Looking back at Season 6 of The Rookie, it’s somewhat strange that the show’s best villain, Elijah Stone (Brandon Jay McLaren), did not appear. Throughout his multi-episode arc in Seasons 4 and 5, Elijah gave The Rookie something the series sorely needed: a strong, recurring archenemy. Yet, despite where things left off with Elijah in Season 5, the character remained mysteriously absent during Season 6. With Season 7 on the horizon, it’s essential for The Rookie to bring back the show’s strongest villain in a big way, and to fulfill the promise of the character’s epilogue in his last appearance. The Rookie must plot a big return for Elijah Stone in Season 7.
Elijah Was Last Seen Plotting His Revenge in Season 5
Elijah Stone made his last appearance on The Rookie in the Season 5 episode, “The Enemy Within.” Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) and Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) took down Elijah, who was imprisoned for a long time. However, Elijah is put in a neighboring cell close to another longtime recurring villain in The Rookie, Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave). In his final line, Elijah asks Oscar if he has any good revenge stories to read. The implication is clear. Elijah may be locked up, but he plans to plot his revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mid-Wilshire Division. Elijah only views his incarceration as a temporary setback. Despite Elijah’s epilogue setting up his eventual return, he was not seen or heard from again after this episode.
Elijah Was Mysteriously Absent During Season 6
During Season 6, The Rookie features no payoff to the epilogue teasing a team-up between villains Elijah and Oscar. Oscar appears several times in Season 6, where he is represented by his new lawyer, Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan). This creates an interesting connection to Elijah because Monica was his former lawyer. The catch is that in Season 5’s “The Enemy Within,” Monica turns on Elijah after he threatens to throw her into a woodchipper. Meanwhile, Monica becomes quite busy in Season 6, building her own criminal empire by using information leaks obtained from police psychiatrist Blair London (Danielle Campbell). Although Elijah sat out Season 6, Oscar and Monica appeared in bigger guest roles.
When Oscar appears in prison again, he helps Monica find out information on the criminals targeting her for murder in the Season 6 finale, “Escape Plan.” However, Oscar allies with Bailey Nune’s ex-husband, Jason Wyler (Steve Kazee), instead of partnering with Elijah. “Escape Plan” ends with Oscar and Jason escaping from prison with assistance from Monica, with plans to return to Los Angeles. It’s disappointing but understandable that Elijah remained absent throughout the episodes since Season 6 was truncated due to the actors’ and writers’ strikes. There was likely less time to arrange and build up a return for Elijah, so the show does have a bit of an excuse for the lack of a payoff to the Season 5 setup. That said, the show does need to mend the situation later in Season 7.
‘The Rookie’ Season 7 Needs To Bring Back Elijah Stone in a Big Way
The writers can make up for Elijah’s unfortunate absence in Season 6 by bringing him back as a vengeful force of nature in Season 7. With eighteen episodes planned, there will be plenty of time to bring him back. The writers could possibly explain Elijah’s absence by revealing that he’s been in prison and plotting his revenge the entire time, preparing to strike back at his enemies in Mid-Wilshire. Perhaps Elijah even puts aside his past grudges with Monica to unite against their shared enemies. This would explain the connection between Monica, Oscar, and Elijah in Season 6. It’s possible Monica representing Oscar is purely coincidental, but what if Monica managed to broker peace with Elijah offscreen? Even if a peace brokering never occurred, Monica now has her own problems. In “Escape Plan,” she attempts to hand over Dr. London to criminal and trafficker Jakob Olmstead (Casper Andreas), but she flees from the scene after John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) intervenes to save Dr. London, making Monica a fugitive.
Elijah and Monica have common enemies right now with the Mid-Wilshire Division, which creates an opportunity for both characters to reunite. Elijah likely still has criminal connections and resources Monica might need to survive, and the same can be said for Monica. She was able to orchestrate a prison escape for Oscar and Jason in Season 6, so it’s possible she could make a similar arrangement for Elijah. Another avenue could involve Monica orchestrating a legal loophole for Elijah’s release or parole. Either way, it would make sense to produce a storyline where Elijah re-emerges as a central villain and unites with Monica against their shared foes.
‘The Rookie’ Returns With 18 Episodes Next Year
The Rookie won’t be back for Season 7 until 2025. With a much longer eighteen-episode season, the show has no excuse to avoid a big return for Elijah in Season 7. It would be a massive disappointment if The Rookie never pays off Elijah’s last appearance hinting at his inevitable return and desire for revenge against Mid-Wilshire. Not to mention, it’s a waste of the show’s best recurring villain. Hopefully, Season 7 will mark a glorious return for Elijah Stone.
