Rookie Blue Episode 1.02 Mercury Retrograde

POLICE LOG: All officers, be on the lookout for a triple-murderer who escaped a prison transport. Suspect bears a distinctive snake tattoo across his head and face. Escapee is on the streets and may be tweaking on meth. Detailed report follows:

The rookies are assigned their partners for the shift. Andy is riding with Sam Swarek, back in uniform now that his cover has been blown. Luke Callaghan tells Andy that if Swarek gives her any grief to give him a call over in homicide. Callaghan's obviously got a little thing for her. As for Sam, he tells Andy he's not her boyfriend, so he will not be holding her hand. Andy responds, "Well, that's great because I don't date cops anyway."

Andy wants to look for the escaped triple murderer. He should be easy to spot; as he has a lovely snake tattooed across his bald head and is affectionately referred to as Snakeface. But Sam has other plans. He wants Andy to arrest a woman named Emily. He produces a warrant which turns out to be a takeout menu for Chinese food. The document isn't legally binding, but it does offer some hot and spicy Szechwan cuisine.

Emily, the woman Andy pseudo-arrested, keeps the books for a drug dealing pimp named Anton Hill, the man Sam was trying to bust while working undercover. Sam promised Emily $5,000 to help her start a new life in exchange for evidence against Anton. Now that everyone knows Sam is a cop, Emily is in danger. Protection from the department isn't an option, since Emily was an unregistered confidential informant. That's too bad because Emily sneaks off only to be snatched up by Anton.

Sam has a stash of cash, aka dealer buy money he used while working undercover. It won't be missed. He asks Andy if she'll back him up if he gives the money to Emily. Andy agrees, but first things first. They need to find the girl. Emily will be okay as long as Anton doesn't have the illegal ledger she kept as her insurance. Sam knows that Andy isn't the rule-breaking type, so he searches for his missing C.I. alone.

Sam walks into a trap and is captured by Anton's men. Andy knows the reason Emily ran was to retrieve the evidence against her boss. She finds an encrypted flash drive at Emily's place and heads over to Anton's headquarters where Sam is being held hostage. Andy bluffs that the perimeter is secure as she tosses the flash drive to Sam. This is the evidence he needs to put Anton away. This is why he spent eight months undercover.

It's killing him, but Sam has no choice but to hand over the incriminating files in exchange for Emily. Anton will remain free, but at least Emily will be safe. Andy tells her training officer that she didn't know what to do. Sam says, "You broke some rules. You disobeyed my orders. You acted like a cop." Nice.

Traci is still trying to keep her relationship with Jerry Barber a secret. That's why they only make out in precinct rooms with one-way mirrors. Traci is ticked when she realizes Jerry's concern for her well-being gets her put on desk duty with by-the-book rook Chris. But she makes the most of the experience by following a tip given by an elderly drunk who came into the station. The lead pans out. The hunt for Snakeface kicks into overdrive.

Dov and his new training officer, Shaw, storm an apartment where they find Snakeface, only to see him jump out the window. Gail is on the ground, but remains frozen when the escaped murder bolts. In Gail's defense, her training officer told her not to move. She was just following orders.

When Dov spots the suspect on a college campus, he chases Snakeface into a dead end alley. The meth-head is ready to go ballistic until Dov disables him with a sweet smacking move known as a double-ear clap. Snakeface drops like a rock. Too bad Gail swoops in to cuff the suspect. As Gail slithers away with the Snakeface collar, all Dov can do is take a hit from an asthma inhaler.

At the end of the day, Andy and Sam share a moment that leads us to believe they may be considering partnering up someplace other than the patrol car. Hey, didn't Andy say she doesn't date cops? Nothing happens, but there's an undeniable heat between these two. It's obvious to us and it's also apparent to Gail, who witnesses the near miss kiss from afar. Think she'll use this to her advantage?