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The following contains major spoilers from the Season 4 premiere of ABC‘s The Rookie.
Following a rollout of promos, episodic photos and a poster that had fans fretting about the fate of a conspicuously MIA character, The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley told TVLine that the Season 4 premiere would “almost immediately” confirm the fate of Officer Jackson West, who was played by original cast member Titus Makin.
And it did.
Picking up shortly after the events of the Season 3 finale, which ended with bride- and mom-to-be Detective Angela Lopez being kidnapped from her wedding venue by Sandra “La Fiera” De La Cruz, the season premiere opened with Sergeant Grey and others reviewing security cam footage of Lopez and West being shoved into getaway cars. Jackson, shown only from the back and played by a stand-in, resisted being stuffed into a trunk just enough for La Fiera’s goon to put a bullet into his back — as Grey and ther others watched the footage in horror.
From there on, the team’s mission was two-pronged: to find and rescue Angela (who had been whisked away to a compound in Guatemala, where La Fiera planned to keep the WesLo baby once born), and to hunt down the L.A. local who ended Jackson’s life.
“What I can say is that Titus [Makin] was not coming back to the show,” Hawley told TVLine earlier this month, “so we needed to do the best that we could to honor the character who’s been so primally a part of the show.”
Hawley did not elaborate on the nature of Makin’s departure. The young actor had been with the ABC procedural since Day 1 as Officer Jackson West, son of Internal Affairs CO Percy West, and in February he was named TVLine’s Performer of the Week. Makin, who also has a career as a soul/funk singer (under the name Butterfly Ali), has been absent from social media since mid-June and he apparently is not doing any exit interviews.
Makin marks The Rookie‘s third major exit in three seasons. Near the end of Season 1, Mercedes Masohn left the series when Captain Zoe Andersen was shot by a gang leader, and succumbed to her wounds. And between Seasons 1 and 2, Afton Williamson — who played Nolan’s original TO, Talia Bishop — parted ways with the show after leveling allegations of sexual harassment and racial bullying (though a third party investigation eventually found no unlawful or inappropriate behavior); it was subsequently established that Bishop had left the LAPD for a job at the ATF.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Hawley said of the end that Makin’s character met (especially on the heels of a season in which Jackson was saddled with/suffered under a racist TO), “but I didn’t really have a choice. He wasn’t coming back, and because of the way we set things up with the [Season 3] finale, there was just no way to tell that story without Jackson…. But we lean really hard into honoring how he was the heart of the show, and it was definitely impactful for us to have to deal with that.”
Coming out of that gut punch of a season-opening reveal…. Gray and Chen stayed back in Los Angeles to ID, locate and arrest Jackson’s killer, a 17-year-old whom Gray chased and privately cornered, but then cuffed instead of gunned down in revenge. Wes meanwhile made a “deal with the devil” (a crime boss played by Graceland‘s Brandon Jay McLaren), agreeing to be his crooked lawyer in trade for intel on Angela’s whereabouts.
Because the DEA was hamstrung by “politics” and unable to intercede, Nolan, Bradford and Harper leaned on a past CI’s associate (played by Scandal‘s Joshua Malina) to slip them into Guatemala via helicopter and outfit them with weapons. From there, Nolan semi-surreptitiously sought out and stole the architectural plans for La Fieria’s compound, though that proved to be a big ol’ waste of time(/excuse for a newly minted P2 to tag along). Instead, after Wes was purposely scooped up at the airport by crooked police and delivered to where Angela is being held, they opted for “Plan B.” After he was signaled with what sounded like fireworks outside, Wes injected Angela with something to trigger contractions. When she in turn got hurried to the hospital, Harper (dressed as an orderly) greeted them with a wheelchair (and guns), while Bradford in an ambulance T-boned and gassed their police escort.
Inside the hospital, Harper gave Angela the “antidote” for what had triggered the contractions, after which they and Bradford made a beeline for their exfil helicopter. La Fiera gave chase, gun a-blazing, but Angela spun around and put several bullets into her adversary. The three then “convinced” Malina’s character to begrudgingly make a second stop, to pick up Nolan and Wes.
