The Rookie Creator Explains [Spoiler]’s Surprise Return & Future

After the latest episode of The Rookie Season 8 surprised viewers by featuring the return of that one disgraced rookie from Season 7, program creator Alexi Hawley has come out to explain the idea behind bringing such a character back. In a recent interview, he opened up about the unexpected return of Seth Ridley (Patrick Keleher) in The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3, confirming that his arc on the show is far from over.

Alexi Hawley wanted to redeem Seth in The Rookie Season 8

The veteran television producer recently revealed that there is much left to explore in Seth’s character. This justifies his return in the latest episode of The Rookie.

“Patrick is such a dynamic actor, and I felt that his storyline last season was really provocative and interesting,” Hawley said while speaking with Deadline. He then added, “The dial between Boy Scout and guy that feels a little creepy was really fine-tuned to get there, which was interesting to me, but yes, what does it take to redeem? Can you redeem a character who really has not just f—– up, but really crossed the lines? That was what was interesting to me.”

Introduced in Season 7, rookie Seth Ridley quickly establishes his reputation at the Los Angeles Police Department as that of a pathological liar. Having schemed in every nook and corner, Seth tries to redeem himself by saving Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) life. He then manages to get out of the way of the bullet. However, Seth ends up gravely injuring his leg, which ultimately results in amputation.

“Seth still has a lot of maturing to do, and he needs to understand, ultimately, that some trauma that you’ve inflicted on other people you’ll never be forgiven for, and you have to figure out how to walk that path,” Hawley added.

The Rookie creator then shed light on whether fans can expect Seth’s return to last in Season 8. He stated, “He’s back a few more times this season, at least.”

Discussing Seth’s career as a police officer, Alexi Hawley noted that it is possible for the recovering rookie to return to the task force. “Technically, he could, yes. If he can pass the physical part, he could come back. It’s just all the other stuff,” he exclaimed.

Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.net.