The seventh season of the police procedural drama, The Rookie, has earnestly begun to pick up significant pace with the show set to deliver the sixth episode of the season tomorrow, Tuesday, February 11. Among the many plots explored in the season so far, has been the existing relationship between Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), and their ever evolving relationship dynamics. In recent times, the pot has been stirred for the future of Chenford, and now O’Neil has had her say regarding the future of the relationship.
Tomorrow’s episode, “The Gala,” will serve as the show’s Valentine’s episode this year. A previously released sneak peek has confirmed that things became steamy between Chen and Bradford during the episode. Since the pair’s separation last season, many had hoped for a reigniting of the Chenford love train. Speaking in an interview with ScreenRant, O’Neil revealed where her character stands with Tim, going into the Valentine’s Day episode. “I think Chen has had a thaw,” O’Neil says. “She’s gone through a thawing, which we kind of saw right off of the top of the season. The acute nature of the pain of their breakup had subsided enough. And also, she’s a pro. She’s gone through so many different things. She’s had some very profound trauma that she has emerged through and retained her spirit through that. I think a breakup is not going to be the thing that makes her behave differently at work.”
Chen has faced a lot of adversity in recent seasons at the workplace, with her detective dream hitting a bump. Now a Training Officer, Chen seems to have embraced the role, while showing her own growth along the way. Despite having to work alongside Tim, O’Neil reveals that won’t change Chen’s professionalism. “I think she’s going to put on a brave face, but I wouldn’t even call it brave,” O’Neil explains. “She’s just a pro. She’s good at what she does, and she can have fun, and “Okay, you don’t want to do this. That’s fine. I’m still going to be good at my job.” The two of them had more time being in the relational dynamic they had than they did in the relationship. So I don’t think it’s strange or out of character for them to fall back into their old dynamic of teasing each other or being competitive.”
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Tomorrow’s episode will see the team sharpen up for a charity gala. While Chen might be able to operate professionally alongside Tim despite their relationship dynamic, O’Neil reveals that her character is still somewhat stung when Tim entertains someone else, saying:
“I think she is at a place of accepting where they’re at and okay to be with each other at work. However, I think she gets a little seed, a little sideways glance when he mentions that he is taking someone to the gala. I think that kind of surprises her, and she says, “What do you mean? What do you mean you’re taking someone to the gala?”
Tune in to ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET to watch all-new episodes of The Rookie. You can also catch up with past episodes on Hulu in the US.
The Rookie
- Release Date
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October 16, 2018
- Network
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ABC
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
- Directors
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Tori Garrett, Chi-Yoon Chung, Michael Goi, Sylvain White, Lisa Demaine, Lanre Olabisi, Bill Johnson, David McWhirter, Liz Friedlander, Daniel Willis, Toa Fraser, Anne Renton, Jon Huertas, Cherie Nowlan, TK Shom, Rob Seidenglanz, Valerie Weiss, Barbara Brown, Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul, SJ Main Muñoz, Nelson McCormick, Marcus Stokes, Adam Davidson, Anna Mastro
- Writers
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Corey Miller, Bill Rinier, Zoe Cheng, Mary Trahan, Ally Seibert, Liz Alper, Nick Hurwitz, Racheal Seymour, Madeleine Coghlan, David Radcliff