Because when Angela was rushed to the hospital, Wes was thrown into a separate car and driven to a remote location to be executed. Luckily, La Fiera’s henchwoman was very chatty and overly dramatic, giving Nolan enough time to catch up to and sneak up on both her and a second goon. A brawl ensued, in which Nolan KO’d the woman by heaving her against a tree and then delivered a knockout kick to the goon who had Wes pinned down. They then joined the others on the helicopter, and….
… cut to THREE MONTHS LATER, and a welcome home party for new mom Angela and her and Wes’ baby boy. Yet despite the gathering’s festive nature (and Lucy’s overdone gift basket), Angela clearly has something on her mind. We then see her later at Jackson’s graveside, mourning her fallen colleague… while cradling the newborn son she has named after him.
What did you think of The Rookie‘s return, Jackson’s heartbreaking death, the “Chenford” sleepover, and the happy-ish time jump?
Sounds weird that Titus just left and that’s it. After such an important storyline last season, it’s sad that we don’t get to see what’s next for him. And I really liked his and Lucy’s relationship. Really good episode.
I think your update missed one pretty big storyline – CHENFORD!!!! They got so darn close to something happening. Definitely got to keep that storyline going. Slow and steady is good.
It is mentioned in the closing line; there was no way to weave it in amongst such weightier topics and keep the recap flowing. (But I tried!)
No Chenford please, it’s too annoying and zero chemistry.
Agree
I agree, no Chenford.
I third that – Please no. There’s something so annoying about their banter. It’s one of those, if it hasn’t happened yet, it probably shouldn’t, kinda things. Plus, he was hot and heavy with her best friend that moved somewhere, who had infinitely more chemistry.
hot & heavy? Not. Rachel is the rebound chick. Too soon after Isabel. & the only thing i see between him & Rachel is the just-friends vibe. Exhibit A – the kiss scene in the station corridor was so uncomfortably awkward it came across so clearly through my tv screen.
Agree 110%. No chemistry and why do they always have to hook up partners? You can be friends without anything going on.
Agreed. It’s also too easy. Let’s not forget he was dating her only non cop friend.
Agreed, lets not spoil The Rookie the way that (IMO) Chicago PD has been spoiled.
I couldn’t agree more.
agreed. also, it just continues the myth that men and women can not work together without getting ” involved”
if something more is to develop naturally between Tim & Lucy – & it should, given the fantastic chemistry between them – it doesn’t mean it’s continuing that myth you speak of. In any case, it’s Not a myth because it happens in All workplaces in reality. Anyway, The Rookie already showed & is showing via Angela (also Talia in S1) & Tim that men & women can be co-workers without romantic involvement.
From what I read elsewhere, Titus was not comfortable playing a cop. He almost didn’t come back last season but they convinced him with the Brandon Roth storyline
indeed, i think that relationship between Tim & Lucy should develop slowly & progress naturally. Their chemistry is so natural & brimming it’s really hard to ignore & the PTB should capitalise on it. having said that, they shouldn’t rush it.
We saw him shot but no body. They may bring him back
He won’t be back.
I thought for quite awhile that they might find him alive, but then all of a sudden, and inexplicably, they were talking about him scratching his killer and that the coroner found DNA under his fingernails. Where did they find his body? THIS is how we find out that he actually died? Given how often people are shot in the back yet miraculously survive, it’s not unreasonable that viewers would be holding out hope. Talk about burying a significant plot point!
It was obvious he was going to get killed off as he wasn’t shown in any type of promo. Still cried. I knew she was going to name the baby Jackson. Did that stop me from crying? Absolutely not.
Me too, especially at the gravesite
I just got finished watching it. Seeing Jackson being shot and put in the trunk was heartbreaking. They had to figure out his exit and that was probably the way. I was so glad they all got away and new baby is in the family named Jackson. ❤ I loved the season premiere!
Great writing, except for writing Titus Makin, Jr. out of the show (I know, his choice) and great acting as always. So sorry to lose the story line of Jackson West and all the depth and complexity that he brought to the show.
i still can’t believe jackson’s actor left. jackson and lucy where the dream team partners in crime and i was really hoping they would become police partners. but where ever titus is his character west will always have a place in my heart for his fantastic character.
The death of Jackson took me totally by surprise. During the show I was waiting to see if he would somehow survive the shooting. The show seemed to be missing a key ingredient…his presence.
