The Rookie Fans Have Some Strong Feelings About Bailey Nune
ABC's "The Rookie" is a pretty atypical cop drama, in that its basic premise is rather closer to a "Police Academy" movie than a police procedural. The series revolves around John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), a middle-aged guy who ends up becoming a LAPD rookie, and despite appearances, turns out to be surprisingly decent at the whole policing thing.
As lovable a premise as "The Rookie" has, though, it doesn't mean that the show is entirely without controversy — at least, if you ask fans. In fact, one particular character has caused plenty of turmoil within the show's fanbase. Said character is Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), the firefighter who first appears in Season 3, and becomes a series regular in Season 4.
Becoming the romantic interest to a Nathan Fillion character relatively out of the blue can subject a character to some pretty intense fan scrutiny, and indeed, "The Rookie" fandom seems to have developed some pretty strong feelings about Nune.
Some viewers think Bailey Nune turns up too much and too randomly
"The Rookie" Season 4 Episode 19, "Simone," involves a plotline where Bailey Nune is an Army Reservist, and away for the weekend in that capacity. However, this doesn't stop her from appearing onscreen, when the action moves to a nearby National Guard Armory, which is the suspected target of a villain. In a Reddit discussion thread about multiple fans voiced their aggravation over the fact that Nune once again pops up in what they perceived to be a contrived manner.
"Oh, look, it's Bailey!" redditor u/Jester1525 dryly noted when the character turned up, sparking a discussion about Nune's apparent all-purpose usefulness. "I'm surprised that Bailey wasn't the FBI profiler too!!" u/disconnexions snarked. "I missed the first two minutes, I don't know why she was chasing after that Russian guy looking like she's in the army now! I don't get it," a confused u/donutschmonut wrote.
The situation prompted many "The Rookie" fans to air their grievances about Nune's character and her weirdly all-encompassing abilities. Redditor u/JJMcGee summed up the thread's general sentiment by comparing her to a mythological figure with magical powers. "I'm convinced she's actually Puck or Loki or some other mythological trickster that can be everywhere. There is no other explanation for her being able to do so many things well," they wrote about Nune.