A brief analysis of those final scenes and why they worked, even if people didnāt like themā
(side note: Iāve watched the extended cut on Crave, and it definitely helped with the flow of the storylines, although I still had all of these thoughts last night on first watch)
This episode really put into perspective how much of a difficult position Tim and Lucy have put themselves in with him being her Watch Commander. I know a lot of people are upset with how distant they seemed at the end of the episode, but it made so much senseā both for their storylines and their characters
With the extended cut, we see that Tim has had a bad feeling that something was going to happen to Lucy all day. I hate that they cut this scene, because it gives important context. But the clues are there even without it. After Lucy asks for back up at Westview, we can hear the rest of what she says, but despite seeing Tim on screen, he canāt. She isnāt using her radio. He calls a code alpha and rushes to the scene purely on instinct, and that shows just how worried he is.
Then we also have the scene earlier in the episode where Nyla explains to Miles why they have to avoid using deadly force at all costs. These people are civilians, attacking them because theyāre under the influence. Thereās no criminal intent. They all know that. Which massively opens Lucy up to a wrongful death lawsuit.
When Tim finds her, heās panicked and focused on making sure sheās okay. Once Lucy tells him that she killed Martin, you see him struggle to readjust. But thatās when things get formal. But they need to be. As mentioned, with him being her Watch Commander and Lucy hugely exposed in a wrongful death case, things need to be by the book. There canāt be any accusations that he was softer on her because theyāre in a relationship. Theyāre both wearing body cams. Those recordings are going to be analyzed to pieces. Tim knows that. Heās protecting her. He will always protect her.
But the problem is that you canāt turn that around in an instant.
Throughout the rest of the scenes of the investigation, Tim is always there, on the sidelines, looking tortured. Itās easy to miss because Melissaās acting is so captivating, itās hard to look at anything else. But heās there, body camera on, recording the fact that he canāt say anything to her or show her any extra kindness until sheās done with IA.
That has to eat at him. Think about how guilty he must have felt by the time they got home. Think about how hard it would feel to turn things around when he knows how much that distance would have hurt.
Lucy is out of it, but he makes her tea and invites her to come to bed. Lucy is the one that says that she wants to stay up and he respects it. She is a grown woman. Sheās fully capable of communicating what she needsā she just proved that when she told him she wasnāt ready to go to bed. If sheād wanted him to stay up with her, she would have said it. Him giving her space isnāt some kind of problem or character fault. Itās him listening.
And she needed the space to process. Literally the second that Tim leaves, she gags. Once sheās curled up on the couch she finally allows herself to fall apart. She was being strong for him. She needed space to feel her feelings. And thatās totally understandable. Itās not a breakdown in communication between them or an inability to let each other in. Itās just how she needed to process in that moment.
Also, you canāt tell me that Tim just went to sleep. He was absolutely lying awake. When the camera panned away from Lucy at the end of the episode, I fully expected to see Tim standing on the other side of the wall, waiting.
Iām excited to see where this storyline goes, especially since Melissa has said that the way that her community holds her up is really beautiful. I do think that theyāve set things up for this to become a lawsuit, especially with the following episode being titled āAftermathā. It will be interesting to see how this is navigated
(Also none of this is to say that there canāt be other interpretations of the episode. Iām just sharing mine. I think in fandom we have a tendency to project onto the characters what we would want to happen if we were in these situations. Iām guilty of it too. So after all of the outrage Iāve been seeing, I thought I would share a different perspective)
Can you write chenford married and they find out Lucy has cancer and the fallout?
Hey, so sorry but I donāt write from prompts! And to be frank, the amount of time and energy it would take to do a fic like this accurately and respectfully is not something that I currently have the mental bandwidth for.
That said, I know that there are stories with similar themes out there. So if itās something that you really have an itch to read, try doing a search on Ao3!
A lot of the analyses Iāve seen so far have been rightā Thereās definitely intentional blocking when it comes to each of Chenfordās comforting hugs
When Tim is comforting Lucy, he opens his arms to her. He lets her come to him, and then he essentially engulfs her with his body, physically protecting her and creating a barrier from the horrors of the world
When Lucy comforts Tim, she has a tendency to sneak in underneath him. She finds a way to work her way in despite the fact that heās closing himself off, and quite literally becomes the pillar of strength holding him up
But this new hug in the promo is neither of those things.
They go to each other
Tim isnāt waiting for Lucy to come to him anymore. And thereās more than one possibility for the motivation there. Either he subconsciously recognizes that making her be the one to come to him isnāt the right move at this fractured state in their relationship, when he knows she needs comfort. Or maybe heās the one needing the comfort, so he just goes for it. Maybe itās both.
And likewise Lucy doesnāt have to find her own path in this time. Tim is letting her in, accepting her comfort without hesitation
Itās a shift in their dynamic
And I canāt wait to discover what brings us there
They could fly back home and he could create a perfect moment to ask, but why wait when this one was ripe for the taking? In the privacy of their suite with the world outside so calm and bright?
āI know you already zipped up your suitcase,ā he said, wishing away the nerves in his voice, ābut I think this is yours.ā
At that, she turned, surprise widening her eyes as her reflexes kicked in and she caught the small box he tossed her way.
āWhatāsā oh.āĀ
Her fingers shook slightly as she traced along the seam. He understood the feeling; even with all of their conversations about the future stacked in his favor, mortgages and marriages and kids, it was daunting to finally be at such a pivotal moment.Ā
āIs this what Iā¦?ā
āYeah,ā he answered her unfinished question and closed in to wrap his hands around hers.Ā
Her gaze darted from the box she held and up to him, warm and radiant and full of all the love in the world. Having every ounce of it aimed at him was a heady, powerful feeling that he never wanted to end.Ā
āSo.ā Tim took in a deep breath and let it out, unable to fight the nervous smile that formed. āI have a question for you.āĀ
- all that's best of dark and bright by @queenbirbs
Between the promo and the interviews, there have been clear hints that somethingĀ is going to happen with Chenford in 7x06. What do you think will happen?? (And, on the flip side, what do youĀ hopeĀ will happen?)
