Most upsetting character deaths, ranked

Although it is mostly seen as a comedy-based action series, when you look at Who Dies In the rookie These elements are part and parcel of any police procedural drama. The rookie Protagonist John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), managed to get out of each shift relatively unscathed, but not everyone in the cast was so lucky, whatever side of the law they could serve. Many of the deaths were shocking plot twists that no one saw coming, And everyone Packs an emotional punch, whether the character is a police officer, a beloved recurring criminal, or a shocking hero-turned-villain.

Indeed while Not too many letters of The rookie Cast were killed over its five seasonsThis just makes each of The rookieThe death of all the more upsetting, crushing, satisfying or a mix of both. Furthermore, some deaths have significantly impacted viewers, leading to memorable moments in the long-running television series. Whether it’s a close friend of John Nolan or someone who drove a figurative knife in his back, the deaths all hit, some harder than others.

8

Caleb Wright

Shot and Killed by Harper (Season 2)

Rosalind Dyer’s protégé Caleb Wright had an extremely quick run on the show, in just two episodes of The rookie Season 2. Under the guise of dating Lucy Chen, Caleb drugs and abducts the rookie officer, and then buries her alive in an unknown location. That’s why Caleb’s death was both satisfying and necessaryA memorable fate despite the character appearing only briefly in The rookie.

The death was a huge moment, but one that shouldn’t have happened when it did. Holab took Armstrong and teased him, saying that Rosalind wanted him to watch Chen’s death since he hated seeing his own wife die. However, the police find them, and when Nolan steps in to save Armstrong, Harper shoots and kills Caleb Through a window to save Nolan. That made this one of the most upsetting The rookie Death is that at that time only Caleb knew where Chen was buried alive.

When they try to get Chen’s location from him, he dies from the gunshot wounds and tells them nothing. Nolan and the others eventually find Chen, despite Caleb succumbing to his injuries. However, that doesn’t take anything away from how Caleb managed to cause so much distress in so little time, especially in the moments immediately after he died. Rosalind certainly picked the right person for the job. Unfortunately for Rosalind, the police also found more evidence against her at Caleb’s house.

7

Rosalind Dear

Killed by a sniper (season 5)

Intelligent, beautiful and extremely cunning, Rosalind Dyer was a cold-blooded killer in the vein of Hannibal Lecter. Rosalind herself was responsible for several onscreen and off-screen The rookie Death, and She was the most despicable person in a show filled with violent criminals. However, whether she was helping the police find the bodies of her own victims or verbally sparring with John Nolan, Rosalind filled the screen with her gentle but dominating cadence, presence and body language.

It was clear that Rosalind was one of the most intelligent The rookie Letters. Although Rosalind’s death in The rookie Season 5 means the world is safer, it also takes away one of the most beloved villains in crime series history. It is even more upsetting that John was about to arrest Rosalind when she was taken by an unknown sniper With mysterious motives, as John clearly had the right idea.

Apart from how going back to prison would have given Rosalind her due karmic punishment, there is also clearly more vital information to be gleaned from her criminal knowledge. The death resulted in a crossover with The Rookie: Feds. Moreover, as the last character played by the great Annie Wersching, Rosalind Dyer remains deeply embedded in the mind of the viewers. This makes her death even more tragic, since Vershing died three months after the episode aired after a battle with cancer.

6

Nick Armstrong

Shot and Killed by a Gang (Season 3)

It’s hard to think of Armstrong’s death as heartbreaking because he was one of the strongest and main antagonists in The rookie. However, his death still manages to come as a disappointment The rookie Season 3, Episode 1, “Consequences.” Armstrong spends the whole of The rookie Season 2 convinces both Nolan and the audience that he can be trusted. He made some questionable decisions when he was first introduced, but his actions were easily explained away and disregarded.

Armstrong accomplished so many noble things that, in some ways, it’s hard to believe he was a villain all along. Nick Armstrong’s kindness was clearly a way of diverting suspicion, but he also traded his life for Lucy when she was buried alive. If Armstrong was really as focused on self-preservation as he was later revealed to be, his sacrifice in The rookie Season 2, Episode 11, “Day of the Dead” doesn’t make much sense.

Although Armstrong’s murder inadvertently saves Nolan’s life, it’s not unreasonable to grieve for the character viewers thought he was. The death had a long-lasting effect on John Nolan. One person he trusted and thought had his back ended up as a criminal who tried to kill him. It has also been difficult since Nolan had to watch as Armstrong was shot and killed in front of him as a way to “clean house” for the gang he was working with.. This helped Nolan understand that he couldn’t trust everyone.

5

Erin Cole

Shot and Killed by Armstrong (Season 2)

Erin Cole hasn’t been in the series long, but her murder is especially heartbreaking given the circumstances that led up to it. As one of the rookies who trained with Nolan, Lucy and Jackson at the academy, she shares a special bond with the main characters. In fact, though She is actually working with Nick Armstrong, this only finally gave Erin Cole one of the most upset The rookie Dead.

While Erin is responsible for her own actions, Armstrong has a way of manipulating others and backing them into a corner. Erin is clearly going through an internal struggle, as she even points the gun at herself in one of the best The rookie Episodes, “The K word.” Regardless of her foul bond, Erin didn’t deserve to die, regardless of how Erin decided she was going to go.

In the series, Erin proved that she was the mole when she worked as the acting detective in the investigation and ignored all video footage that would have included her. The officers and Nolan tracked her down and admitted that she had gone bad when the Dirians paid off her debts. Serge said he would kill Erin if she wanted out, showing that she had no chance. Nolan wanted her to testify against the others, and that’s when Armstrong shot and killed her. Nolan realized that Erin had said “Armstrong” before her death, which revealed the truth.