I really like this show, but this episode made me sad.
Jackson West will very much be missed. I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad they at least gave the character a sweet send off with baby Jackson arriving and being introduced to his namesake.
The timeline. Oh, the timeline.
Midway through season 3 (which occurred over a month) Angela said she was 12 weeks. By the end of the season, she should’ve been 14 weeks. She should at most be 16-18 weeks by the time they rescue her. Three months later is only 31-32 weeks. A full-term baby is 40.
And that’s not how pitocin works. For priding themselves on realism, Hawley and co. neglect it often.
They only tacked a month on to Nolan’s rookie training, it was more like a month and a half to two months.
Actually, full term starts at 39 weeks.
Yep. Called it. So disappointed.
I still don’t know why Jackson was killed off. WAs it because he requested to leave the show OR did ABC end his contract?
He wanted to leave.
I really wish Titus had agreed to appear in this episode to facilitate a better exit. Maybe he dies saving Wesley or killing La Fiera or something like that. A stand in getting shot in the back and going limp feels kinda weak, but the show runners had their hands tied by his refusal to appear. In theory the door is still open to him as a ghost, or dream, or flashback, or hallucination. I respect the decision to move on from a role that made him uncomfortable, I just wish he gave a little more consideration for the fans and the show that put him on a great stage and gave him a megaphone to talk about things that are important to him.
i agree with you that it would’ve been nice if Titus had come back for the season opener to give his character a proper send-off. We fans would’ve appreciated that so much & adored him more for it.
It was a bit of an ignominious exit for West
What?!?! Have they not heard of this thing called “recasting”??? One of these days the story of why he quit and why ‘Jackson’ wasn’t recast will come to light. These stories always do!!!
Sometimes they will kill off a character for the drama, then they can add an entirely new person. Recasting isn’t as interesting.
More screen time for “Smitty”? ;-)
Recasting? You mean like substituting Dick Sargent for Dick York on Bewitched? Ugh, please tell me that’s not what you’re suggesting. No one does that any more, it’s bad TV.
“Because the DEA was hamstrung by “politics” and unable to intercede, Nolan, Bradford and Harper leaned on a past CI’s associate to slip them into Guatemala via helicopter and outfit them with weapons.” So, yeah – TOTALLY believable. I mean, EXACTLY what a “rookie” LA police officer would do! LOLOL!!!
To be fair it was more about blackmailing a high end intelligence official, and the story was them going off book. I mean honestly the whole thing was a bit silly, but so too is the idea that any rookie gets interesting cases every week. Most cops never need to fire their guns and never deal with anything close to the level of intensity of Nolan. As for the comment above about recasting Jackson, while it was an option it is always awkward for the fan base when a key role is recast. Some shows are open to it others are not. I respect the decision not to do it here as it would to a degree marginalize the point Titus was making with his exit.
I can’t believe they killed Jackson! It should have been Bradford or Harper!!
Did you not read that HE didn’t want to come back as HE was not comfortable playing a cop.. This has been going on since last season.
do you idiots read the article before commenting
I wish the show was more fluff and light drama. I hate that the events are so unrealistic for a small group of a huge police dept. to always be the center of each week. Don’t get me wrong, I like the show, but think it should take itself a little less seriously with certain plots.
BTW… won’t miss Jackson, he was becoming a bit preachy last year. I’d like to see some new faces.
Go sit outside a police station and watch the realism. This show is great.
I wish they would get rid of Lucy!
agree
Right?! I thought it was just me, I can’t stand her. She has this fragile, bumbling, deep down I’m insecure so rescue me, thing happening that just drives me nuts.
I couldn’t agree more. She is so annoying.
So funny because she was kick ass in Dark Matter.
@Tasha OMG! Thank you! This explains my extra warm fuzzies for Lucy lol. I am the worst at recognizing actors in new roles. I loved Dark Matter (grrr at SyFy execs) and Two was my fave (Immediately recognized Six on Coroner but not Melissa O’Neil – d’oh…)
I am so shocked people feel this way about Lucy. I love her and she is capable as a cop. One man’s meat is truly another man’s poison.
