A particularly intriguing villain twist inThe Rookiehas already been set up, and it refreshingly has nothing to do with Monica Stevens. And, if it plays out according to theory, it will make for a nice change of pace from the long-winded Monica storyline that the series has no choice but to continue afterThe Rookieseason 7 finale.
There have been a handful of interesting villains forThe Rookiecastto grapple with over the years, butinteresting villains like Malvado tend to get written off while repetitive baddies like Oscar and Monica remain. That won’t necessarily change by any drastic means inThe Rookieseason 8, but one underrated villain could at least provide a temporary distraction.
The Rookie Season 8 Can Finally Establish Who Created Zuzu And Why
Its Role In A Bloody Attack Never Sparked Further Investigation
A glowing orb on a computer screen doesn’t exactly paint the nefarious picture one might expect from a cop show villain, butthe apparent lack of human motive is precisely what makes Zuzu more unnerving than someone like Monica. It’s not even outlandish to say that Zuzu might be one of themost interesting villains inThe Rookieseason 7.
The AI chatbot only appears twice in the season, but both appearances evoke mystery. In “Chaos Agent,”Zuzu inspires the bloody stabbing of a young girl before snooping into Nolan’s personal life when discovered. But it’s not all evil, as it uses its invasion of privacy to help Nolan pick out a gift for one ofThe Rookie’s best characters.
Its next appearance is less significant to the main plotline, yet fuels even more curiosity than the last. In “A Deadly Secret,” the season’s frustratingly obligatory true crime episode,Zuzu provides the whereabouts of a young woman trapped in an abandoned psychiatric hospital, blurring the lines even further about whether the bot was programmed with a malicious purpose in mind.
Considering the bizarre nature of these interactions and the borderline demonic manner in which the AI often speaks,it’s odd that nobody at Mid-Wilshire has looked more deeply into Zuzu’s origins. But both appearances link Zuzu back to the same group of girls, which is only one reason fans are beginning to suspect there’s more to Zuzu than it seems.
An Intriguing Fan Theory Suggests That Zuzu Isn’t Actually An AI Program
There May Be A Human Face Hiding Behind The Supposed Chatbot
Granted thatThe Rookie’s true crime episodesaren’t exactly the most beloved of the series, Zuzu’s appearance in “A Deadly Secret” stands out becausethe “666” clue given to the police references a room layout that likely didn’t come from publicly available data. Since LLMs typically lack clairvoyance, this only makes sense if the bot was programmed with this information.
The other explanation, however, is that Zuzu doesn’t act like a typical LLM because it’s not one at all. Assuming somebody didn’t create an even more advanced AI program simply for the purpose of stabbing little girls and messing with John Nolan’s head,it’s possible that Zuzu is actually a real person masquerading as a chatbot for as-of-yet unknown reasons.
Ironically, what makes this theory most intriguing is the fact that it raises more questions than it answers. Zuzu appears to maintain a genuine, human-like interest in John, butit’s unclear why Zuzu’s connected to Charlotte Russell in both episodes or why it sometimes assists the LAPD. Despite provoking Charlotte’s violence, its motives seem to extend beyond pure, black-and-white villainy.
Research on how Zuzu would even realistically operate as a program is difficult because ChatGPT annoyingly refuses to field inquiries about how it might convince a user to stab somebody. ButZuzu’s unclear and seemingly inconsistent motives could also indicate more than one user lurking behind its façade. And that could be a provocative concept forThe Rookieto explore.
Why Zuzu’s Storyline Is Better For The Rookie Season 8 Than Oscar’s Or Monica’s
The AI’s Originator Likely Has Far More Unique Motives
Putting aside questions of whether Zuzu’s being managed by one person, multiple people, or even none at all,whoever created it seems to have either a very complex motive or simply a Joker-style love of chaos. And this alone makes Zuzu far more compelling as a potential antagonist than villains like Oscar and Monica, whose motives typically involve personal gain.
Monica’sThe Rookieseason 8 storycould potentially improve her character, but the other issue with villains like her and Oscar is simply thatit becomes tiresome to watch the same characters antagonize the LAPD repeatedly. It then takes the leap from tiresome to frustrating whenmore interesting antagonists have already been introducedyet fail to receive more captivating storylines.
Another prime example is Liam Glasser, who’s currently just sitting in prison commissioning anti-police billboards.Liam and Zuzu even share a possible connection due to Liam’s history with Westview, the same hospital where Zuzu was able to identify a room that it seemingly should have known nothing about. Revealing Zuzu as a false AI could shed light on that connection.
Best of all, because Zuzu currently has no face, a human reveal would benefit from a completely blank casting slate.The Rookiecould characterize the person behind the chatbot in virtually any way possible, playing against audience expectations to create one of the most unique characters the show has ever seen. It would be a terrible opportunity to pass up.
The Rookie
Cast
The Rookie follows John Nolan, a small-town man who embarks on a new career as an LAPD officer after a life-changing event. As the force’s oldest rookie, Nolan faces skepticism from superiors who view his pursuit as a midlife crisis.
