The Rookie season 5 episode 20 recap: Did Randy kill a man? 

Season 5 episode 20 of The Rookie revealed a complicated affair as Randy was framed for the death of a man named Nelson Frisk. Even though he had nothing to do with the murder, there were people who suspected him of committing the crime. Viewers also learned about Isabella's attempts to help a girl named Dara.

Starring Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, The Rookie follows Nolan, a man in his forties, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). This episode was titled S.T.R. and aired on April 18, 2023, on ABC.

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The Rookie season 5 episode 20 recap: Why was Randy being questioned?

The episode began with John waking up and finding Bailey sick in the bathroom. He told her to quit partying like a college girl, and Bailey replied by stating that she was going to do the same with Libby the next night. Meanwhile, Tim was making breakfast, and Lucy walked up to him when Tim's ex-wife Isabel rang the doorbell. Tim had previously told his wife Lucy that his ex was in town and wanted to talk to him.

Elsewhere, Isabella needed help with a high-profile case involving the Teska family. The assignment was given eight years ago and involved guns and prostitution. Isabella had been taking care of their daughter Dara while she was undercover, and hadn’t heard from her in eight years, until now. Dara needed help, and Tim agreed to support Isabella.

The scene then cut to the station where everyone seemed busy with their own things. Bradford had Dara’s uncle in questioning but that was not helpful. Given that Dara's father was going to be released from prison the following day, the team wondered if that had anything to do with Dara's call.

Meanwhile, Randy called Harper and informed her about a corpse he had found. Randy was then brought to the station, where he made a deal with Harper, and he was being treated like a witness and not a suspect. Randy explained that he ran into a woman named Emily Johnson in a bar who requested him to help her.

She was being terrorized and stalked by a man named Nelson Frisk. Emily asked Randy to threaten him, but when Randy reached his place, he found him dead. While they were trying to find the real killer, someone was trying to frame Randy for murder.

Meanwhile, Bradford had a word with Dara's father over a video call. Her father was clueless about what was going on, but Isabella was not convinced that he was being truthful. She then arrived at the motel where she had brought Dara when the latter was little and began searching.

The episode also saw Bayley with her friend when she was introduced to a man. Her friend tells her that since her husband is in love with her physical therapist, why shouldn’t she have some fun too? Meanwhile, Harper was still unable to find a connection between Randy and Frisk.

An accountant from Glendale named Brian Cole became the suspect in the casem and Bailey was brought into the station. She told him that Libby met a guy who was a creep, and they got into a fight. On the other hand, Randy texted Nolan and informed him that he knew who the killer was, stating that the culprit was in the trunk of their car right now.

In an interesting turn of events, Nolan and Harper managed to rescue Randy, who was in trouble. The murderer was revealed to be Cooper, and he was soon arrested and the case was closed.

The episode ended with Dara meeting Chen and Isabel at the motel. Dara told them that her uncle was going to kill his father. However, she soon realized that she was talking to cops and tried to flee. Soon, bullets began flying everywhere, but Dara was ultimately saved.