| Andy McNally | Service Record |
Andy McNally is a main character in the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth seasons of the ABC police drama series Rookie Blue. She is portrayed by Missy Peregrym.
Being a cop is in her blood. It’s all she's ever known and all she ever wanted to be. She is the ultimate rescuer and enabler, but quickly learns that she can't save the world because not everyone wants to be saved.
Overview[]
Meet Andy McNally, who is empathetic (almost to a fault) and a born rescuer; the star player in 15 Division’s finest batch of rookies. A natural A-student, she's already clashing with her training officer, Sam Swarek, who keeps telling her she's got to learn to trust her instincts. While it never hurts to be prepared, part of being a good cop is learning what you can’t control—which is seriously not easy for this girl. Andy's the daughter of retired beat cop Tommy McNally: her bloodline is the blue line. But Tommy left the force under a cloud, and only Andy knows that he's now hitting the bottle. Andy is the most positive person on the job—because she knows first-hand where the job can take you, yet she doesn’t want to go there. Sam quietly believes that Andy could be made into a capable officer although training officers are the forbidden fruit, Andy is feeling the pull of his confidence in her. Because she herself can’t help but wonder after an endless series of screw ups, can she really do this job?
Background[]
Born Andrea McNally, grew up in Toronto. Her father was a cop like her, and was actually Oliver Shaw's training officer. Her mother left her father when she was 12. It is implied she has a new family somewhere else. It is not clear why her mother left, but it may have something to do with her father's job. It is also possible it has something to do with his alcoholism, but it is unclear whether this started before or after she left. When she was young, her father took her on camping trips out in the woods.
Storyline[]
Andy's luck with men may be not so thrilling. She was dating Detective Luke Callaghan, until he cheated on her with his ex Jo Rosati. She has feelings for her training officer, Sam Swarek, and in the last three episodes of season 2, Andy and Sam enter a relationship. Although she is a fighter, she has some weakness when it comes to Swarek... Is she ready for this?
After dancing around a relationship, Sam and Andy take the plunge. Unfortunately, Swarek is in the middle of a dangerous undercover operation. Andy helps find and rescue him from the dangerous Jamie Brennan. When the two are suspended for three months, Andy realizes that she can't stay in town and obey the orders to avoid Sam. Upon her return from Temagami at the end of their suspensions, the two became an official couple at the start of season 3. When Sam followed Andy's hunch instead of his own instincts and his best friend Jerry Barber was killed as a result, Sam was distraught and began to distance himself from Andy and his other friends at 15. Sam breaks up with Andy, leaving her heartbroken and confused in the parking lot of the Penny. After ignoring her calls for weeks, Sam tries to repair the relationship when Andy finds herself in a life and death situation. Unsure of whether she can trust Sam, Andy leaves on an undercover mission with Nick Collins, leaving Sam sitting at the bar waiting for her at the end of season 3.
Season 4 finds Andy returning from her six months of undercover with Nick Collins, hoping to get things back on track with Sam, only to learn that he has moved on with a new cop, Marlo Cruz. While it seems that Sam is immediately conflicted, and realizes that Andy didn't leave for undercover because she no longer has feelings for him, it looks like he may crack, but he continues his relationship with Cruz. When Andy realizes that Sam is no longer an option for her, she finds herself involved with Nick Collins, who has made it clear that he has feelings for Andy, which jeopardizes her friendship with Nick's ex, Gail Peck. When Sam realizes that he may have lost Andy for good, he pours his heart out, just before getting shot in the station. The finale ends with Sam on the operating table, Andy by his side.
Season 5 finds Andy and Sam confessing their feelings about each other and they start dating again. Nick wants what's best for Andy and they break up. Andy trains the new rookie Duncan Moore, but when Officer Moore abandoned her when she was protecting a child from a gunman, Andy reported Moore to the authorities; this led to a court battle. Andy was hurt in an explosion in the season 5 finale while retrieving some evidence, consequently injuring her ribs. She is noticed wearing an arm sling.
Season 6 starts with Andy and Sam returning from Oliver's cabin after a 3 week leave following the bombing. Sam learns from Marlo that she's 4 months pregnant with his child. Sam calls Andy to tell her the news but while on the phone with Andy, she is attacked at Traci's apartment, the attacker escapes and Andy is unharmed. While Andy is focused on trying to find her attacker, Sam has yet to tell her the truth. When the case goes nowhere, Sam and Andy return to the station where Sam finally tells her about Marlo's pregnancy. Andy, distraught and unable to handle the news, leaves.
The next episode shows Andy avoiding Sam, not being able to cope with the fact that Sam is having a baby and it's not with her. At the end of the episode, Andy meets Sam in his truck and tells him that she doesn't know how to do this, but what she does know is that she loves him and that his child will never face a day where it feels unloved or unwanted by her. In the following episode, Sam tells Andy that the baby is a girl, and Andy tells him that she will adore her.
