Episode 3 of the fifth season of ABC's hit police drama Rookie Blue airs Thursday, June 26 at 10 p.m., following the June 19 two-part season premiere. The show kicked off the new season in high gear with a drama and action-packed first half, and though the much slower, slightly more dull second half should have been its own episode on its own night, it contained plenty of the wit and quirkiness that makes the show so lovable.
But before I get into the recap of the season premiere, let me just quickly summarize last season, since the action picks up where last year's finale left off.
At the start of season four, Nick and Andy returned to 15 Division six months after leaving without a word for an undercover operation. Later it's revealed Nick took the job in part because he thought Gail was leaving for France, and Andy took it in part because she was afraid if she stayed, she would get back with Sam and she still hasn't quite forgiven him for their last breakup when he broke her heart.
When they return, Andy is surprised to see Sam has a new girlfriend, Marlo, a recent addition to the force. Gail is furious with Nick for leaving but nevertheless, allows their relationship to resume, despite the fact that Nick seems less interested in it than ever. Over the course of the next few episodes, little moments occur that give the impression Nick has fallen for Andy, while Andy hints at wanting to get Sam back after all. Nick, realizing he'll still have to compete with Sam for Andy, pulls closer to Gail. However, eventually Andy decides to back off Sam and Nick finally, in episode seven, admits how he feels to her. She takes time to think about it and soon after, they begin a relationship.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Frank Best proposes to and weds officer Noelle Williams, Chris Diaz leaves 15 Division for a job in Timmins, to raise his son Christian with his baby mama Denise in the safer suburbs (he eventually returns to the precinct because he finds out Christian wasn't his son), Dov embarks on a relationship with Chloe Price, a fast-talking, energetic, quirky girl who started as a one night stand but turns into a real connection once she ends up being a new officer at 15 Division and Sergeant Best's pseudo niece. When something bad happens to Chloe at the end of the season, Dov is heartbroken and shocked to discover she's married to a man named Wes, even though the two hadn't actually been together for a while. Additionally, Oliver hooks up with someone who was involved in a case, a strange but sweet woman named Celery, Gail gets into some kind of relationship with the female forensic pathologist Holly, and Traci starts something with Gail's brother Steve.
The end of season action stems from Marlo's own fixation on a man named Kevin Ford, who was suspected, but then cleared of kidnapping Chris's son Christian. She thinks he's still hiding something and that he is the man responsible for an unsolved murder-kidnapping three years prior. Important to the situation is the fact that Marlo has been hiding her bi-polar condition from everyone and it is implied in the show that her condition might be linked to her obsessive behavior. Sam and Andy help cover up Marlo's issues as well as the illegal, off the book actions she takes with Ford.
In the two part season finale, Ford retaliates for Marlo's actions and the rest of his interactions with the police by going after several officers one by one. He starts by shooting Chloe and attempting to shoot Andy. Later, he kidnaps Oliver as a diversion, and eventually walks into 15 Division. As he points a gun at Nick, Sam yells at him, prompting Ford to shoot him instead. Nick kills him on the spot and Andy goes to the hospital in the ambulance with Sam. Along the way, she confesses she still loves him and when the doctors allow an officer to go in to sit with the unconscious Sam, Nick acknowledges Andy's need to be that person. After suggesting she goes, he takes off tearfully.
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Enter the season 5 premiere, "Blink." Everyone is waiting to see if Chloe and Sam will be okay. Dov and Wes arrive at Chloe's room with gifts and Sergeant Best tells Dov that Chloe is awake but asked for Wes. He orders Dov and Andy to take a break from waiting around and go to a nearby diner.
Once there, Dov freaks out about Chloe and Andy confides in Dov about what she said to Sam and how confused about Sam and Nick she feels. Not long after they begin talking, a young couple walks into the diner and orders an excessive amount of food, prompting Dov to assume they're high. He wants to act, but Andy says they are off duty. However, things take a turn when the couple pulls out a gun and starts a robbery. Andy and Dov are hesitant to react because they are unarmed.
Meanwhile, Nick is missing in action, not answering anyone's calls, Traci's son Leo is dropped off at the police station at 4 a.m. because she'd failed to pick him up and it wasn't his father Dex's night to be watching him. Holly finds a distraught Gail who has chopped off her hair in a breakdown over all that has happened to her and her friends recently. Holly helps her realize what state she's in and comforts her.
