to their aid in the nick of time.

Chenford had suspected the attack was staged by Luke Moran (Chet Grissom), and their hunch was correct. He was motivated by serving time for elder abuse and was out to get the LAPD as a result. But Moran wasn’t a wealthy criminal. Nolan had a hunch that there was more to this threat than met the eye. And that hunch proved to be right. Just before Moran died, he had a phone call with the real person in charge, setting the stage for the finale’s cliffhanger ending.

The group attack seemed to be a decoy allowing for the real person in power to set their next stage of the plan in motion. As the chaos of the fight was reined in, two cars drove past the scuffle. Kristian Bruun was in one of the cars and ominously laughed at the precinct’s response to the hired mercenaries.

“Look at ‘em go! Hot damn that is money well spent,” he said. “Weaponizing Luke Moran against the LAPD has driven every cop in the city away from our target, and by the time they realize the damage we’ve done, we’ll be long gone.”

The post-surgery Thorsen was in a coma back in the hospital, and the episode ended as he went into Code Blue. Thorsen’s fate, and the new villain’s plans, will be revealed in The Rookie Season 6. It certainly was a high-adrenaline finale. Now that it’s played out, we want to know how you feel. Does killing off Thorsen make sense for the ABC cop procedural? What do you think of this new threat against the LAPD? Let us know your thoughts in the poll and comments section below.

 

The Rookie, Season 6, TBA, ABC




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  1. S

    Steven Reines

    I really hope they don't let him die. I think it's a bad look for the show to kill off two young black actors, (Jackson in the season 4 premier.) Both having been shot in the back.

    26 1

    1. R

      RedButton

      Good god why does everything have to be about race. You can't do this because of race, you can't say that because of race. Who cares if they are black, white or otherwise if they kill him they kill him. Its not white people are never killed on shows. Its just on this show there is so many people of color odds are one of them gets axed. It only looks bad to the diversity whiners not to the average person.

      11 12

    2. O

      OliveBullhorn

      The actor who played Jackson quit, it wasn't their decision at all. That's why they had his back turned in his death scene, it wasn't even him filming it.

      15 1

  2. O

    OliveSnow

    Thorsten is the most interesting and engaging character on the show currently; it would be a terrible mistake if they get rid of him.

    20 1

  3. O

    OrangeStrawberry

    Was the nurse that changed out the med bag the same lady on the board of suspects?

    17

    1. G

      GoldPopsicle

      YES IT WAS!! I just went back and freeze framed both scenes!

      12

  4. C

    CyanBasketball

    You forgot to add that Angela had her baby too. The little bit of happy in the episode

    13

  5. G

    GreenBowtie

    That has to be one of the best SeasonFinales ever. The episode even made John Wick look tame. Wonder if Thorsen will come back and then hit it off with Juarez after they help each other through the aftermath. Is Jaurez going to be a bridesmaid at Nolans wedding.

    Will Angela name her Mary or Theresa.. Hope Season 6 starts real soon... We need this show on 52 weeks a year lol...

    YorkshireRanger... Signing off

    11 1

  6. R

    RedBulb

    But who is the guy on the phone with Luke and then shown in the car?

    9

  7. S

    Sharon

    I agree with Steven Reines. Titus Makin did leave the Rookie, yet to have both actors get shot basically the same way to be written out the show makes me wonder about the writer. I’m hoping he’s not leaving the show, he’s probably not. I look forward to this show, I really enjoy it😊

    5

  8. G

    GoldBug

    Thorsen must live. Can’t kill off another man of color in this show. He has a unique personality and provides a diff perspective to his audience. And he will need to be able to take revenge against the perpetrators that had him shot.

    6 2

    1. G

      GreenToast

      Read above. The first actor Quit.

      4 2

  9. G

    GoldCorn

    I think it would be a bad idea to make thorsen die. Thorsen is an interesting character on the show. I think you should allow him to pull through and get his family in on the revenge in using their resources at length along with the LAPD and the FBI teaming up together.

    3

  10. O

    OliveChefHat

    Am I the only one thinking the guy Juarez met with the dog is guilty?....think about the riddle...back at the start,a dog a live part....the guys dog found a body part that was once on a live person and that was the start of their meeting

    2

  11. G

    GoldBottleOpener

    literally the next scene after the nurse changed the bag you see the 7 prime suspects

    1

  12. G

    GoldAnchor

    What when did this happen?

    1

  13. O

    OrangePumpkin

    .Omg I was so scared that Arron was gonna dieIt was so scary to watch I had toskip the part where they got shot😂

    👮

  14. O

    OrangeGuitar

    I hope he makes it tbh. Can't stand to see another die. 🙁 And what is that guy on about at the end, I'm so curious, can't wait for next season!

  15. O

    OliveGrapes

    Well I hope Aaron doesn't die..he really hasn't developed his character yet there's so much love about him please don't kill him off...

  16. G

    GoldPuzzle

    Look forward to session 6, watched half an episode of The Rookie FEDs, don’t think so. Would a serving police women dress so inappropriately fgs, boring .

  17. O

    OliveBox

    Mistake if he was not in next episode

  18. G

    GoldAnchor

    what scene? What’s the time stamp?

  19. O

    OliveBox

    They could have given him a different ending than being shot though. That’s the point

  20. O

    OrangeWeights

    Titus Makin Jr didn't want to return as Jackson because he didn't feel comfortable playing a black cop on a show and not be able to talk about it. His actual explanation was....

    “I woke up one morning and I was watching the news, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t go play a cop on a show and not talk about the fact that I’m a Black cop.’ My character hadn’t addressed any of that,” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2020.

  21. W

    Wolf 1182

    Keep Thorsten alive, he has been one of the best additions to the show I love seeing him interact with the other actors. Get rid of some of the other dead weight that you barely see if you need to save money

  22. G

    GoldBottleOpener

    They keep killing off the black guys smh

    2 2

    1. O

      OliveBullhorn

      Jackson quit it wasnt their choice. Thats why his backs turned when he's shot, its not even the same actor

      4 1

  23. O

    OrangeWeights

    Aaron isn't going anywhere. He's definitely going to survive. I can't believe we have 4-5 months to wait for the new season still...

    1

  24. O

    OrangeWeights

    Titus Makin Jr didn't want to return as Jackson because he didn't feel comfortable playing a black cop on a show and not be able to talk about it. His actual explanation was....

    “I woke up one morning and I was watching the news, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this. I can’t go play a cop on a show and not talk about the fact that I’m a Black cop.’ My character hadn’t addressed any of that,” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2020.

    2