SkimIt
One of the things I enjoyed the most about the season three premier of Rookie Blue is Andy trying for months to figure out what to say to the tribunal about why she should keep her job, only to find that a case she falls into working on gives her the perfect answer. Another favorite tonight was William Shatner (Star Trek, Boston Legal) playing a drunk driver.
Jumping in
The premiere starts with Andy skydiving. Meanwhile, at police headquarters Peck talks to Collins who is on his first shift and they seem kind of aloof toward each other. Oliver gets ready to take Collins under his wing. The team has to contend with Frank's monotonous rules that include not eating lunch in the squad cars. Do donuts count?
Accidents happen
Sam picks Andy up and they practice what Andy should say in front of the upcoming tribunal to keep her job. Suddenly, there is a multi-car accident going on and Sam, who's driving, ends up in it too as he can't avoid it. Andy and Sam aren't hurt and rush out to help the accident victims.
Andy hasn't been to the tribunal to find out whether she's reinstated after her three month suspension, so she's not supposed to be doing any police work. What's a cop to do though when she's involved in a four car pile up and there are injured people, including a young girl who's in the back of a van that's on fire? Andy rescues the girl from the burning van, then speaks with the teen, who's about fourteen or fifteen and wearing a yellow flowered dress. When Andy turns around, the girl has disappeared from the accident scene.
Aftermath
While Andy's looking around for the girl, Sam deals with a woman who isn't physically hurt, but is mentally shaken. She's upset as she thinks her young son was in the car with her and is now missing. It turns out the frazzled driver is just in shock from being in the accident. Sam gets her to calm down and remember the sequence of events so far in her day. The woman realizes she dropped off her son, Nathan, at daycare already. Whew!
Oliver instructs Collins to go with some accident victims to the hospital and keep a record of their condition. Henry (William Shatner) who has been drinking and is thought to have been the cause of the pile up accident, is trying to get to the van where the little girl was. He keeps asking if she's okay, but no one knows about her except Andy, who tells Sam what happened.
What would you do?
Sam tells Andy she shouldn't have done that, but Andy asks what she was supposed to do since all of the other officers were involved with accident victims and the van was in flames. Yeah, good point there, Andy.
So, Sam and Andy start a hunt for the girl since they have the name of a roofing company from the sides of the van. They get an address and speak with a neighbor who says he keeps phoning the cops about the roofing guy. He tells Sam and Andy that this guy works on soundproofing his house all night. That, plus the very high fence in the yard makes Andy and Sam suspect that the girl was kidnapped and kept hidden in the house. Oh, this is not good.
What's in store
Andy and Sam keep investigating in the area. At the neighborhood store, the young cashier tells them he just saw a girl matching their description waiting outside after first asking him to use the store phone. On the community bulletin board, Andy finds a missing child poster that is the same girl only the photo is from seven years ago. Her name is Alice and she was eight years old when she was reported missing.
In any case
Back at headquarters, Sam and Andy report their findings to the others. Oliver says he remembered the case and met Alice's mother who later died from a drug overdose. We then find out that Henry, who's still in custody, purposely caused the accident as he thought he saw his granddaughter, Alice. He informs the team that Alice was eight and he had taken her to the fair and then lost her after a wonderful time of ice cream and pony rides. He couldn't forgive himself and either could Alice's mother. He turned to whisky, while his daughter chose drugs to try and numb the pain. Aw, this is so sad, but the acting is excellent.
Tricky moves
Peck and Collins go to the hospital to speak with the roofer suspected of kidnapping Alice. He says he was only trying to help her and Alice begged to ride in the back of the van only. The roofer mentioned that Alice's dad lived next door to him and Sam and Andy soon figure out that it was the same neighbor they questioned and that it's this guy, John, who is Alice's kidnapper.
The team traps John and Alice on a public dock area. John calls Alice "Edith" and tells the cops that they love one another. Alice nods her head in agreement. Oliver talks to John to get him to move closer since there are people all around and he can't risk hurting anyone. John jumps into the water to try to escape and Collins has a heroic first day as he is right on John's butt.
Happy reunions
At her official tribunal, Andy tells the panel that she made a mistake before and followed all of the rules during her suspension. Today, she found a girl who had been missing for many years and this is what her job is all about to her. Andy tells the group. She adds that she's good at this job and to please let her keep doing it. Andy does get reinstated and the team goes out to the Black Penny bar to celebrate. The group also toasts to a great first day for Collins. Collins tells Peck that their engagement didn't really count since it was in Vegas. I laugh at that, but think that these two will still get back together.
Henry and Alice are reunited and she remembers him as she calls Henry "Grandpa." Shatner's acting here as the crying Henry back with his missing granddaughter touches and amazes me. Henry apologizes to Alice for losing her and that he never stopped looking. Alice tells him it's okay and not his fault.
At the end of the episode, Sam is at Andy's door with some of her stuff. Andy tells Sam that she missed him every day of her suspension and they kiss on the couch after Sam asks her what they should do now.
I'm lovin' me some Rookie Blue - are you?.
Quotes:
"Who sits in the back of a van jammed with roofing supplies?"
Sam
"Less talking, more walking please."
Peck
"We weren't exactly engaged - it was Vegas."
Collins
"You break all the rules and do what you want. That's not me."
Andy to Sam
"I hope you catch pneumonia."
Peck
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