The Rookie Season 7, Episode 1, “The Shot” Spoilers Ahead
Welcome to Chenford Chats, a column dedicated solely to highlighting Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen’s interactions during the latest episode of The Rookie.
There are two things to remember: healing and looking forward to it. Chenford might not be back, but they’re definitely back. (Emphasis on the lack of italics.) When we last saw them in the Season 6 finale, “Escape Plan,” things were tense in the elevator, but their love for one another wasn’t shaken. It still isn’t. It’s fully there, shining in both their eyes during almost every interaction in The Rookie Season 7, Episode 1, “The Shot.”
It’s especially present in Tim’s tone and his physicality—the slight ease from the crosses he carries. Tim’s the one who needed to heal. He’s the one who’s struggling with sharing his burdens, and the reason their breakup happened in the first place. And in order for Tim and Lucy to come together again, they need to heal. He needs to heal. They need to look forward to things and not fear them, which is essentially what’s happening in this episode. In many ways, we’re back to the beginning, starting over in a way that’ll help them two build an even stronger foundation to add to their history.
Making bets with each other, going back to the root of their friendship, wordlessly examining Rookie/Training Officer behavior, it’s all a deliberate look back that’s going to make moving forward even more seamless. Quite literally, they’re in a good place. They’re in an especially great place at the very end because Tim stating he’s looking forward to tomorrow, with that very specific, reserved-only-for-Lucy smirk on his face, tells us that he’s on the right path.
There’s a lot they need to talk about and a ton to explore after everything that happened last season, but the fact that he isn’t pushing her away is a huge step. It tells us that even while his guilt and pain are still alive and well, he isn’t fully shutting Lucy out of his life. In fact, he needs the levity and light their friendship brings. He needs the banter that’s been carefully and quietly healing his wounds since Season 1.
The Rookie Season 7, Episode 1, “The Shot,” ultimately reveals that there are ways to go still for them to come back to each other. Yet, their friendship is still standing its ground, reminding both of them individually (and us viewers) that they’re interlocked in an unbreakable way. They’re in a partnership, both on and off the field, that relies on knowing the other has their back and is willing to laugh with them. From Tim Tests to taking bets together and even calling out his rookie for hitting on her? They’ve come a long, long way, and he’s still down so bad that it’s a beautiful, beautiful sight to see.
Whatever comes next, I have no doubt after this episode that these small moments are going to result in significant changes that’ll allow them to be a stronger couple in the future. They can’t stay away for too long. They’re proving as much in this episode with every little interaction that wasn’t all that necessary, but it’s clear as day that Tim needs his daily dose of Lucy just as much as she needs him.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Chenford’s scenes in The Rookie Season 7, Episode 1, “The Shot?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Mike Taing)