I actually really like Lucy and would not want to see her go. Having said that I would prefer she and Bradford not get together. The fun of their relationship was rooted in workplace dynamics and Tim’s very serious & entertaining approach to his job. (Eric Winter has charisma for days)
As much as I like Lucy, I do not buy the “she’s a natural UC” storyline, but I’m willing to be convinced. However, having her in a relationship w Nolan was already not great. Having her get together with her former training officer really undermines her professionalism (IMO)
Still, I don’t want anyone else to leave for a while
Yes! Totally agree. I like her but did not enjoy her and Nolan together at all.I like the chemistry between her and Tim, but I don’t think they need to let it play out romantically. I’ll miss Jackson- I loved the friendships within the core group, and I hope they explore the stages of grief that everyone goes through.
There are thousands among TheRookie audience who like Lucy, versus the 9 who share your hate.
I can’t believe this show had the gall to show us a video of an unarmed black man shot in the back in 2021. Despicable.
Why is it despicable?
Please elaborate. Are black characters above being killed on tv shows? Is a black man on a tv show not to be killed when there is no other reasonable way to explain his absence?
you’re taking the scene out of context. he was a cop being abducted by the mob & he was trying to fight back, but the thug being a thug retaliated by shooting Jackson for scratching him & because Jackson was getting too troublesome for the thug to deal with.
Perfectly said Vic
Exactly. The comment you responded to way out of context
The show runner mentioned there wasn’t a way to keep Jackson’s Character around but not have him there. Use the look alike rescue him then have him placed deep undercover. Before anyone says well he wasn’t trained. He could have been trained. Gray could have said we are going to train you too go undercover then you well be deep undercover. This way if down the line he wanted to return then he could. And TECHNICALLY we never saw this dead body so TECHNICALLY this could still play out that way that no one but Gray knows and her was acting to throw everyone off the scent.
So wondering what the actor did or who pissed him off? Whole situation seems fishy. Especially with how the showrunner kept saying “he wasn’t coming back to the set” the way he worded it seems VERY strange to me. Wonder if we’ll ever find out or if it’ll be like why Alex left Grey’s🤷♀️
Guy above said he didn’t want to play a cop anymore
That was from an old interview about how he was feeling before Season 3, it should be noted.
I do think Titus’ discomfort over his cop role was a huge factor in his decision to quit. But if it was just the fact that he didn’t want to play a cop anymore, I still think Titus would have come back for an episode to finish his story and maybe give Jackson a more dramatic death. But the fact that he didn’t makes me suspicious. After what happened to Afton Williamson, I have to wonder if there are still some toxic people at the set and the producers/ABC are keeping quiet about it.
What “happened to her” was she made accusations, outside parties investigated them extensively, and found them to be baseless.
I admit, we probably will never know the whole truth of what happened. But just because the investigation cleared the accused doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. They just couldn’t find any solid evidence to back Afton’s claims and therefore deemed them “baseless.” Even with the BLM and #MeToo movements, it’s extremely difficult to prove sexual harassment and charges of racism since it’s still largely she said/he said. The fact that two black performers abruptly left the show (I know Titus might not have technically left abruptly, but the fact that he didn’t bother to come back for one episode to shoot his farewell scene speaks volumes) should raise flags about the work culture there.
What has BLM and racism to do with anything? She accused a black actor of arrassment.
The moronic BLM nonsense. Basically got a bunch of cop related shows cancelled. Now you have some actors being “uncomfortable” playing cops. I’m guessing he thought it’d ruin his street cred with the black community even though this will probably be the best, highest rated and most popular show he ever has a main spot on.
Your race-baiting rant aside, Makin has every right to do what he thinks is in his best interests. The good news for you is his decision has zero impact on your life, so why the knee-jerk hysterics?
Well said! 👏🏾👏🏾
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 ditto
👏👏👏 I loved Jefferson and was nothing but impressed with Makin’s talent. It’s been a particularly hard couple of years; let’s support people taking care of themselves. (And what is up with the nastiness of some of these comments? Is Blue Bloods off again?)
HUH????
I’m pretty sure this guy remembers Ferguson. Why is he now all up in arms about playing a cop? I’m guessing the pressure became too much. And if that is the reason, why is he not using his platform to highlight what he sees as injustice? This whole thing doesn’t make sense. But good luck finding another job. It’s not like it’s plentiful for actors. Especially, black actors.
