It’s hard to watch. Honestly, that’s the first thing anyone says when they revisit The Rookie season 3 episode 2. While the show usually thrives on high-octane chases or Nathan Fillion’s signature charm, this specific installment, titled "In Justice," hits different. It’s gritty. It’s awkward. It’s a deliberate pivot from the "super-cop" fantasy we see in most procedurals.
If you remember how season 2 ended—with John Nolan finding framed evidence in his bedroom wall—you know the stakes were high. But "In Justice" isn't really about the fallout of Armstrong’s betrayal. Instead, it’s the moment the show tried to look in the mirror during the 2020-2021 cultural shift regarding policing in America.
Why In Justice feels so different from the rest of the series
The vibe shifted. In this episode, Nolan and Nyla Harper are assigned to a Community Policing Center in a neighborhood that clearly doesn't want them there. There’s no big shootout. There’s no ticking bomb. Instead, there’s a lot of tension over a park bench and a fence.
It sounds boring on paper, doesn't it? A fence? But it’s not. It’s about the friction between "helping" and "occupying." Officer James Murray, played by Arjay Smith, enters the scene here and serves as a reality check for Nolan. While Nolan wants to fix things with his hands and his sunny disposition, the community sees another uniform that represents years of systemic letdowns.
Most TV shows would have Nolan win everyone over by the forty-minute mark. The Rookie didn't do that. Not exactly.
The struggle for John Nolan’s identity
Nolan is a fixer. That’s his whole deal. But in The Rookie season 3 episode 2, his desire to be the "good guy" actually gets in his way. He tries to clean up a local park, thinking a fresh coat of paint and some repairs will earn him points. He’s met with cold stares.
Why?
Because the neighborhood knows that once the cops fix the park, the city will use it as an excuse to ramp up patrols and start arresting people for minor infractions. It’s a nuanced take on gentrification and over-policing that caught a lot of fans off guard. You’ve got a protagonist who is technically doing the "right" thing, but he’s doing it without understanding the context of the people he’s serving.
🔗 Read more: Jack Blocker American Idol Journey: What Most People Get Wrong
Harper, on the other hand, gets it. Her background as an undercover officer gives her a much sharper edge here. She knows they are "the outsiders." Watching the dynamic between her cynical realism and Nolan’s fading optimism is arguably the best part of the episode.
Jackson West and the Sergeant Stanton problem
While Nolan is painting fences, Jackson West is entering a nightmare. This episode introduces Brandon Routh as Officer Doug Stanton. If you only know Routh as Superman or Ray Palmer, this is a massive shock to the system.
Stanton is a "training officer" who is, quite frankly, a racist.
It’s not the cartoonish, mustache-twirling villainy you see in bad movies. It’s subtler. It’s the way he profiles people. It’s his tone. It’s the "us vs. them" mentality he tries to drill into Jackson. For Jackson West—a legacy cop who believes in the integrity of the badge—Stanton is a localized earthquake.
This storyline was controversial. Some viewers felt it was "too woke" or "too political," while others felt it was a long-overdue acknowledgment of reality. Regardless of where you sit, Routh’s performance is chilling because he plays Stanton with a terrifying sense of self-righteousness. He thinks he’s the hero.
Breaking down the community center conflict
The plot involving the community center and the young man, Silas, highlights the "no-win" situation the show wanted to explore. Nolan thinks he’s protecting Silas by not arresting him, but by doing so, he accidentally marks Silas as a snitch in the eyes of the neighborhood.
It’s a mess.
💡 You might also like: Why American Beauty by the Grateful Dead is Still the Gold Standard of Americana
- Nolan tries to help.
- The community reacts with suspicion.
- A "good deed" creates a dangerous ripple effect.
- Everyone ends the day feeling slightly worse than they started.
This isn't the "feel-good" TV we usually get from ABC. It’s messy. It’s the sound of a show trying to figure out how to be a cop show in a world that is increasingly skeptical of cop shows.
The technical side of the episode
Directed by Michael Goi, the episode uses a lot of tight shots. You feel the heat. You feel the cramped spaces of the community center. The lighting isn't as polished as the pilot; it feels a bit more raw, almost like a documentary in certain scenes.
The writing by Brynn Malone and Fredrick Kotto (who has actual law enforcement experience) leans heavily into dialogue. There are long stretches where people just... talk. They argue about policy. They argue about respect. In an era of TikTok-length attention spans, having two characters debate the merits of a "Broken Windows" policing strategy for five minutes is a bold choice.
What most people get wrong about this episode
A common criticism is that The Rookie season 3 episode 2 abandoned the "fun" of the show. People say it became a lecture.
But if you look closer, the "fun" was never the point of the third season's start. The showrunners were backed into a corner by real-world events. If they had ignored the George Floyd protests and the national conversation on police reform, the show would have felt like a fossil.
Instead, they leaned in.
Was it heavy-handed? Yeah, sometimes. Is the dialogue a little "on the nose"? Definitely. But it gave the characters stakes that weren't just "will they get shot today?" It gave them moral stakes. It forced Nolan to realize that being a "good man" isn't the same thing as being a "good cop."
📖 Related: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
Lessons from the community policing arc
If you’re watching this for the first time or rewatching the series on Hulu, pay attention to the silence. Pay attention to the moments where Nolan doesn't know what to say. Those are the most honest moments in the script.
- Impact over Intent: Nolan learns that his good intentions don't shield people from the negative impact of his presence.
- Systemic vs. Individual: One "good cop" (Nolan) can't instantly fix a system that people have feared for generations.
- The Cost of Silence: Jackson’s struggle with Stanton shows that being a "good cop" often means being a "bad coworker" to those who abuse power.
Practical takeaways for viewers
When diving back into this era of the show, it helps to keep a few things in mind. First, don't expect the typical procedural rhythm. This is a "bridge" episode designed to set up the long-term conflict between Jackson and Stanton, which remains one of the most intense arcs in the show's history.
Second, look at the guest stars. Arjay Smith as James is a standout. He doesn't let Nolan off the hook, and he shouldn't. Their relationship becomes a cornerstone for Nolan’s growth throughout the rest of the season.
Finally, recognize that this episode was a gamble. It risked alienating the "Blue Bloods" audience to try and capture something more contemporary. Whether it succeeded depends on what you want out of your TV dramas. If you want pure escapism, you’ll probably hate it. If you want a show that tries to grapple with its own existence, it’s a fascinating watch.
The next time you pull up The Rookie season 3 episode 2, watch it as a character study rather than an action hour. Notice the way the camera lingers on Jackson's face when Stanton speaks. Watch how Nyla watches Nolan. The story isn't in the arrests; it's in the eyes.
To get the most out of this storyline, watch this episode back-to-back with episode 5, "Lockdown." It provides the necessary context for how the tension with Stanton eventually boils over, making the "boring" fence-painting in this episode feel much more like the calm before a very ugly storm.