Sumith Prasad
The intense and unignorable chemistry of officers Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen is an essential part of ABC’s police procedural series ‘The Rookie.’ Although ardent admirers of the same have been expecting their union for years, Alexi Hawley’s show succeeds in keeping its viewers long for a considerable time. In the fourth season finale, Lucy and Tim go undercover as a couple, only to share a kiss that stirs feelings for one another. As they continue to deal with the same, the viewers must be wondering whether they are ending up together for good. Well, here’s what we can share about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lucy and Tim: From Slow Burn to Together
Lucy and Tim start to confront their feelings for one another after sharing a kiss during their undercover mission in the fourth season finale. Since the start of the fifth season, they accept that the aforementioned feelings are genuine as well. However, at the time, both Lucy and Tim have been dating Chris Sanford and Ashley McGrady respectively. Tim and Ashley eventually separate when the former decides to remain as a police officer even after an emergency spinal surgery. Lucy’s relationship with Chris gets more complicated when the serial killer Rosalind Dyer hurts him instead of her.
When Chris’ life gets threatened due to Lucy, the latter starts to think that she cannot leave him right away. She buries her feelings for Tim in a corner of her heart and continues to share her life with Chris, who proposes buying a new house for them. Lucy realizes that she cannot pretend to love Chris, when she wants Tim as her partner, anymore. Before Chris buys a house, Lucy confesses her love for Tim to him, which paves the way for their breakup. After separating from Chris, Lucy and Tim get together. In the tenth episode of the fifth season, they go on their first date as well.
Since Tim and Lucy have separated from their respective partners, there aren’t any immediate threats to their relationship. Both Ashley and Chris have no reason to return to both officers’ respective lives, which will help the couple to sustain their relationship without any concerns. Having said that, Tim and Lucy may need to reveal their relationship to their department for HR reasons and the same may cause a stir since the former is the latter’s superior. As their superior, Wade Grey must be concerned about how their personal relationship and their professional power dynamics will affect the other.
As long as Tim and Lucy’s relationship doesn’t affect their duties and obligations, they wouldn’t need to worry about the department and their superiors coming in between them. But their professional aspirations, especially Lucy’s, may complicate their togetherness, as per Eric Winter, who plays Tim. “What do I think is next for Chenford? Let’s see. Undercover was a big deal. Lucy — she’s aggressive. That girl is aggressive. I think Tim’s head is spinning. And we’re going to have to wait and find out. I really don’t know. Can this work relationship happen? It could get complicated,” Winter said about what’s ahead for “Chenford.”
If Lucy continues to focus on excelling as an undercover agent, the same may keep her away from Tim. The couple may need to build a strong foundation for their relationship to not let distance and lack of contact affect their togetherness. If they succeed in having the same, Lucy and Tim most likely will end up together. As a fellow police officer, Tim is expected to understand Lucy’s ambitions and limitations as an undercover agent, which may help him to support her in every way he can without the same harming their relationship.