4

Chris Rios

Shot and Killed by Serge Derian (Season 2)

Like Erin, the rookies befriended Chris Rios during their time at the academy. Chris wasn’t featured too much on the show either, since he was assigned to a different division, but he quickly became a likable character. true, The series didn’t suffer that much from his death, As Chris was not someone with whom viewers had time to form an emotional attachment. But it still remains among the most distressing of The rookie Death, mainly due to the impact it had on Jackson.

The death happened as everyone was celebrating the end of the first year as rookies. However, this was the day that Rios would die, as he called in a report of a high-speed chase and the team realized that he blew “to amped upRios then approached the car after pulling it over despite his training officer telling him not to. Serge Derian shoots him three times, and he ends up dying from his injuries. Jackson rides with him to the hospital after the shooting.

Jackson and Chris were in constant competition with each other, but it clearly all came from a lot of love. The two are portrayed to be close, and Jackson was devastated by the loss of his friend. Moreover, in one of the most heartbreaking scenes of The rookieLucy laid next to Jackson in bed and held him as he cried. The death also opened the investigation into the shooting and it was his murder that proved that there was a dirty cop somewhere on the force, who turned out to be Nick Armstrong.

3

Evelyn Nolan

Heart Attack (Season 5)

John Nolan’s mother, Evelyn, was a well-known con artist who excelled not only in deception, but also in making her son’s life more difficult. Evelyn appeared in only two episodes of the rookie And that doesn’t even include the episode in which she died. in The rookie Season 5, Episode 14, “Death Sentence,” John spent the entire day ignoring his mother’s calls demanding that she be paid. For staying away from his marriage.

When John answered a call from a different number, he was informed that Evelyn Nolan died of a heart attack. Evelyn’s passing was unique among The rookie Death for how it had such a huge impact even though it happened completely offshore. Adding insult to injury was how John later found out that Evelyn was dealing heroin using shampoo bottles. In the end, the bank foreclosed on her house, and John had her cremated in a short non-ceremony.

Not since the death of Captain Zoe Andersen has John Nolan been so deeply affected by a death in the family. What really hit John was that he was denying money to his mom, knowing that she was a scam artist. But when he receives a call from a doctor about her insurance before he finds out that she has died, he reveals that she is sick and may need the money for it. Despite not knowing when he could trust his mom, he partly blamed himself after she died.

2

Captain Zoe Anderson

Shot and killed by Cole Midas after an attempted drowning (Season 1)

Because of how it was filmed and spoken by The rookieCaptain Zoe Andersen’s death elicited a devastating and emotional response from audiences and cast members. Indeed, Anderson was a well-liked and respected police captain, and she fought to make real change in the force. Anderson ruled by compassion rather than fear, but refused to let her officers take advantage of the power they are given.

Few others The rookie These deaths have had as much impact as Andersen’s. The death came when she was captured by Cole Midas’ gang in the season 1 episode “Greenlight.” To her credit, Andersen refused to let Cole intimidate her, and she stayed strong and strong until the end. Her death was heroic, like Midas knocked the chair she was tied to into the pool to watch her drown. She broke free and got into a gunfight, killing several gang members before Midas shot and killed her.

While Andersen didn’t shy away from calling people out when they made a mistake, she also made sure to give praise where it was due. Andersen died saving Nolan’s life, and his reaction was difficult. With heavy hearts, the LAPD saluted their captain as her body was removed from the scene. Undoubtedly, Andersen was the most beloved of the supporting cast members of The rookie. Nothing was the same after Anderson passed, but Tim pointed out that Anderson’s life could be used to make them better cops.

1

Jackson West

Shot in the Back (Season 4)

Although it’s a heartbreaking disappointment, Jackson’s death was a plot twist that everyone saw coming. The rookie. Viewers grew suspicious when Jackson was absent from promotional material for season 4Including the trailer and the show poster. In addition, actor Titus McCain Jr. disappeared from social media for months, creating more cause for concern. While the circumstances of his departure are murky, this is one of The rookie Deaths that were not initially intended to be part of the storyline.

Titus Makin Jr. left The rookie When he decided that he Can’t continue to be a police officer on TV after the real deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He wanted his character to emphasize these things, but he said that the showrunners would not go for it. Makin said he could no longer “Play a cop on a show and not talk about the fact that I’m a black cop. My character didn’t talk about it.“Makin asked to be written out and would not return to film his character’s murder.

Jackson West was killed off in the first few minutes of The rookie Season 4, episode 1, “Life and Death,” and is only featured from the back due to the actor’s absence. Jackson’s friends are watching the surveillance footage when he is fatally shot from behind and stuffed into a trunk. It’s a brutal way for such a youthful and vibrant character to go out, and it’s the biggest loss the show has suffered. Angela naming her baby after Jackson was a heartwarming gesture, but nothing could fill the hole Jackson left behind. Jackson’s death is the most heartbreaking of the series.

Are any more characters likely to die on The Rookie?

In six seasons and 108 episodes, only eight characters died on The rookie. Two of them were major villains, two betrayed their fellow officers, and one was a supporting character who barely appeared in any of the episodes. With that in mind, only three main characters died, and of those, only Jackson West and Captain Zoe Andersen were killed in action. At this pace, it is unlikely that any major character deaths will occur The rookie Anytime soon.

With this in mind, if any future characters die, they are likely to be supporting characters. People like John Nolan, Angela Lopez, Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford, Nyla Harper and Wade Gray should be safe. However, there have been some near deaths, such as Wesley Evers, and he’s an important enough character that his death could really shake things up. But, if The rookie Really wanting to shake things up, Bailey Nune could be a great choice as Nolan’s wife and someone whose death would change everything.