- Title: Rookie Blue – Homecoming
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After the show opens with an elaborate proposal by Best (Lyriq Bent) to Noelle (Melanie Nicholls-King), Andy (Missy Peregrym) and Nick (Peter Mooney) officially return to duty at 15 Division. On their first day back on the beat with Shaw (Matt Gordon), Andy stumbles upon a bank robbery in progress by a masked robber who uses a fake baby attached to his chest and shooting the bank manager to facilitate his escape. Despite capturing a suspect (Grant Nickalls) with a record of breaking and entering a few blocks away near the discarded car, with the gun, money, and covered in the paint from the exploded dye pack, Andy isn’t so sure they actual have the right man.
Andy uncovers the identity of the real shooter, the suspect’s far more violent former cell mate. Nick and Gail (Charlotte Sullivan) talk with the bank manager’s wife (Rachel Wilson) while her husband fights for his life in surgery. Trying to find a reason why the manager was shot, Nash (Enuka Okuma) connects the bank manager’s wife to the robber who it turns out is her dangerous ex-boyfriend (Andrew Kraulis) who shows up at the hospital to take back what he believes is his.
While trying to convince not to accept his transfer and stay at 15, Epstein (Gregory Smith) is approached by frightened young woman (Cristina Rosato) who only speaks Italian. While driving the woman around the city to try and get a clue to her story, Epstein and Diaz run into the standoff between the robber and Andy and Swarek (Ben Bass).
“Homecoming” uses the story of ex-con returning to find his girl has moved on, and the wife dealing with the possible loss of her husband, to continue to tell both the Andy/Swarek and Nick/Gail stories. Although not exactly subtle, the comparisons work. The show’s final ten-minutes also give us the end to Epstein’s chastity, renewed uncertainty for Diaz concerning his future, and some advice from Shaw to Andy and not giving up on Swarek even if it appears he’s moved on to be with Cruz (Rachael Ancheril).