As noted above, he was unhappy after S2 and was convinced to stay on at least in part by the story with Brandon Routh which showed a racist white cop and also the difficulties in getting rid of such cops from the LAPD.
.
It’s clear that Makin’s feelings are not unique amongst actors and writers and producers, given (for example) Brooklyn Nine-Nine scrapping all of it’s S8 scripts and starting again.
Leaving abruptly refusing to appear in a send off, leaving the writers with no choice other than kill the character off is very unprofessional behaviour.
[COMMENT REMOVED BY MODERATOR]
This is how rumors get started: assuming someone did something bad. There’s no evidence that anyone pissed off anyone, so “wondering” about a situation we know nothing about is not fair to the actors or the audience.
Titus probably found god, it’s a common excuse these days.
He’s been more involved in his music career actually
Goood jacksons gone. never liked the character- now get rid of that clingy weepy Lucy
I like Lucy.
Good riddance to Jackson, though. Maybe they can cut back on the B L M crap this year.
But then what will the racists complain about?
Lucy being weepy & needing a comforting hug because her close friend+fellow rookie+roommate just got murdered gets hate from you. Wow!
Well i liked the episode. I was sad Jackson was killed off. But you had an opportunity to cast Rege- Jean Page as Harper’s new partner!!! I could see her daydreaming about him, & a few storylines developing. Rege is worth lots, just hope there would be a welcoming cast. I will pitch his casting for other ABC shows..I thought of him for Grey’s Anatomy too. If you need ideas for episodes…send me an email address, and we could discuss my salary when ideas are used .. Thanks
I’m glad the Rookie is back, but this was not their best effort. Some things I don’t understand:
1. Angela’s baby wasn’t due for the 3 months. Why wrap this up in 1 episode?
2. How does it make sense that 3 patrol officers are qualified for a full on extraction against a well established drug cartel?
3. Chen / Ford is a terrible idea all the time, but how do you have that moment in the midst of losing a best friend and another kidnapped?
4. Wesley can turn into a corrupt lawyer, it’s not his character EVEN if Angela and the baby are in trouble. He’s the guy that always says ‘wait a minute you can’t do that even when a person is guilty.’
So you’re saying to me that if he needed to save her and the baby he would still be too proud to use his family’s influence or money but not too proud to corrupt his entire moral code? Makes 0 sense.
I like this show, I came to it a little late, but man this one needs to be cleaned up quick if I’m going to stick with it. I could add to my list of problems in this episode, but 4 is enough for now.
Was hoping Jackson survived the shooting.. watching it on the security camera with them was quite emotional, too. As for La Fiera, i hope it’s the last that we’ll see her unless they give it a twist where she survives her shooting; i think i just saw her eyes moving as we see the chopper take off.
1. Having the baby born moves the story along, plus they won’t all be as raw as returning to work a few days after Jackson’s death.
2. Bradford is ex military, Harper is a seasoned undercover officer, and Nolan is smart and resourceful. They brought Nolan along to talk building with the architect.
3. You have never heard of people hooking up at funerals? Finding comfort in each other’s arms? I personally witnessed it with a couple of friends after a mutual friend’s funeral.
4. Going to his source was quicker, and time was of the essence. I would hope that you love someone enough to do ANYTHING for them.
Thank you SassySPA, your calm logic is much appreciated. Especially points 3 & 4. It’s very natural for someone in grief to seek comfort from the next-closest person to them. & is Wesley seriously expected to say “hey, i won’t break my moral code, not even when my pregnant wife is in mortal danger.”?
I can understand Titus’s choice to leave but still disappointing as his storyline added depth to the show, not only discrimination, the Blue code, having to prove himself as the son of a high ranking police brass, being gay etc.
Please No Chenford. They are already making these characters too soft. Tim needs to keep his edgy persona.
Months to wait for this premiere and plot to play out and it all gets neatly wrapped up in one episode. Curious Why? Is the industry needing to try to be more Netflix like?
Sad to see Jackson to go. I wish they ended the episode better, that was my only qualm. Instead of a coming home party, it would have been more fitting to see them all share a bittersweet moment together at Jackson’s grave and then leaving one by one until the moment we see with Angela and the baby