Usually, when The Rookie introduces a brand new character out of the blue and provides them a major quantity of display time, the character seems to be a villain. This has been the case greater than as soon as with characters like Caleb (Michael Cassidy), Detective Armstrong (Harold Perrineau), and, most lately, Dr. London (Danielle Campbell). Due to this, when the present does introduce a brand new character, it takes some time to consider that the character will be trusted — or that they’ll truly stick round.

Maybe no recurring character on The Rookie had a extra disastrous introduction than Tamara Collins (Dylan Conrique). Initially launched because the thief of Lucy Chen’s (Melissa O’Neil) automobile, Tamara turned integral to the present as Lucy’s eventual shut good friend and roommate. This unlikely shut friendship turned The Rookie‘s greatest storyline, because of its robust buildup and improvement. Season 6 sees Tamara transferring out of Lucy’s condominium and attempting to grow to be extra impartial, and it’s wonderful to look again at how far this character has come since her first scene.

Tamara Had a Tough Begin on ‘The Rookie’

In Season 3, Episode 2, “In Justice,” Lucy is upset as a result of her automobile was stolen. No person else understands why she is upset; her automobile is an previous, barely functioning heap of junk. As Lucy tells Tim (Eric Winter), although, she has had that automobile for a few years and phases of her life, and her automobile was the one place the place she felt protected after Caleb kidnapped her. On the hunt to get her automobile again, Lucy finally ends up monitoring down the thief, and Tamara is initially launched as a thief.

Lucy arrests Tamara, however shortly decides to not press prices when she realizes that Tamara is a seventeen-year-old orphan who resides out of Lucy’s automobile. Lucy makes it her mission to assist Tamara by discovering her a spot to reside, giving Tamara her automobile, and making Tamara verify in together with her on daily basis in order that she will look out for her.

This might have been a throwaway and predictable storyline the place Lucy helps Tamara, “saves her,” after which sends her on her method, however The Rookie sidestepped that lure and ended up turning that dynamic into a extremely beautiful friendship. Tamara retains coming again to the present, and step by step, her position shifts from that of Lucy’s “pet” to that of her shut good friend and roommate, who has a transferring and dynamic story arc of her personal.

Lucy and Tamara’s Friendship Is the Greatest Storyline in ‘The Rookie’

Earlier than Tamara, Lucy’s solely storylines had been both associated to the station or her mother and father. It was so good to see Lucy take a danger with Tamara and see that flip into a real friendship. Whereas the connection begins with Lucy searching for Tamara, it turns into extra balanced. Lucy helps Tamara work by means of her previous, and Tamara is there to assist Lucy by means of Jackson’s (Titus Makin Jr.) surprising and sudden loss of life and Rosalind’s (Annie Wersching) trial. Tamara usually supplies much-needed comedian reduction to the present and continuously acts as a sounding board for Lucy.

Season 6 sees Tamara make the choice to maneuver out of Lucy’s condominium to reside with some mates of hers. Whereas it is unhappy to see her go, and Lucy takes it very laborious, it is a main second of progress for Tamara. By her friendship with Lucy, they each had been capable of develop as individuals and got here out of it higher off. The Rookie usually makes the error of abandoning characters with out correctly ending their arcs as soon as their storylines are not related to the principle characters. Probably the worst instance of that is Rachel (Jasmine Matthews), who by no means even obtained a correct breakup with Tim. It could be an enormous mistake if the present did this with Tamara.

Going into Season 7, The Rookie must preserve Tamara round, regardless that she and Lucy aren’t roommates anymore. She is an extremely compelling character with a background and story arc not like anybody else on the present, and he or she is Lucy’s closest residing good friend. Notably in gentle of Lucy and Tim’s breakup, this friendship must be a major a part of Season 7. Moreover, Tamara is a fully-fledged character exterior of Lucy, and the present ought to proceed to comply with her arc and honor its greatest friendship.

Season 7 of The Rookie will air January 7 on ABC.

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