Chenford has become everything on The Rookie.
Seriously, you needn’t look far to see the fanbase devoted to this pairing, and they’ve been loyal to both the characters individually and as a couple for as long as the series has run.
It’s been a long, slow burn for this ‘ship, and when it finally sailed during The Rookie Season 5, it practically broke the internet and our brains.
Finally, the long-awaited pairing was together, and we could anticipate all there was to offer with these two as a couple.
What’s exciting about Chenford is that the chemistry between Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter is fantastic and can’t be manufactured.
And they have such a profound understanding of their characters and that specific dynamic, and they pour all of that into the series and the storylines that have unfolded.
That’s no less the case with the big Chenford breakup during The Rookie Season 6 Episode 6, which left viewers emotionally in shambles.
We’ve also been scrambling to find the needle drop that played as The Rookie shattered our hearts during that buzzworthy moment. Seriously, can ANYONE share the song playing with the rest of the class? We’re dying over here!
It was a wonderfully angst-filled development that hurt so good because of the tremendous performances of the actors and how deeply emotional the whole ordeal was.
After all, we’ve fallen in love with this pairing, and it feels like we’ve barely had them together before they ripped them away.
Truly devoted Chenford fans know this pairing will improve and strengthen after this.
A breakup is merely a drop in the bucket for these two characters, who have overcome so much already.
It’s standard fare for a beloved ship that they’ll inevitably rip them apart in a devastating manner before the two find their way back.
And it’s easy for us to believe Chenford would be no exception. They’ll face the same thing.
We can already envision a storyline where they have to experience some things as individuals before they reunite romantically, and then, we won’t have to worry about them as much.
From a writing perspective, we can even understand what they’re angling for and what they want to use this development to explore.
Related: How Chenford Elevated Season 5
In hindsight, once they finally did pull the trigger on Chenford and made it canon, the pairing moved quickly.
Because of the nature of their dynamic prior to introducing romance, it was like an extension of what they already had — a great friendship and partnership with the bonus of love and sex.
And things moved rather quickly for the two of them. Lucy didn’t have much time between properly calling it quits with Chris before she embarked on this relationship with Tim.
It was similar to Tim and his romantic love interest, who I can barely recall offhand.
We had this pairing who had an incredibly slow burn catapult themselves into a very serious relationship that had them discussing their future children and practically living together in a matter of months.
In the eagerness to deliver all the domestic moments that fans craved, they accelerated this relationship, yes, but also the problems that a couple could face over time.
And they did that in such a short period that it’s probably no wonder they opted to break the pairing up nearly as quickly as they got them together.
They gave us a taste of Chenford to quench our thirst and then ripped them apart so that they could most likely have a “reset” and explore the characters individually again.
The breakup gives Tim and Lucy Chen a chance to explore some of the issues that may have arisen in previous relationships and this one so that they can unpack and resolve them before they reunite.
It also allows them to sort out their personal lives, as in individual lives, before considering where they are as a couple.
The thought process behind all of that is pretty sound. As brutal and infuriating as their final scene together was, you could understand Tim’s perspective, and you’d even go as far as to relate it to his character and everything we’ve come to know and expect from him thus far.
Outside of the difficulty in wrapping our heads around this controversial secret from his military past and the series of lies that disrupt what they’ve established for him.
If we’re setting aside the controversies of that specific storyline on its surface and how it reflects on Tim, past, present, and future as a man who has lived lies his entire career and will continue to do so, it’s at least characteristic that he would be grappling with the aftermath of all of this and opt to “protect” Lucy.
Naturally, you could understand Lucy’s perspective in this as well, as she stood there in frustration, anger, and disbelief and watched the man she loves walk away from her under the guise that he was doing it every bit as much for her best interest as his own.
We’re conditioned by now to expect these things and this notion that you can’t properly love another person until you love yourself.
It’s drilled into us to accept that one has to enter into a serious, committed, healthy relationship with another person with one’s baggage firmly sorted through and together at worst or entirely dropped at “best.”
Related: The Rookie Review: Secrets and Lies
These are ideals that have been imprinted on us for some time.
But one must also wonder if it’s fair or even realistic, or is it just the romanticization of suffering for love?
At what point is the narrative that one must sacrifice love for personal growth and evolution put under a scope?
The real irony in what Chenford is presently facing right now is that to become a “healthier couple” down the line potentially, Tim has to be a “healthier” person now, and the only path toward that is him working on things alone.
But isn’t proper communication and learning to navigate how to work through things adequately as a couple essential to being a healthy couple?
Why would and should Tim have to step outside of what he’s building with Lucy to figure things out, get his head straight, and work through his demons before he can be at his best within their relationship?
It would have been far more realistic if they hadn’t had to press pause, and instead, Tim Bradford had to work through all his issues with his supportive partner.
Wouldn’t the test of their compatibility and overall ability to face problems and whatever else life throws their way be confronting this challenge together?
