‘The Rookie’: Jenna Dewan Says Bailey’s in ‘Considerable Danger’ Helping Grey in D.C. (VIDEO)

In The Rookie Season 8, Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Bailey (Jenna Dewan) are in the midst of seeing just how tough a long-distance relationship can be, with the latter splitting her time between L.A. and D.C. for a new job at the Pentagon. But the excitement that brings doesn’t come from the position itself but rather, in the March 9 episode, Grey (Richard T. Jones) reaching out to her for some help.

However, as quickly becomes clear in “His Name Was Martin,” it’s not as simple as favor as he thinks. Warning: Spoilers for The Rookie Season 8 Episode 10 ahead!

The job in D.C. is not what Bailey had expected; as we’ve heard and seen so far, it’s mostly meetings and her sitting alone in a (small) office at the Pentagon.

“I think there were parts of it that are exciting and fun, but the bigger realization is that it’s not always that way, and the majority of the job is quite boring for her,” Dewan admits in TV Insider’s video interview above. “And I think so it was a little bit of a letdown in the sense of not what she thought, not what she wanted, and in a lot of ways put everything on the line for to leave John and to go to DC and to really rock the boat enough to leave. I think that’s part of the reality that crashes down is like, ‘Oh, this isn’t what I wanted and this isn’t maybe where I want to be. And I learned a lot about myself.'”

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And so it’s no surprise that when Grey calls her, she jumps at the chance to help. All he wants her to do is knock on a door and see who opens it. Everett, the military contractor who forced the transport from Vegas to crash, has an unexplained connection inside the Pentagon. Grey can’t get answers about an office number without raising some flags. When Bailey does just as he asks, the door’s locked but as she walks away, a woman (Chantal Thuy) steps out. Bailey notices the Ego Inimical (“I am the enemy” in Latin) tattoo on her arm and plays dumb, that she was looking for a colonel. She tries to get answers about who she is but the woman gives her nothing. Later, however, after Bailey leaves her office after filling in Grey, that woman walks over and takes note of her name.

Bailey’s been left with the feeling that “something’s off here,” says Dewan, and now, “She’s in a considerable amount of danger.” While she can take care of herself, the star does acknowledge that Bailey’s alone in D.C. “It’s a challenge. It’s intense. It is a scary moment, I think, for Bailey to be alone and also be targeted. But at the same time, she’s always down and open for the challenge.”

Meanwhile, back in L.A., Nolan, with Dash (Beckett Hawley) along for a ride-along, Nyla (Mekia Cox), and Miles (Deric Augustine) respond to a call at Westview. It shut down last year, but a remediation crew working there to make it safe for demolition hasn’t been heard from in a day, nor have those who were sent to check on them. The group ends up running, hiding, and fighting those people, all affected by chemicals on site that turn them violent (and seemingly zombie-like). It’s Lucy (Melissa O’Neil), who, after she and Celina (Lisseth Chavez) arrive as backup, ends up in the most traumatic and dire situation: She has no choice but to turn a knife on one of the affected in a life-or-death fight, and that man ends up dying. The title of the episode, “His Name Was Martin,” comes from the end of the episode, when she’s talking to Nolan as her union rep.

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And upon finding out that Grey’s going to be talking to Bailey, Nolan tells him not to tell her about what happened at Westview. But is that simply not to worry her, as he says, or also because of a bit of a disconnect between the spouses with the long distance? Dewan thinks it’s both.

“I’ve been in that situation where I’ve been in a long-distance situation and something goes on, but you don’t want them to worry too much because your partner’s not there physically in the same city, so you know you need to handle something, but you don’t want them to worry necessarily, overly worry,” she says. “I think that was a little bit what was going on, especially because the stakes were higher than I’ve maybe ever seen on our show in this particular episode.”

In general, when it comes to the couple’s relationship this season, “I think long distance relationships are hard. They’re not impossible. It’s doable. Lots of people do them. John and Bailey are up for the challenge,” Dewan tells us. “However, it’s difficult. It requires a lot of communication and a lot of work to stay connected. And so I think you get to see the reality of that and that your life is spent over FaceTime and what that feels like and looks like.

Watch the full video interview above for Jenna Dewan’s breakdown of this arc, what it’s meant for Bailey and Nolan, and more.

The Rookie, Mondays, 10/9c, ABC