Tonight on ABC their new series The Rookie airs with an all-new Tuesday, January 1, 2026, season 8 episode 1 called, “Czech Mate,” and we have your The Rookie recap below. In tonight’s The Rookie season 8 episode 1 as per the ABC synopsis,
“The LAPD, FBI and Interpol work with Monica Stevens in Prague to target high-value terrorists operating within and outside the United States.”
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In tonight’s The Rookie episode, Monica Stevens was back! The woman has more lives than a cat. She leveraged her knowledge on criminal enterprises as well as the people behind them for her freedom. She got her Immunity deal out of it. She was also making dangerous enemies because of it. Which was why she was given protection detail from LAPD’s finest.
Officer John Nolan and his wife went with her to Prague. They were serving as her detail and they might tack on a few days afterwards to finally enjoy a real honeymoon. They spent their first one in a hellscape hunting down a serial killer. They deserved a vacation.
One away from Monica. She was just as awful as before. She has a superior attitude with absolutely no morals. The other reasons she has cops with her was because no one was ever sure of Monica.
She could betray them as easily as help them if she thought she could get away with it. The first person she’s supposed to bring down was weapons dealer Lucas Wagner. He was selling military grade weapons to their enemies. His capture has been a priority for the US federal government for years.
Monica could really pull off a win here if she stops him. Maybe not enough to get her license to practice law back, but enough to escape prison. She also got to enjoy the very best of the best all on the feds’ dime.
She was in the penthouse suite at the best hotel in Prague. She ordered up some expensive clothes. It was for Nolan and Bailey that time. She wanted to leave the hotel room and so they were going to be acting her as entourage. They had to look the part according to Monica. They couldn’t look like cops.
Nolan asked at one point where she was getting the money to pay for any of this. She’s been on the run for a year. She lost access to her bank accounts. He was amazed that she couldn’t afford anything and he shouldn’t been because again she wasn’t paying for any of it. She charged the clothes to the room.
She figured she’d have months before the feds itemized the bill. By that time, it would be Nolan’s problem and not hers. The one part she got to enjoy was playing dress up with them like they were human puppets.
Nolan finally had to put his foot down on a suite that was just fine for him. Monica agreed when she knew she couldn’t play with him anymore. The trio went outside and they were barely taking in the sights when Nolan noticed they were being followed. Nolan quickly took down the guy.
He wasn’t Wagner. He wasn’t Wager’s people. The arms dealer would normally have ghosted her and quietly killed her six months later when he knew she wasn’t being watched. And that meant this new guy who tried to assassinate her could be some other enemy.
Monica has a whole bunch of them. Both stateside and in Eastern Europe where’s been hiding out. Monica makes enemies wherever she is. The upside was that the man was taken down and carried out by authorities without being noticed. Monica also got the call from Wagner.
He found out she has a red notice against her back in the states. She played it off as who hasn’t got one. He did. She did. It comes with their line of work. Wagner seemed willing to accept that statement because he sent up a meeting.
They were going to be meeting at a public café. When the time was right, they’d move on Wagner in Prague and on his business all over the globe. This included in their backyard in LA. Lucy and Tim were both on site for that one. They finally got around to talking. Tim asked Lucy to move in with him and she said yes because she loves him.
They’ve been in love since he was her boss. They just couldn’t pursue things back then and now the window was open. They were of the same rank. Tim finally went to therapy. He was ready. She was ready. And they didn’t get hurt in the bust, so that’s a sign.
Nolan caught Wagner. Interpol and local police were able to fully shut down Wagner’s operation. Monica tried to sneak off in the chaos. She accessed her jewels. She doesn’t have a law license or any way of making money. She was going to sell her jewels to live off for a while. Nolan caught up to her. He also found out whose trying to kill her.
It was Olmstead. The Argentinian that she accidentally led the feds to. Nolan had to save her life yet again. She was given one piece out of her jewelry collection because it was the only one they can verify was bought legally.
Other than that, the operation was a success. Garza from the FBI was willing to put together a more permanent task force. He asked Nyla. She turned him down because she has kids and so he went to Sergent Gray. Gray was an empty nester. He got in trouble with his wife because he broke the rules at her hospital only she said out loud that she was happy at her job.
She didn’t want to give it up. Its not her fault that her husband didn’t retire like he said he would. And that gave Grey the idea to find his new groove by taking the job with Garza.
He was willing to give up his position of Watch Commander to Tim. Which might pose an issue now that he’s living with Lucy. Those two rarely catch a break.
Lucy moving out did mean that Celina needed a new roommate and so she asked Miles. Miles has been living in a parking lot. The same parking lot that now wants to charge an HOA. He was glad to get a place with an actual shower and move in with Celina.
And Nolan and Bailey stayed in Prague an extra two days because the feds thought it would’ve been a longer operation. While they were there, they heard the “arrest me but make it sexy” song from someone that recognized Nolan. They all but ran to the next bridge just to get away from that song.
THE END!