Chenford has had its fair share of seemingly minute issues since they’ve gotten together, and from a writer’s perspective, it would’ve been far more compelling to see them work their way through this situation as a unit.
Because it would also open the door to them truly unpacking all of their unresolved issues and being forced to address and actually work through them.
As endearing as Chenford has been, and as easy as it is to get wrapped up in the pairing, it’s also been noticeable that they’ve habitually put a pin in issues that arise without delving deeper into them.
There’s been a hesitancy for them to get down and dirty and really have to figure things out, such as going beyond the surface level regarding how Lucy’s pursuit of undercover work could affect them.
Sure, they nodded at things a bit. Still, they moved on fairly quickly from it despite Lucy accusing him of unwittingly sabotaging her because he didn’t want her to make detective and him tiptoeing around his genuine fears about the matter.
And as helpful as Lucy was trying to be, they managed to breeze past how she kept him in the dark and orchestrated a risky plan to get him in Metro that cost her a great deal in the long run.
All this coming out about Tim should’ve been the chance to see what Chenford is made of as a potentially long-lasting pairing.
Despite how idealistic and romantic it may sound, individuals don’t enter into relationships as their best selves because that’s a state of being one constantly strives toward but never fully reaches.
Related: The Rookie: Broadcast TV Needs More Complex Villains Like Elijah Stone
People enter relationships as flawed humans who must learn to navigate one another’s issues as best as possible and find what works for them.
What exactly will be the difference between the version of Tim, who was all in with Lucy when they started their romantic relationship, and when he chose her and told her that he loved her versus whoever he’ll be sometime soon when he’s “better?”
If what he really requires is some form of therapy to reconcile with his actions both overseas and now and how he came full circle right back into lying for some greater good and to keep his job, did it really have to come at the expense of his new but relatively solid relationship with Lucy?
Actual growth and character development would showcase how Tim and Lucy learn to attack their issues as a united front. It would’ve been the more compelling angle to highlight, especially without making a pitstop into Breakupville.
It would be better than leaning so heavily into the bleak trope that someone is too damaged and flawed to be loved in their current state and thus needs to right themselves before they deserve to be with their partner.
Tim is spiraling because he’s had an epiphany and is processing some hard truths about his past and present. It has him questioning the man he’s become and needing to reevaluate everything.
His side of this breakup is presented as something noble- an act of protecting Lucy from him.
Meanwhile, she’s left with the man she loves, blindsiding her.
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Inevitably, we’ll see him undergoing whatever process he needs to accept what he did and find the gumption to move on.
He’s currently at his lowest point, and climbing out of that will take him some time. Ideally, we’ll see a “new and improved” Tim as he blossoms into a better version of himself.
And that will likely roll into Tim doing whatever he needs to win Lucy back. It’s a standard, predictable narrative.
We could’ve skipped all that, and they could have delivered us Chenford facing these issues together in the first place. Why are separations and breakups among the first options rather than the last?
Yes, it’s hard for Tim to come to grips with what he did in the Army and now. But why can’t we watch him do that with Lucy?
She’s not just his girlfriend or ex, currently. Lucy also became a close friend and confidant for him — someone who has come to know him incredibly well.
She’s a grounding force in all of this, and this is what we’ve seen of their relationship well before they were together.
Even when Tim wasn’t looking for it, Lucy supported him, was a mirror that reflected what he needed to see, good, bad, and ugly, and told him what he needed to hear.
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Essentially, as a romantic partner, it should’ve been more of that, not less. Communication is something that both characters did well, and we saw how they could work through problems and challenges for years as partners and friends.
It almost feels more damaging that they’re pushing the narrative simply by introducing the thought process in the first place, that Chenford’s very existence can’t coincide with Tim’s individual character development and growth.
It’s presented as this either/or thing in which the ideal version of one can only happen once we get the other.
Personal growth should be able to coexist with healthy love. If anything, the latter guarantees the former.
Through love, a person can flourish and have the backing and support they need to do so. Hell, it can even aid the process.
Instead, we’re sold this concept that a great love story and the most romantic ones require all of this angst — sacrificing love in the name of it.
Chenford’s breakup and Tim Bradford’s background and army storyline have been polarizing. And that’s certainly understandable.
It feels like two things are at war with each other.
On the one hand, we have the progression of this relationship that was five years in the making, rapidly evolving and then devolving before it even found its rhythm.
On the other hand, we have this opportunity to give Tim a meaningful storyline, character growth, and development beyond simply tying him to a ship.
They’re at odds with one another, both suffering due to that.
But they shouldn’t be, and it’s a missed opportunity that the series didn’t consider that they can coincide and coexist.
Dare I say that would’ve been the better love story or story?
Over to you, The Rookie Fanatics. How do you feel about the Chenford breakup? Was it necessary? Do you appreciate the angst? Discuss below!
The Rookie returns to ABC with an all-new episode on April 30. You can refresh your memory by streaming all seasons on Hulu.
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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You’ll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.