In 6x06, Sam plans a special trip to Oliver's cabin, but everything goes wrong with a dead bird, poison ivy, and a raccoon destroying Oliver's cabin. Sam and Andy are by the lake cleaning up when Sam apologizes for everything falling apart, but she tells him that it's perfect because it's them and kisses him. Andy walks away talking about starting up the BBQ and she turns around to Sam on one knee with a ring, Andy is shocked and drops everything in hand, Sam asks her "Marry Me, McNally" and she happily says yes.
The next episode, everyone is at the Black Penny celebrating their engagement, while Sam gets down on one knee and asks Oliver to be his best man, Andy notices her ring is missing. Sam later gives Andy her ring back saying he found it in the sheets. As the episode progresses, Oliver becomes the prime suspect in the corruption and the bombing, Oliver ends up resigning and walks away. The next day, Andy, Dov, Gail, and Nick begin to suspect that Commissioner Santana is behind the corruption and is setting Oliver up. Andy and Dov set a trap to see if the commissioner will take the bait while Gail and Nick are on watch. When Gail and Nick are called away, Andy decides to go catch him herself, but she ends up catching Steve Peck, as he tries to escape, he is caught leaving the building by Nick and Gail, Gail is shocked to see that her brother is corrupt. Nick and Andy arrest him while Jarvis is sent to arrest Santana, and Oliver is cleared.
In 6x09, Marlo goes into labor, with Sam not answering his phone and no help, Andy has to deliver Marlo and Sam's daughter, Sam finally shows up and holds his daughter. Later at the hospital, Andy sadly looks through the window at the family that she will never be apart of. In the beginning of the next episode, Andy and Sam are suppose to have a date night and Andy shows up at Sam's place with wine but no Sam, so she goes to the bedroom to find Marlo asleep in bed. As she leaves, Sam walks in the front door but Andy walks out. At work, Sam tries to explain that Marlo showed up because she needed help and sleep. Feeling that they need space, Andy tells Sam that Juliet offered her a 5 month undercover job in Vancouver. Sam angrily tells her to not leave again and that they will figure this out. At the end of the episode, back at Sam's place, Andy tells Sam that she's not leaving and she only told him to give him an out, but he tells her that he doesn't want an out; they both tried running away, they both tried being with other people, but they always end up finding their way back to each other. Then Sam presents Andy with a dog named Boo Radley and asks if they can get married faster, instead of the date they previously planned.
The following episode, Andy is at their place getting ready when Nick shows up to tell her that he won't be going to the wedding because he's going to Vancouver. Andy asks him if he's happy and he says yes he's happy, while helping Andy look for her vows, her dress rips and Nick is able to sew it up. Before he leaves, he gives her his sunglasses as something borrowed and she kisses him on the cheek, giving peace to their failed relationship. As Andy is on her way to the church, she picks up a girl on the side of the road, finds out the girl has been assaulted and returns to the person responsible only for her to get carjacked by the girl. Andy quickly realizes that the supposed subject has been stabbed by the girl, Andy tries to call Duncan for help but her phone dies, so she leaves to find help. Duncan worried about Andy, tracks Sam's truck and finds Andy in the middle of the road, they are able to call an ambulance and Duncan gets Andy to her wedding. Andy finally makes it to her wedding with her dad walking her down the aisle, Sam and Andy say their vows and are finally MARRIED. They spend their reception at Oliver's cabin and Andy tosses her bouquet to Chloe. The next morning, Sam tells Andy "Good Morning Mrs. Swarek", while Andy replies "Good Morning Mr. McNally".
Strengths[]
- Walks her own path. Won't take crap from anyone.
- Empathetic. Can bond with just about anyone.
- Wants to make the world a better place—at any cost.
Weaknesses[]
- Over-analytical. Needs to learn to trust her gut.
- Always compelled by Sam's dimples.
- Too trusting. Doesn't always see the darker side of people.
Andy's Secret[]
- Her beloved retired-cop father Tommy McNally, whose badge she proudly wears, is drinking himself to death.
- Her mother Claire McNally, left Andy and her father, has caused much grief for Andy.
- An intense attraction for her training officer: Sam Swarek.
- She has a cabin in North Bay where she canoes with an oar.
- She enjoys chasing the wind on a horse.
Relationships[]
Sam and Andy[]
Sam Swarek had spent 8 months working undercover as a drug dealer trying to gain information about a drug lord by the name of Anton Hill when he meets Andy McNally for the first time. She believes him to be involved with a murder in the same building and arrests him for possession, unaware that he is an officer as well.
