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Following a three-week hiatus, ABC‘s The Rookie Season 5 is finally returning with new episodes in late March. But some fans aren’t ready for the ABC series’ return because they’re worried that Tim Bradford, played by Eric Winter, might not make it out of the upcoming hour alive. Are their concerns unsound? Or will Tim die in The Rookie Season 5 Episode 18? Read on to find out.

Eric Winter, who stars as Tim Bradford in 'The Rookie' Season 5 Episode 18, 'Double Trouble,' wears his dark blue police uniform.
Eric Winter as Tim Bradford | Ser Baffo/ABC via Getty Images

When does ‘The Rookie’ Season 5 return with episode 18?

Following the premiere of episode 17 on Tuesday, Feb. 28, ABC revealed that The Rookie Season 5 was going on a hiatus. The network aired re-runs of the procedural series for the next few weeks while fans patiently waited for new episodes. And thankfully, the wait is almost over.

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 18, “Double Trouble,” airs on Tuesday, March 21, on ABC.

Nathan Fillion reunited with his Castle co-star Jon Huertas during the upcoming episode since Huertas directed it. He previously directed The Rookie Season 5 Episode 7, “Crossfire,” in late 2022.

What happened in episode 17?

Before diving into The Rookie Season 5 Episode 18, let’s recap what happened in episode 17, “The Enemy Within.”

The LAPD got another chance to take down Elijah Stone and Abril Rodas in season 5 when Elijah’s lawyer and Wesley Evers’ ex-fiancée Monica Stevens offered her “help.” But as viewers knew, Monica’s true intentions were to save her skin and assist Elijah in his reign of terror.

During her meeting with the District Attorney’s office and the LAPD, Monica claimed that Elijah was looking for a way to launder his money. And in exchange for her cooperation, she wanted full immunity. So with Monica’s information, Metro set up an operation to take down Elijah. However, since they didn’t fully trust Monica, they gave her the incorrect phone numbers of the Metro members working the sting. And they found out the actual location of Elijah’s deal (not the fake one Monica gave them).

Right before the operation, Monica had a change of heart and informed the police of the “change” of location. Ultimately, they arrested Elijah after a shootout, and Monica got off scot-free. But later, Monica called Abril and offered her assistance, even though it would all be for nothing because the FBI shot and killed Abril in The Rookie: Feds Season 1 Episode 17.

At the end of The Rookie Season 5 Episode 17, Elijah arrived in prison and greeted his neighbor across the hall — Oscar Hutchinson. So we suspect we haven’t seen the last of Elijah in The Rookie.

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Is Tim leaving ‘The Rookie’ Season 5 in episode 18?

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 18 will be another true-crime installment of the ABC series. And this time, the documentary will be about Dim and Juicy, aka Jake Butler and Sava, aka Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen’s doppelgangers. It’s unclear what brings Jake and Sava back into the fold, but the case proves to be a matter of life and death.

During “Double Trouble,” Tim and Lucy go back undercover. And Tim remarks in the episode’s promo, “As police officers, your future is never certain,” followed by Lucy yelling, “Tim just disappeared!” The preview ends on a haunting note as Aaron Thorsen claims to find Tim’s body in a dumpster. But is it actually Tim? Or could it be Jake?

We are almost certain that Jake will die in episode 18, not Tim. Eric Winter’s character is beloved by numerous fans, and it wouldn’t make sense if the writers killed him in the show. Plus, we know that the actor who plays Tim isn’t leaving The Rookie anytime soon. So fans shouldn’t be worried about Tim’s fate in “Double Trouble.”

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 18, “Double Trouble,” airs Tuesday, March 21, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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