The Rookie Season 7 has brought back a key character (& it might solve an earlier mystery on the show)

Just when The Rookie seemed to be moving on with Season 7, the show decided to pull a blast from the past move when they brought in a familiar face from the previous season—Monica Stevens (Bridget Regan).

The snappish and manipulative villain made her sudden comeback in The Rookie Season 7 Episode 11, throwing the Mid-Wilshire Division into commotion once again.

Nevertheless, her comeback isn’t just about stirring up distress; it might also deliver long-awaited answers to a mystery that dates back to the sixth season. With Monica back in the game, the stakes are now higher than they ever were.

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How Monica’s comeback unfolds in The Rookie season 7 episode 11

In a surprising turn of events, Monica is made known to be the genius in the wake of a nail-biting bus heist in The Rookie Season 7 Episode 11, titled "Speed."

The episode follows through with characters like John Nolan (played by Nathan Fillion) and Celina Juarez (played by Lisseth Chavez) as they go undercover to supervise crime on a risky bus route.

Then again, when two brothers take control and hijack the bus and intimidate to set off a bomb, the circumstance takes an unforeseen turn. What at first appears to be a hostage emergency is actually a cautiously constructed scheme—one organized by Monica.

Monica’s plan includes an assistant, Denise Summers (played by Molly McCook), who fakes being a powerless bystander. Under the disguise of all the chaos happening, Denise pockets an ID from a government worker on board and communicates all of the sensitive data and information retrieved from the ID to Monica.

While the LAPD is able to get a hold of Denise, they continue to be unaware of Monica’s connection to the crime, leaving them one step behind in recognizing her main motive.

A mystery from season 6 resurfaces

Monica’s coming back into The Rookie Season 7 isn’t just a twist put on here just for the sake of crafting an all-new storyline—it could, however, tie into an unresolved mystery as seen back in season 6 of The Rookie.

Back in the premiere episode of Season 6, "Strike Back," follows the story of a high-stakes Federal Reserve heist that takes place, leaving all of the investigators involved with more questions rather than receiving answers.

Boyd Taylor (played by Kristian Bruun) was put behind bars as he turned out to be the prime suspect, but way before he could disclose who coordinated the crime, he was shot dead by a sniper. Who was his attorney, might you wonder? None other than The Monica Stevens.

The fact that Monica was on the team for both the Federal Reserve heist and the latest bus hijacking, as seen in Season 7, calls for a look at something on a much profounder and deeper level.

The government ID that was stolen in Season 7 might just hold evidence relating to the Federal Reserve heist from the previous season. If Monica could in fact be on the lookout to protect an influential figure behind the heist, she could still be operational with them—or even perhaps bend the situation for her own gains and motives.

What Monica’s return means for The Rookie in season 7?

With Monica now working from a comfortable hideaway, far from the LAPD’s clutches, her reasons for causing the bus hijack as well as the monetary crime done in season 6 of The Rookie still remain unclear.

However, her frightening warning to Denise— indicating that her child’s life dangles on her ability to be quiet— corroborates that she’s more coldblooded than ever. Given her past of using confidential and private information as leverage, it’s likely that Monica is in preparation for something bigger than what anyone can wrap their head around.

The bigger question is if, when, and how her comeback will finally play out in exposing the true architect behind the Federal Reserve heist in Season 6.

If so, The Rookie Season 7 could be setting up its most penetrating story-line yet. With still a few episodes left in the bag, the Mid-Wilshire Division will have to act fast before Monica's trap of trickery swirls way out of control.

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Monica Stevens' comeback to The Rookie isn’t just an additional villainous comeback—it has the probability to alter the course of this entire season.

With her ties to a past mystery as seen in Season 6 and a dangerous new plan currently at play, her presence adds so many layers of fascination to The Rookie Season 7, and fans cannot wait to see how this mystery solves itself.

Whether Monica gears up to wreck even more havoc or if she somehow gets tangled up in her own web of slyness remains to be seen.

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