Sumith Prasad
In the fourth season of ABC’s police procedural series ‘The Rookie,’ Nyla Harper starts training the new rookie named Aaron Thorsen. Although Aaron is a renowned social media celebrity, he tries his best to leave his personal life out of the Mid-Wilshire station to become a commendable police officer. After getting promoted to Police Officer II in the fifth season, Aaron becomes much more involved in solving cases. In the fifth season finale, his life hangs by a thread after getting shot by one of the masked men who attack him and Celina. Alarmed by the appealing character’s condition, we have found out whether the viewers are seeing the last of the police officer in the procedural drama. Here’s what we can share about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Aaron’s Fate Hangs in Balance
In the fifth season, Aaron spends a night out with Celina Juarez. While walking near an empty alley, they hear strange noises and set out to investigate the same on their own without calling for backup. While trying to find out what’s happening, Aaron gets captured by two masked men who hold him at gunpoint. One of them shoots at him while a third one hits Celina severely. The rookie calls 9-1-1 and Bailey Nune rushes to the scene to provide primary care to Aaron and take him to a hospital. After a complicated surgery, the trauma surgeon at the place saves Aaron’s life for the time being but he remains in a coma.
While the doctors, Celina, and his other colleagues hope for his recovery, Aaron’s condition gets worse at the end of the episode. His doctor calls code blue and he gets transferred to the OR again. First of all, Aaron’s death is indeed a possibility. ‘The Rookie’ isn’t a show that has shied away from startling character deaths, starting with the spine-chilling murder of Jackson West. Therefore, one cannot rule out the possibility of Aaron dying in the sixth season premiere the same way Jackson dies in the fourth season premiere. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Aaron will die.
The masked man who holds Aaron at gunpoint shoots him to severely hurt him rather than kill him. If the criminal wants to see the police officer’s death, he may have shot at the latter’s head. Therefore, the shooter’s choice of location may end up saving Aaron from death. Furthermore, his successful surgery also adds to the hope that he will recover. The code blue at the end of the episode can be a development conceived solely to end the season with utmost tension to make the viewers await the upcoming sixth installment.
Since there are several examples of such developments in the history of television shows, the same cannot be seen as a concrete indication of Aaron’s possible death. Does that mean Tru Valentino will be a part of the cast of the show’s sixth season? Let’s find out.
Tru Valentino Expected to Stay
As of yet, neither ABC nor Tru Valentino announced the departure of the actor from ‘The Rookie.’ Aaron’s near-death experience can be a narrative development conceived to add intensity and tension to the fifth season finale rather than as an indication of Valentino’s supposed exit from the procedural series. Throughout the five seasons of the show, several major characters have faced death, only to survive their respective life-threatening predicaments. We can be hopeful that Aaron’s case will be the same. The only major exception to the same is Jackson West’s death in the fourth season premiere after his life gets threatened in the third season finale. However, the same was conceived because Titus Makin Jr. decided to leave the series.
Since Valentino hasn’t expressed any desire to leave the procedural show, the chances of him getting killed off are extremely low. Considering these factors and possibilities, we believe that the actor will continue featuring in ‘The Rookie.’ Aaron has immense scope in the sixth season’s narrative, especially since his life-threatening experience can pave the way for Aaron and Celina’s togetherness if the former survives the code blue. After showcasing his skills as a detective to Angela Lopez, the police officer can make progress in his career as well. While the writers can develop Aaron’s storyline in multiple ways, it is unlikely that they will choose to abruptly kill him off.
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