Chenford Chats in The Rookie’s ‘Wildfire’

The Rookie Season 7, Episode 8, “Wildfire” 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 quite a few things that crystallize a person’s priorities the way that a life-or-death situation does. And in a procedural, we frequently come across these types of concerns. There are a number of them in “Wildfire” alone, putting a great chunk of relationships and character journeys into perspective. (The last shot!?! James!?)

For Tim and Lucy, it’s a single moment—one ephemeral instant of taking up what might be their final moments in life to vocalize that they still love each other and they never stepped. 

Well, Tim voices it. Lucy can’t say the words back. Her heart’s in her throat, her fears are engulfing her, and nothing is more terrifying than the fact that if she does say those words back, it might actually be the end. They might not make it out of here. All of this darkness will catch fire and take their love with it. And there’s something incredibly human about how Chenford are both reacting. There’s also the detail that Lucy isn’t the person who ended the relationship. Lucy didn’t run. So, it makes far more sense for Tim to be the one to utter those words and right his wrongs in a moment where nothing else matters. It makes sense for Lucy to say that it’ll make her cry. It makes sense for her to deflect.

Nevertheless, in The Rookie Season 7, Episode 8, “Wildfire,” it’s the stillness afterward where I almost lost it. It’s the way Tim holds onto her. It’s the fact that even though the air is thick and full of toxins, holding her in his arms is the only way he can breathe. It’s the way he tightens his grip like he’s scared she’ll fly away—like he, himself, will stop breathing if he lets go. They survived together, and holding onto Lucy is his only reminder of that fact, not the subdued flames or leftover haze surrounding them.

It’s holding Lucy in his arms. It’s always about holding Lucy in his arms, and Eric Winter does such a compelling job of showing every ounce of Tim’s heart. If you showed me this scene out of context and if I had no idea of their shared history, I’d still say he’s holding his entire heart in his arms. Because it’s the same exact thought I had after I watched him dig her up from the ground, making me immediately want to watch the show because we could see all of Tim’s love at that moment.

They don’t talk about their night spent together in “The Gala“—not really. They’re both still dodging so much. Yet, lying beside each other in hospital beds, it’s easy to appreciate that Tim is still carrying on the conversation in his own way. They both need rest, but he clearly can’t stop. Telling her that he won’t be her superior is his way of saying nothing can stand before us now. Offering his knowledge for the test is his way of promising that he doesn’t regret the words he said in haste. It wasn’t solely because he thought they’d die, but he said those words out loud because if he didn’t, that’s where he would’ve stopped breathing altogether.

Keeping his love tucked away is clearly no longer an option, and when The Rookie returns from hiatus, it’d be absurd if they don’t finally confront the roadblocks stacked before them. There’s no use in Tim wanting to be whole for her because that’s impossible. We don’t overcome everything all at once. It happens slowly, and if the events of this day teach them anything, it’s that they can’t keep withholding their love for each other. That alone is an internal, heartbreaking form of death that neither of them deserve.

Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Chenford’s scenes in The Rookie Season 7, Episode 8, “Wildfire?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ABC