Iām gonna be honestā Iām super lost on whatās going to happen š
Their rookies arenāt going to just disappear, so Iām assuming that whatever āunromanticā assignment Grey gives them is going to have something to do with training them. And then maybe theyāre in a rush to get to the gala so they end up changing in that room and somehow things get heated?! Iāve seriously got nothing this time guys haha
I will say Iām really not sure that Tim is āinjuredā like people have speculated though. Iām pretty sure thatās just one of Ericās actual scars. Although it did look slightly more prominent so really who knows š¤·š»āāļø
What I hope happens is that we finally get some movement and they stop dancing around the elephant in the room and actually talk to each other
your turn ā” five descriptive emojis, full summaries, maybe even a quote (or two) š
Iāve got 2 fics going right now with the barest inkling of an idea for a 3rd
First:
ā š°š»āāļøššļøšš»š
^^ this one shall remain top secret aside from a confession that this is by far the fluffiest thing Iāve written. Ever.
And second, as mentioned, I am working on the next chapter of Iām not moving on (Iāll love you long after youāre gone). So hereās an excerpt:
She throws her car into park in the first space she sees, jogging all the way from the entrance to the stairs (she canāt bring herself to stand still and wait for an elevator), and down the hall, leaving her breathless when she finally reaches his room.
Heās sitting on the edge of his bed, his back to her as he looks out the broad bay window overlooking the courtyard beyond.
Lucy skids to a halt, clutching the door frame as she tries to control her breathing.
Tim glances back over his shoulder at the commotion, his eyes widening before they shutter, his expression carefully masked. āLucy.ā
Silence falls heavily between them, the feeling so thick, itās almost suffocating.
Heat creeps up the back of Timās neck. His hands jitter slightly over the covers as he scrambles to sit back properly on the bed. Lucy canāt help but notice the seeming fragility of his movement. Heās lost weight. His arms taking on a slight tremor just to hold him up as he shifts himself into place.
A weird ache makes itself known in the pit of Timās stomach. After a beat, he recognizes it for what it wasā
Yearning.
Penn hadnāt tried to barter a way to gain back points. Hell, he hadnāt even asked what the consequences of losing would be.
He misses Lucy.
- I'm not moving on (I'll love you long after you're gone) by @roguetwelve
Since Iāve been asked so many times if this fic is going to be continued, the answer is yes! The next chapter is about 75% written. Life has just been super busy and Iāve had fics with deadlines to get out in the meantime.
Which holiday or special event would you most like to see celebrated on an episode of The Rookie, and how do you imagine Chenford would celebrate it?
The fact that we havenāt had a true Christmas episode yet is criminal.
Since at the end of the day itās still a procedural show, I think theyād have to spend the day at work, probably dealing with some funny and some more serious calls.
But then at the end of the episode I would want them to come together at Timās (their?) house under the soft glow of the Christmas tree. Finishing off the episode with exchanging a gift and curling together under a blanket with mugs of hot cocoa would be perfect š„°
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Chenford Secret Santa exchange!
Now that the works have been completed*, we hope you'll take the time to read through all of the wonderful fics in the AO3 collection (and be sure to leave the writers some love in the comments, too)!
(*We have two fics still to come, but wanted to get this post up right away.)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Popping the neat line of tape, Tim unwrapped the paper and lifted the lid of a box to reveal a printout. It was a reservation for two for a scotch whisky tour, including a private dinner and a round of tastings. He noted the date and time:Ā December 30th, 4:00 p.m.
āNice,ā he said with a smile. āThank you. Letās hope that we can both get off shift in time for it.ā
āYeah, well, weād have to leave pretty early if we wanna make it there.ā She bit her lip and motioned to the box. āThe rest might help with that.ā
Intrigued, he set the paper down and moved to the next. Another printout, but this time with the British Airways logo stamped across the top: tickets to Scotland for the 26th through the 2nd of January.
āThis isā Luce, thatās two days away.ā
āActually one, remember?ā she reminded him with a grin.
Tim and Lucy ring in the New Year with a trip away from LA ā 5,146 miles away, to be exact.
Happy early New Year's, @roguetwelve! Hope I took them far enough away from LA for you ;)
The Chenford Secret Santa ā24 collection will open at midnight EST. Weāre ready for you to start posting your fics! Donāt forget to gift it to your recipient and post it to the chenfordsecretsanta24 collection (reminderā you only need to post to this year's collection, it will automatically be added to the parent Chenford Secret Santa Collection as well).
Be sure to tag any tumblr posts with #chenfordsecretsanta24 so we can reblog them too!
You have until January 1st! Letās spread some holiday cheer! š
Merry Ficmas everyone!!!! ā¤ļøš
Popping in with another #Chenford Chat! We know The Rookie likes to throw in little winks or callbacks to previous episodes. What do you most hope to see a parallel to at some point?? š
Iām always here for any reference to Lucy Chen Disaster Baker
But on a more serious note, of course I would love a reference back to DoD like pretty much everyone else
Iād also love to see a new bet between Lucy and Tim while they both have Rookies (you wonāt convince me that Lucy isnāt only an interim training officer until Nolan is available until the show states as much). I think that call back to the earlier seasons could be really fun, and could also do some work in breaking the ice between Lucy and Tim in more ways than one
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