'Rookie Blue' recap: 'A Perfect Gentleman'

It's annoying when police shows resort to a plot involving a kidnapping of one of the female characters, especially since usually the females are supposed to be strong. Turning strong women into helpless victims is a cop-out that contradicts the nature of the characters. But Rookie Blue is one show that avoids this trap. If the plot goes there, the women don't suddenly become damsels in the distress. Most of the time, they fight back — and well. This episode is the latest example of that, as the spotlight shines on Traci having a day in which she becomes a victim, but is still portrayed as the fierce person she always is.

Her experience serves as the focal point of the episode, which is a particularly good one because there isn't too much background subplots. Viewers still get a few updates on the personal relationships of their favorite characters, but mostly at the beginning and end of the episode, making it a little more fluid throughout than usual. Also, it was a good episode because we get closure on an almost-forgotten story line. Read on for the full recap.

The case(s) of the day

At the start of the episode, it seems the episode is going to revolve around a raid on a weapons dealer. It's the first raid Traci has ever led so it's a big deal. However, just before everyone is due to head out for the raid, she gets a call from Leo's school claiming he's sick. Traci runs out to pick him up and bring him somewhere, telling Andy and Gail to cover for her.

When Traci doesn't return in time, Sam leads the raid without her. Luckily, it's a success. By the time Sam has the dealer, Thom Kozik, in the interrogation room at the station, Kozik knows that Traci is missing. He soon implies that he might have had someone kidnap Traci. When Steve finds this out, he goes into the interrogation room and punches him. After everything calms down, Oliver and Sam assess that Kozik really doesn't have anything to do with Traci's disappearance.

That's when the real case gets under way.

As the raid was happening, Traci had arrived at Leo's school to find there was nothing wrong with him and the school hadn't left the message. She'd gone outside to her car and once she got into it, a masked man had grabbed her from behind, drugging her with a cloth.

When Andy and Gail arrive at the school in search of Traci, they spot her car and find her phone inside it, along with yellow lilies. In case you don't remember, that's the signature of the serial rapist from the season premiere. He's baaack.

Cut to Traci coming to and finding herself tied to a chair and gagged in a strange room.

Back at the station, officers from all over have flooded in to help find Traci, including Sex Crimes detective Inez Capello. The officers don't get a break with the flowers like last time, and can't track the fake call because it was made with a burner phone. However, since the attack on Andy, Capello explains that although there haven't been any reported similar incidents, they have a suspect: Adrian Locke. Adrian loosely matches the physical description, doesn't have airtight alibis, has a history of sexual harassment, and the Online Intelligence team has connected him to a deep web chat room for users with violent sexual predilections. Unfortunately, that's not substantial enough evidence to have been able to arrest him but they have his address so Oliver sends officers there.

Ward, who's partnered with Duncan for the day, stays at the station to investigate Adrian's online profile further. Apparently she is really skilled at breaking through encryptions and navigating the deep web.

Sam, Nick and Andy find Adrian, who'd called in sick from work, at his house. When Sam apprehends him, following a brief chase/altercation, Andy looks into his face and is sure he's the guy who attacked her. He claims he doesn't recognize her however, and he says he'd called in sick because he actually was and he was headed to pick up a prescription. But even though the way the scene is shot in conjunction with flashes of Traci sets it up too look like Traci is there, she's not found anywhere in Adrian's home.

At the station, Sam and Capello interrogate Adrian but he insists he never bought anyone flowers and claims Capello's just obsessed with him. Oliver soon tells Capello, outside of the room, that Adrian's alibi for the time of Traci's kidnapping checks out. But Andy insists he's their guy. Capello believes her but notes that Adrian is not who she'd thought the suspect would be — instead of insecure, socially awkward and apologetic, he's cocky and aggressive as if he's putting on an act. Just then, Sam comes out of the interrogation room and says that Adrian just declared ”the damn flowers were never my thing." Sam asks if Adrian could have a partner. Capello says it's uncommon but more loners are finding criminal partners online these days, so Oliver has everyone set their sights on tracking down a potential partner.

Cut to Traci. Her kidnapper has joined her in the room where she's being held. He films her with his iPhone. Traci tries to take control of the situation by opening up, offering to listen to him or tell him things about her. The man gets close to her, strokes her hair with his hand then grabs her necklace and asks her to tell him about the guy who gave it to her. Traci realizes he'd seen her with Steve that morning. Traci decides to play into the man's desires. She claims she and Steve are nothing, their relationship has been rocky and he's possessive and selfish unlike the man. She starts praising him and then says, sweetly, "It's ok Corey, take it off (as in the mask)"

So he does, and Traci's right, it's Corey Sleeman, from the coffee shop near her house. He soon kisses her. She tries to kiss back but is disgusted. It doesn't matter, though, because Corey knows she was playing him. He rips off her necklace and walks away.

