'The Rookie' character's death in Season 8 has fans, actor conflicted
'The Rookie' character's death in Season 8 has fans, actor conflicted
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAYTue, April 28, 2026 at 11:05 PM UTC
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Warning: The following contains major spoilers for Season 8, Episode 17 of "The Rookie."
Monica Stevens finally got her comeuppance on the latest episode of "The Rookie." But not all fans are celebrating.
The crooked lawyer, played by Bridget Regan, on ABC's police procedural series, died in the penultimate episode of Season 8 in a dramatic cliffhanger ahead of next week's finale.
After double-crossing dangerous criminals, the corrupt attorney met her demise as she was assassinated during a rideshare trip to the airport, where she hoped to leave Los Angeles and avoid federal agents.
"I think you missed the turn," Monica told the driver, who replied, "No, I didn't." She is taken to an abandoned site at night, where her final request of "not in the face" is honored, and she is fatally shot twice in the chest.
Bridget Regan as Monica Stevens on Season 8 Episode 18 of "The Rookie," which aired on April 27, 2026.Monica Stevens heartbreaking goodbye with Wesley Evers
Before her fatal shooting, she visited ex-fiancé Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore), the only person Monica cared to say goodbye to. The two shared a devastating exchange with Monica knowing it would be their last.
"I know I did exactly whatever I wanted, and I own every choice that I made, and yet I don't know how I got here," she told Wesley.
Monica asked him if he ever loved the person she used to be, to which he replied: "She was terrifying and radiant and razor sharp. Of course, I loved her. Everybody did."
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Despite her immoral decisions on the series, fans found her ending ironically bittersweet, with one X user writing, "Never thought I would feel bad for Monica but I do. Monica really loved Wesley and you saw the person she used to be before he broke her heart. Her saying goodbye before she met her end was really heartbreaking."
"omg Monica i wanted u gone but im sad rn," another user wrote on X.
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Bridget Regan is 'sad to see Monica go'
Regan, who joined "The Rookie" in a recurring role in Season 5, said she will miss playing the morally questionable antagonist, telling TV Insider that "I am sad to see Monica go."
She recounted her phone call with showrunner Alexi Hawley, where, as usual, she worried "that it's the call of death."
"But truly, I was not surprised. I was thrilled that she lasted as long as she did. If you play with fire, as long as she has, eventually you’re going to get burned. And as I said to Alexi and everybody, I was like, she’s not on her ninth life. She’s on her 37th," she told the outlet.
She said it was "fair enough" for the writers to kill the character, who already had survived multiple assassinations and prison time, and "being thrown in a wood chipper."
"When her number was finally up, I wasn’t surprised. I thought, fair enough. She’s had an amazing run, four years on this show. I’m only filled with gratitude," she continued. "But what I was surprised by was just how incredibly sad I was for her. Not that she died, but that she never truly flipped, that she actually succumbed to the dark side and couldn’t find her way back."
The Season 8 finale of "The Rookie" is set to air Monday, May 4. The series has been renewed for Season 9, which, according to Deadline, makes ABC's third-longest-running drama series after "NYPD Blue" and "Grey's Anatomy."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Rookie' fans are conflicted by a major character's death
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