Back at the diner, Andy has tried to take control of the situation by pointing out that they can get the money in the safe they are waiting to open by just taking the whole safe out. But at some point, one of the diner staff members pulls out a gun and shoots the young male robber. The incident allows Dov and Andy to fully take control of things, but the boy doesn't survive.
Elsewhere, Nick's whereabouts are revealed. He's been tracking down Sam's sister Sarah. He finds her and despite the fact that she says she isn't close with Sam and they have issues, she agrees to go to the hospital to be with him.
At the hospital Chloe, who, along with Oliver, has been trying to get a hold of Dov, suddenly goes into cardiac arrest but the doctors manage to shock her back to life. When she later awakes, she tells Dov that there was no choice between him and Wes. She just needed to tell Wes to go home right away. She apologizes for and asks Dov if he can get over the fact that she didn't tell him about Wes. He accepts her apology and plea and the two rejoice.
A couple of scenes later, Sarah tries to bail on Sam but Nick convinces her not to. Then, at last, Nick and Andy finally face each other. He tries to leave abruptly but Andy stops him. She confesses she told Sam she loved him and he tearfully asks if she does. She admits it's true and Nick, obviously broken and anguished, walks away.
Cut to the station. Traci tells Steve that Dex angrily came to pick Leo up and threatened to try to get sole custody of him. Steve points out that going forward, he is there to help her-- with Leo, with anything she needs to keep her life together the way she wants it to be. She is grateful but leaves to talk to Nick about everything that has happened, and as she leaves, Steve discretely calls a friend for a background check on Dex.
Next, the police commissioner approaches Best in his office and explains that the media is going to put a very negative spin on what has happened at 15 Division and even though he thinks Sam Swarek is really to blame for everything, he has decided to make Best his target to take the fall as of now. Best hands over his badge, knowing that's what the commissioner wants.
In the closing scene of part one, Sam wakes up to find Andy there and the two agree to not waste any more time.
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In the second episode of the premiere, "All by Her Selfie," there is a new rookie at 15 Division, Duncan Moore. Despite her horrible track record, Andy decides she wants to be the one to train her and although Oliver, who has been named as acting staff sergeant in Best's place, tries to stop this arrangement. He relents when the police commissioner encourages it.
The first call they respond to is a homeless man who appears to have broken into a pawn shop. The man claims the door was already open and Andy decides he's telling the truth. She tells Duncan to check him for stolen goods and then release him, as she goes downstairs to clear the rest of the building.
When she does this, she finds the corpse of the store owner, but Duncan has already let the homeless man go, who of course, is now the prime suspect in a murder. Duncan also happened to ruin the crime scene by getting his prints all over the apparent murder weapon, a golf club. When he and Andy go to inform the shop owner's wife of his fate, Duncan unprofessionally and insensitively blurts out the truth and the woman is furious. The rest of the episode is about Andy cleaning up Duncan's mess (that occurs because she's a terrible teacher), culminating in Duncan almost shooting the murderer before Andy swoops in and takes control of the situation, ending in a successful arrest. That was lucky for Andy, since along the way Oliver told her Duncan was the stepson of the police commissioner and that's why he didn't want Andy taking him on as a trainee.
In other news, Traci tries hard (and succeeds) to keep her promise to her son Leo, Chris calls a girl he met through working a case, and Chloe finally fully explains the Wes situation: He was jealous and possessive and she let herself be controlled by him, which embarrasses her. She says, "We weren't good together but you and I so are and that's all that matters so please shut up and kiss me before I die." Dov obeys.
The end scene is of Andy driving Sarah to the airport. Sarah brings up Sam's emotional issues--that he doesn't let his feelings show and she insists that he'll never change even if he appears to have. Sarah says he'll just keep hurting you. This strikes Andy so hard that she decides not to return to see Sam in the hospital. She tells him via text that she needs some time. And we're back to wondering what will happen to McSwarek.
Tune in to Episode 3, "Heart Breakers, Money Makers" to see what happens between Andy and Sam, and what's in store next for the rest of the gang.