Back at the station Ward has essentially cracked the case. She's discovered that his likely partner, whom he met on the deep web site, is Corey. Duncan has learned that Corey worked an early shift, took a delivery van and has keys to a coworker's apartment.

As they head out to that place, captive Traci is watching Corey text someone. She realizes aloud that he's waiting for someone. "You like the watching is that it, you're gonna film it while someone else does your work for you... the flowers, the setup, the game, that's your stuff isn't it," she says. She continues trying to get in Corey's head and he eventually decides she's right, he shouldn't. He starts untying her to get things started but when he frees her she punches him. A scuffle ensues and Traci eventually manages to lock herself in a room. There's no way out so she arms herself with a bike lock. When he eventually manages to break through by hammering out the door hinges, Traci is able to get the jump on him from a hiding place. He goes to retaliate but before he can, Andy, Steve and Sam arrive. Andy throws him against the wall and the men quickly cuff him. So glad Andy was the one to get him first, girl power X3.

Steve comforts a traumatized Traci and they all eventually head back to the station. Once there, Sam and Capello, through their conversation with Corey, outline his and Adrian's system : Corey picked the girls, followed them, watched them, but Adrian did the attacks and filmed them on his phone for Corey to watch after. 15 Division's tech team recovered those files on Corey's hard drive. Case closed.

The people

I. Traci and Steve

The episode opens with the couple (who have had so little screen time together this season you may have forgotten they're a thing) in a coffee shop. Steve has just given Traci a necklace to celebrate her first raid and tries to calm her nerves by being sweet and funny. It works for the moment, and Traci laughs easily at his antics.

During the search for Traci, Oliver benches Steve from the action since he's too emotional. It was sweet to see how genuinely concerned he was for Traci (though not very tangible given their lack of screen time). When they finally find her, he's the one to comfort her, though it takes her a moment to ease into his arms. Once Traci is changed and reunited with Leo at the station, she, Leo and Steve head out. But not before Leo, referring to something Gail had said to him earlier, tells Gail she'd be a pretty cool aunt, making Steve and Traci get flustered.

If you couldn't already tell marriage is where these two are headed, there's your extra foreshadowing.

II. Gail

Gail and Dov get assigned to pick up Leo from school and distract him while the officers search for Traci. Gail is not pleased at first, but Dov points out it will be good practice for her.

Once they've got Leo, Gail admits they don't know where she is, but then, to distract him, says I could be your aunt if your mom and my brother get married. Leo says that's weird and Gail responds with a joke. She then pretends a banana is a phone, which Dov says is lame and as an alternative entertainment idea for Leo, has him place cuffs on Gail.

Later, Leo is upset over missing his mother. Gail assures him she'll be okay because she's a superhero and does amazing things. She shares a relevant story about Traci and says that nothing will stop his mother from tucking him in. This seems to work and Leo rests his head on Gail, who holds him tenderly.

I'm sorry, even with this, I'm still not buying Gail as a mother.

III. Nick and Ward

At the almost-end of the episode, Ward opens a door to the station garage where Nick is waiting with his back to her. He turns, makes a joke and they start sensually kissing. Nick looks so hot in this scene.

He then asks her if their sneaking around (apparently, they've been sneaking around since that bedroom hookup that was never again mentioned) is an us thing or a her thing. When she doesn't answer Nick points out that she knows a lot about him so it's only fair he knows more about her. She still doesn't answer, confliction on her face, and Nick says I know you're going to tell me I'm being crazy. She agrees and kisses him again. He doesn't press the question, instead accepting the kiss and increasing its intensity. When they hear the door open they separate and walk away from each other briskly. Have I mentioned Nick is hot?

IV. Chris

In the beginning of the episode, Jamie approaches Chris outside the station and tries to convince him to play hookie to hang out with her but he resists.

At the end of the episode he returns home to find her waiting. She says she got in because she knew where his spare key was. Then she shows him a bag of coke she's been saving for him. Chris allows her to pull him to the couch but asserts that he won't do the drugs with her. Instead, he offers to call someone, but then she notes that if he did, her husband could find out about them. I'm pretty sure she is subtly blackmailing him into doing drugs with her... Chris doesn't know what to do.

V. Sam and Andy

In the final scene, Andy walks into the locker room where Sam is changing and makes a flirtatious noise upon seeing his naked torso. Sam gives a cute response and they embrace, reflecting over the challenging day they had. Sam says the reason everything worked out is because they laid out their clothes the night before. Andy says that's the lamest thing he's ever said to her and asks him to take his shirt back off to remind her why she's with him. They share a giddy laugh and walk out of the station with their arms around each other.