If you’re a fan of The Rookie, you know there are certain moments that just gut-punch the entire fandom. We’ve seen shootouts, betrayals, and massive cliffhangers. But honestly, nothing hit quite like the sixteenth episode of season one, titled "Greenlight." It was the moment the show stopped being a lighthearted procedural about an old guy becoming a cop and turned into a high-stakes drama where nobody was safe. And at the center of that shift? Cole Midas.
You probably remember him. He was the arrogant, impulsive, and frankly reckless son of a gang leader who managed to do the unthinkable: he killed Captain Zoe Andersen.
It's been years since that episode aired in 2019, yet people are still searching for details about Cole Midas the rookie antagonist because his impact on the series was so massive. He wasn't some criminal mastermind. He was just a kid with too much power and a massive chip on his shoulder.
Who Exactly Was Cole Midas?
To understand why Cole did what he did, you have to look at his family tree. His father, Leonard "King" Midas, was the head of the Southern Front, a notorious white supremacist gang in California. When Leonard went to prison, Cole took over the day-to-day operations.
But here’s the thing: nobody actually respected him.
The gang members only followed Cole because of his father's reputation. Within the lore of the show, Cole was widely considered an "egotistical moron." He lacked the strategic mind of his father and instead relied on brute force and tantrums to get his way. He was basically a "nepo baby" of the criminal world, and that insecurity made him incredibly dangerous.
The Astrid Incident: How a Broken Dress Strap Led to Murder
The whole "Greenlight" saga started over something incredibly petty. Officer John Nolan and Talia Bishop arrested Cole’s girlfriend, Astrid Heisserer, after she tried to stab a valet. During the scuffle, the strap on Astrid’s dress broke.
Nolan, being the nice guy he is, apologized multiple times. It didn't matter.
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Astrid felt "disrespected" and demanded that Cole kill Nolan. Instead of being a rational leader, Cole put out a "greenlight"—basically a hit—on Nolan. This meant every criminal in the city had a free pass to try and take out the LAPD’s oldest rookie.
The Death of Captain Zoe Andersen
This is the part that still makes fans' blood boil. After the LAPD started cracking down on the Southern Front to force them to lift the greenlight, Cole decided to double down. He ignored his father's orders to stand down and set a trap.
He lured Nolan and Captain Zoe Andersen to a house using a fake 911 call.
What followed was one of the most intense scenes in the show’s history. Cole tied them both to chairs by a swimming pool. He was mocking them, gloating, and showing off. When Captain Andersen called him out for being a "moron" who didn't understand the consequences of killing a police captain, Cole lost his cool.
He kicked her chair into the pool.
The scene was harrowing. We watched Andersen struggle underwater, eventually breaking her own thumb to slip out of her handcuffs. She managed to swim to the surface and take out several of Cole’s goons while still soaking wet and injured. It was a legendary "badass" moment that made her death seconds later even harder to swallow.
As she was fighting off the gang, Cole Midas shot her through the neck.
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Just like that, one of the best characters on the show was gone. The shock was real. Up until that point, The Rookie felt like a show where the main heroes always made it out alive. Cole Midas changed the DNA of the series by proving that the stakes were permanent.
What Happened to Cole Midas?
After the shooting, Cole realized he had messed up. Big time. Even his father, Leonard, knew that killing a Captain was the end of the line. The LAPD wasn't going to stop until they had Cole.
In a move that showed just how little loyalty there was in that family, Leonard Midas gave up his son's location to Sergeant Grey in exchange for the gang's survival.
Cole tried to flee the city, but he was boxed in by a massive police presence. It was a tense standoff. You could see the fear in his eyes when he realized the "tough guy" act was over. He actually begged the officers not to take him into custody, fearing he’d be killed in retaliation for Andersen's death.
But Nolan, despite his grief, stayed true to the badge. He arrested Cole, telling him that the woman he killed taught them that it wasn't their job to punish him—just to make sure he was punished by the law.
The Actor Behind the Villain: Grant Harvey
While we all hate Cole, we have to give credit to the actor who played him: Grant Harvey.
Harvey has made a career out of playing these kinds of complex, often unlikable characters. You might recognize him from:
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- Animal Kingdom (as Colin)
- The Crossing (as Roy Aronson)
- Fire Country (as Sleeper)
- The Secret Life of the American Teenager (as Grant)
He brought a specific kind of "twitchy" energy to Cole Midas that made him feel unpredictable. He didn't play him as a cool, calculated villain; he played him as a desperate, angry kid who was in way over his head. That’s what made the character so effective. You didn't just fear him—you were frustrated by his stupidity.
Why the Cole Midas Arc Still Matters
If you're rewatching the series, the Cole Midas the rookie storyline serves as the definitive end of the show’s "innocence."
Before this, the conflicts felt manageable. After Cole, the show leaned much harder into the "darker" side of policing in Los Angeles. It also solidified the bond between the remaining characters. The loss of Andersen was a catalyst for Sergeant Grey and John Nolan’s relationship, moving it from one of mutual skepticism to deep, hard-earned respect.
Interestingly, many fans wonder if the show ever planned to bring Cole back. As of 2026, he remains in custody. Unlike some other villains—like the serial killer Rosalind Dyer—Cole wasn't a "recurring threat." He was a flashpoint. He came in, caused absolute chaos, destroyed a fan-favorite character, and was removed from the board.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific era of the show, here's how to get the most out of it:
- Watch Episode 1x16 "Greenlight" and 1x17 "The Shakeup" back-to-back. These two episodes function as a mini-movie that covers the rise and fall of Cole Midas and the immediate emotional fallout of Andersen's death.
- Pay attention to the background dialogue. The show does a great job of hinting at how much the other gang members dislike Cole before the climax happens.
- Check out Grant Harvey’s other work. If you liked his performance, his run on Animal Kingdom is equally intense and showcases more of his range.
- Observe Nolan’s character growth. This arc is where Nolan stops being "the guy from Pennsylvania" and starts becoming a seasoned LAPD officer who understands the true cost of the uniform.
The legacy of Cole Midas isn't about the man himself, but the hole he left in the LAPD family. He remains one of the most effective "one-off" villains in modern TV history precisely because we still talk about him years later.
To keep up with more character breakdowns and the latest on season 8, make sure you're tracking the casting updates for returning guest stars—you never know when a ghost from the past might get a mention in the writers' room.