#Chenford is beautiful regardless

[rose-larkin]

The Rookie - 5x12 - Death Notice (or aka when Lucy and Tim finally get freaky-deaky.)

[theflyindutchwoman]

You can choose to see that tattoo as your greatest failure. But I see it as proof that you're a survivor. It wasn't your day of death, Officer Chen. It was the first day, of the rest of your life. And no one can take that away from you.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 2.12 - Now and Then

This has to be my favourite moment, along with Lucy making an audiobook for Tim… Maybe it is because these two scenes have a very similar vibe… both of them taking place in the gym… with both Tim and Lucy working through their frustration in the same fashion… and making the other feel more empowered… Back then, she was fiercely telling him that his 'learning disability' was nothing to be ashamed of, and instead, was a strength… And here he is, saying something akin, just as passionately : that her tattoo isn't a sign of weakness or failure on her part, but one of strength. Of resilience. It's more than just reassurance : it's really about empowering the other… And this is genuinely a beautiful and powerful message, that epitomises their relationship perfectly...

The way the camera focuses on Lucy's DOD tattoo, with Tim appearing in the background, before he fully comes into focus, is brilliant. Him looking away, pretending he hasn't seen it, out of respect for her and complimenting her instead, is such a simple, but meaningful thing. Just like how he refuses to take any credit for the way she is. The reverence and pride in his voice are all for her. He's trying to drive his point home, but Lucy is not hearing him. Or at least, not entirely. He's about to leave before changing his mind. You can see the moment he decides to go for it and really talk to her. Something he has been trying to do already, like after he heard she was involved in a shooting : only, he kept it light in that moment, not daring pushing her out of her comfort zone. But his conversation with Nolan made him reconsider his approach, once he realised that her friends were too focused on her tattoo, treating its removal as a magical cure to her emotional wounds. No matter how well intended they are, it doesn't work like that. Something he knows all too well.

So instead, Tim opens up about his own traumatic experiences, share his own history and scars to help her… And this is huge for him. Lucy might have known about Isabel, but this is the first time he mentions his childhood and his dad to her (at least, as far as we know : he did it once while playing football with AJ, but she wasn't around). It's a very personal and intimate topic and the fact that he willingly shares this vulnerable part of himself with her says a lot on how much he trusts her. And it also feels natural : they were already getting closer, but regardless, this is the same man who opened up about his personal life on her second day. He has seen how she was there for him time and time again, with Isabel of course, but even recently, with how she made him feel safe after discovering he was a kinesthetic learner. So now, this is his turn to do the same for her, to respond in kind. And it parallels what Nyla was trying to do with Lucy when she shared her very own experience in the shop… and with Tim when she shared pieces of it in order to convince him to let her ride with Lucy for the day. He took a page from Harper's playbook, understanding that it might help Lucy more.

But unlike Nyla, Tim goes a step further. The reason why Lucy wasn't quite as receptive with her is that she needed more than empathy. It helped her of course, but what she requires even more is seeing her trauma in a different perspective. To see it through someone else's eyes. Tim's eyes. They already have a special bond and his opinion matter a lot to her. She can get through to him like no one else and so can he. But this is even more important since they haven't been able to ride together since that fateful day. She thought at first that the change in TOs for the day was a Tim Test. So it is primordial that she knows he doesn't think less of her. Just like he probably also doesn't want someone else he cares about to believe they're not living up to his standards… And at first, Lucy was getting frustrated with him as well. Even angry that he wasn't getting it. Until he started to emphasise on the fact that she didn't die, that she's still very much alive and therefore won, just like she defiantly warned Caleb in her last words to him. He's trying to get her to focus on that victory. That what she sees as a sign of failure, is instead a sign of resilience. Of her own strength. And I absolutely love how going forward, she will rub her tattoo whenever she's getting nervous, as a reminder of this. Because this is such an earnest and powerful message. At no point does he tell her what to do with this or how to feel about it - which was inadvertently what Jackson and Nolan were doing. It's simply about pushing her to see things under a different prism so she can make an informed decision. One that will bring her peace. To help her see herself the way he does : as a survivor, as someone who saved herself. Not a victim. It's about her retaking some control of her own story. And this time, she gets his message… The way she is clearly moved by his words, tearing up, just shows how much she needed to hear these words. Especially from him.

The tone of the scene instantly changes after that, becoming much lighter… Without undermining the core message either. This is a much needed respite, after that intense conversation. Tim looks so self-conscious and bashful when Lucy thanks him, like he's suddenly feeling under the spotlight. His whole demeanor - hands in his pockets, rocking on his feet, asking her if she's riding with him - feels very much like a teenage boy asking the girl he has a crush on to go on a date with him, while trying to be nonchalant about it. His beaming smile when she agrees is adorable. Her laughter as well… It's clear he has missed riding with her. They both have.

And that leads us to that last part : Tim giving Lucy back her ring. The one she left behind for him to find… There are so many symbols here… Like the fact that he had it in his pocket the whole time, even though he was about to leave her alone at first… The implication that he kept it with him, that he hung on to it, as a reminder that she was safe now, that he found her… It's how he's playing with it as well, as if a part of him is a bit reluctant to part with it… It's the way they don't even need words : they both understand the underlying message… It's in his smile before he leaves, the admiration he feels for her shining bright in his eyes… Or her surprise and delight when she catches her ring, having the confirmation that she was right to have so much faith in him… And how overwhelmed she is, to know that this tiny piece of jewellery, thrown as a last-ditch effort, saved her… That she saved herself. This moment encapsulates everything he has previously said in a very poetic manner… It was the perfect conclusion. Melissa deserves all the credit here for pitching this idea to the showrunners and writers, who, then, turned it into this wonderful scene. And hopefully, there will be a follow up one day on this...