After having his cover blown, Sam returns to 15 Division as a training officer to McNally. He is very distant and upset with her at the beginning, blaming her for ruining his cover while she in return is annoyed with him regarding his attitude and claims she was only doing her job. Yet, despite their annoyance, there seems to be an underlying attraction between them. He brings her along as he tries to get his informant Emily to leave town since it is a matter of time before Anton Hill finds out she has been spilling the beans to Sam. When Emily goes missing, Sam sends Andy back to the station before going to Anton to rescue Emily. Andy doesn't follow his orders and instead goes to Emily's apartment to locate the files she has on Anton. She then follows Sam to Anton Hill's resturant and exchanges the files for Emily and Sam's life. This impresses Sam greatly and causes him to re-evaluate her. They almost kiss at the end of the episode but Andy backs out at the last minute, stating that it's her first week at the job. Sam comments that she's not his type anyway and drives away.
Sam and Andy's relationship grows into an easy friendship yet the attraction is still there, something that Gail picks up on. She warns Andy that it is against the rules for a rookie to date her training officer, but Andy denies having a relationship with Sam. When Detective Luke Callaghan asks her out, she agrees while Sam silently watches. Sam's feelings for Andy continues to grow and he tries to warn her that Luke dates a new rookie every year but it falls to deaf ears.
In episode 7, Officer Oliver Shaw and Andy are searching for a missing girl during a black-out. They discover that a man has been abducting and killing girls in the basement. Before backup arrives, Oliver is injured and shot, but is protected by his bulletproof vest. Andy is forced to shoot the killer who dies from his injuries and she is left traumatized. Turning to Luke for comfort, he chooses to work on the case instead, stating that this was a big case that Andy had solved. Sam meets up with Andy at the locker room and comforts her. He tells her to call him if she needs to talk. Distraught, and unable to sleep, Andy turns up at Sam's apartment and kisses him. The pair makes their way up to Sam's bedroom but before anything else happens, the power comes back on. As Sam leaves to turn things off, Andy receives a call from Luke but does not answer. Seeing the look on her face, Sam states that everything goes back to normal and leaves Andy alone with her thoughts.
Their relationship becomes awkward for a while after the blackout. In episode 10, the two talk and make amends during a prison transport.
In season 2, there is still hope for Andy and Sam after the cheating of Luke who was her fiancé at the time. In episode 10, Andy calls Sam and confesses she has feelings for him, but he has already left for an undercover mission before he even hears the message. In the following episode, they finally hook up in his undercover apartment. Near the end of season 2, Andy and Sam start to form a romantic relationship while he is undercover. His cover later gets blown and almost gets him killed. When they both later get suspended for conduct unbecoming, he asks Andy to have a real and normal relationship together. But she leaves him to keep her job.
In the beginning of season 3, Andy returns from her 3 month suspension and convinces Sam to restart their relationship.
After Jerry Barber's death, he starts blaming Andy about his death and says he needs to stay away from her for a while. Later outside the Penny, he apologizes to Andy for taking things out on her. Then says he can't be a cop and be with her and breaks up with her. Andy cries as he gets in his truck and leaves her in the rain.
In the season 3 finale; about 6 weeks after their breakup, he confesses his love to Andy when Andy is holding a grenade. Later he tries to convince her to take him back for another chance and asks for drinks. But Andy leaves with Nick for the task force without telling Sam, who is left drinking alone while waiting for her at the Penny.
In the season 4 premiere; 6 months after the finale, Andy gets herself and Nick in a life threatening situation and calls Sam for back up. After he rescues them, Andy believes that they would be able to pick up where they left off, but she finds out that Sam has a new girlfriend. For the first couple of episodes in season 4, Andy hopes to win Sam back, but by the end of episode 3, she decides to back off and let Sam be happy, and tells him "I know when to quit, that's my talent". In episode 6, Andy and Sam have a heart to heart and decide to be friends. As season 4 progresses, Sam gets extremely jealous over Nick and Andy's relationship. In episode 10, Sam admits how he really feels about Andy to Oliver. He says " I miss her man. I wish I didn't but I do. I keep thinking about the future. Kids, park on Sunday, real life - something more than this. With her." In the season finale, Sam finally admits to Andy how he really feels and tells her he can't do "this" anymore. He says that he has to go to let her be happy with Nick. Shortly after this, Sam gets shot. Andy refuses to leave his side and goes into the ambulance with him and tells him a story. One night (back when they were together), she had a nightmare and couldn't stop crying, so he held her close and told her that he was right here and he would hold on to her and never gonna let her go. In that moment, she knew that she would never feel more loved or more known. She then tells him she loves him and he's her story before he passes out. At the hospital, Nick lets Andy go to see Sam. The season ends with Andy watching the doctors trying to save Sam's life.
In season 5, Sam and Andy rekindle their relationship and are together again.
Season 6 reveals that Sam had gotten Marlo pregnant (during the end of season 4) which she hid from him for 2-3 months (the entirety of season 5), and it puts a dent in Andy and Sam's relationship. Nevertheless, despite the ups and downs, they fixed their problems, and in episode 6, he asks her to marry him and she accepts. They get married at the series finale. The morning after the wedding, Sam wakes up her with the words, "Good morning, Mrs. Swarek." which she answers with "Good morning, Mr. McNally."
Quotes[]
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Trivia[]
- She was named after her mother's best friend.
