Since that kiss in Season 4 of The Rookie, fans have been invested in the connection between Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil). Formerly a rookie and training officer, the relationship between the optimistic Chen and hard-edged Bradford (which would later be dubbed Chenford) had been building for seasons before that. But after a season spent teasing fans with the budding reunion in the absence of character development, this slow-burn relationship is turning into an absolute drag.
Chenford Is Happening. We Get It!
Take, for example, that painfully contrived Valentine’s episode where Tim and Lucy sit awkwardly in the middle of a police initiative with their broken relationship sitting in as the third wheel. There’s the flirting at the gala, the mind-numbingly inane April Fool’s gag where their characters decide making out with each other is somehow a prank on their co-workers… In their attempt to set up what should be the return of their relationship, The Rookie acts with no finesse. Instead, an overwhelming barrage of their cloying chemistry is forced onto the screen, insisting that it be remembered. “It insists upon itself,” a wise philosopher (Peter Griffin) once said. And while it may not be The Godfather, The Rookie has spent the current season demanding that this relationship be remembered as though we have forgotten.
Chenford Misses Out on the Importance of Longing
On top of that, it seems that neither of their characters has managed to move on from where their relationship last ended. Nor has there been an attempt to show that they have tried to. They haven’t dated other people or dealt with the potential drama that would create. The characters have offered no significant personal advancements outside their relationships. They might as well be exactly where they were before their relationship ended, despite everything that’s happened since. While consistency is key, their attempts to tease the relationship’s return feel tedious and unnecessary.
