Hey Siri, play “You’re Losing Me” by Taylor Swift. There’s always something a little sad when it feels like a show is losing you. When you’re just not sure where it’s going and trusting the process becomes an exhausting cycle where you want to just stop and catch up at a later time when things are somewhat better. The Rookie isn’t about Chenford, and it also isn’t about romance, but Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen’s relationship is a large part of the appeal. Their dynamic matters, so it’s especially frustrating when it feels like we’re all riding a wobbly seesaw that has no idea of what direction it wants to go.
What we get in “Speed” is exemplary to show where Lucy is in processing the relationship, and since their hook-up in “The Gala,” this revelation has been the most substantial part of the development. And then “April Fools” happened, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Chenford hooking up as a joke simply felt wrong. Is it great to watch two hot people kiss each other? Absolutely. Is it strange when it’s Tim and Lucy, and it leads to nowhere in a season that keeps floundering? Unfortunately. I’m all for a series addressing vibes and fillers and moments that don’t exactly have to matter, but not in a time where it feels like we keep jumping back and forth with the couple.
And then in this week’s “Three Billboards,” where we’re back to nothing again. Part of the reason the two of them pretending to get back together feels so bizarre is because we’re once again glossing over the issues that broke Chenford up in the first place. We’re flipping between two extremes where characters are placed in odd boxes. Yes, it’s a completely realistic approach to how messy relationships can be in the real world, but sometimes, when it’s fiction, continuity matters a little more. An episode like “April Fools” would’ve felt more realistic if it had occurred before Lucy voiced that she still hasn’t forgiven him. It would’ve felt more earned.
Because Lucy’s confession actually addresses the bigger issue at hand, which is exactly why going backward to a space of denial afterward feels so bizarre. We haven’t had any tangible changes in a while, and as riveting as it is that they’re both willing to do whatever is necessary to stay connected, it feels a little underwhelming after an episode that’s vulnerable, raw, and honest.
I generally hate to use the word “out of character” because, again, like human beings, characters can be finicky. They can be complex and untethered to their beliefs. They can make choices that feel wrong after the moment’s passed. Yet, for Chenford, a large part of this back-and-forth feels like it’s disconnecting the audience from the characters. It feels like we’re dragging their reunion out when the pacing is suffering because of their decisions. Again, it’s completely understandable that neither of them is ready to get back together; this isn’t meant to be an overnight fix, but it’s the two extremes that continue to feel so jarring. But at least the trailer seems to promise something more substantial and the return of Tim and Angela’s friendship, which has also been missing for a while now.
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