[tuckersdeslauriers]

TOP 5 ANON: What are you Top 5 Chenford Moments Of Season 5?

OOOH hello ok this is fun! i had to think about it for a few mins but in no particular order:

the phone call in 5x10 before their first date. i'm obsessed with the fact that they literally needed to talk to each other because they're best friends 😭 like. they were both so nervous about going on a date with each other that they needed to find comfort in each other. it was just suuuch a perfect display of their dynamic and also such a soft push into the reality of "we're dating now", which i think was a super necessary shift!

the end scene of 5x02. i'm obsessed with angsty moments between these two – eric and melissa don't get enough of them to showcase just how phenomenal they are at playing it up, but also knowing just how much tim and lucy mean to each other and seeing it strained like that is Everything To Me, personally. they care about each other so much and so deeply that it's literally gut-wrenchingly beautiful to see them have to struggle with that and not be on the same page. that scene was such a beautifully done miscommunication and i loved seeing them just get to lean into knowing they were speaking sub-textually and textually about something so much larger than they were prepared for. i will never in my life be over "but we didn't – we didn't" like they SPOKE on the fact that they almost fucked???? i never thought?????? they would EVER???????

the entirety of 5x20. listen: i know this is about moments, but 5x20 was one of the most fascinating tim episodes we've seen in a long time and, bonus! we got to see lucy interacting with someone who was once the closest person in tim's life. the ending moment of that episode was one of the most lived-in, tension-filled, comfort but no comfort moments i've ever seen on tv. watching lucy broach tim's fears and him try to swallow all that down was so painful, but perfect. seeing them seeking comfort in each other on her couch, holding onto each other with those dejected, pained faces...i want to cry thinking about it. also, just to prattle on: i think the tim and isabel dynamic was so painfully, meticulously, and beautifully done. isabel showed such a fun dichotomy of guilt about the way things ended in her marriage with tim along with a love for him that will truly never fade. some people took that in the wrong way, i think – feeling that she's still interested in him, or still hoping to be with him. i don't think that was the intention at all, though – being with someone for years (a decade, minimum) regardless of how it ended or what you said in the extreme moments creates this level of understanding that, if you're able to engage in it safely, can be so fulfilling. you know that person, or a version of them, at their core. you understand many of their motivations, you don't really need to ask them questions to have them answer. isabel has an understanding of tim that lucy doesn't – and that's good, that's not a slight toward his relationship with lucy at all. having an ex spouse isn't always just like having an ex, and i think tim and isabel's interactions through that whole episode gave him a sense of closure (both of them, really) that they so very deserved.

5x12 end scene, aka the one where chenford finally fucked. listen: that was perfect to me. they were fighting, they were making out, tim's shirt came off, he did the hand move to keep her head from hitting the wall...the smiles? in their kisses? i will never be over it. gorgeous, beautiful, wonderful, yes.

5x01 "call me crazy" scene. it was so hard to narrow down 5 moments but i would be bonkers not to include this because ugh. it is just the most wonderful thing in the world to me that in the shades of these moments where they're putting on a show, tim has to check in with her...because he's feeling too much and it feels real to him and he needs to know where her head's at. it gives a similar vibe to the 5x10 scene in a way – tim trusts lucy inherently with his emotions. he wants that gut check with the person he feels most comfortable with, but at the same time...he wants to make sure he's not feeling something that she's blissfully unaware of. he doesn't want to be alone in the way he wants her, and he's not, but lucy doesn't have the capacity in that moment to reciprocate. it's such a chess match, i love it so much. CALL ME CRAZY, BUT IT JUST DOESN'T FEEL LIKE PRETEND??? i will never be over it, ever ever ever.

honorable mention to 5x06 scavenger hunt (i can't believe she did that), 5x05 hospital scene, 5x08 ENTIRE EPISODE, 5x11 baseball lucy, and 5x21 phone call montage 🥺 , and 5x22 forehead kiss. i am surely missing 10000 other things and oof. this season was so 😵‍💫 i loved it soooooo much.

[alphinias]

Nah listen I still can't get over the fact that Lucy was like *bedroom eyes* at tim and straight up said do you want to come in ???!!!!?? And then she held the door open when after he said no the first time and gave him the eyes again I can't believe he came in and said no to a drink these two made out literally twice in the span of 2 days and legit lost their minds and forgot they have significant others and were just about to f*ck each other's brains out like.... How is this real???? Like they'd been denying their feelings so long all it took was them touching each other and all sanity went out the window and it's so beautiful I am loving the writing so far for these two even if 2 and 3 only gave us a couple of scenes they were Soo good like the Convo outside her door iconic the glances across the room.... Amazing if they give us a moment like this every episode and we have episodes like 501 every so often like every 5 episodes so in total we get 4/5 very heavy chenford episodes another few with like 2 significant scenes and the rest with like a moment it's gonna be great also I honestly have no idea where they're going with this??? Is Tim gonna get kidnapped? Are they gonna get taken together and get forced to confess shit ala clois is Lucy gonna spiral and break down and Tim is gonna be the only one to get through to her ? Is she gonna do uc work? Ajjdkdhdhd they could go so many ways I'm excited but also scared bc no matter what at the end of the day this isn't their show they're supposed to be the supporting characters and idk if they're going to give them the level of care and detail and screentime I'm expecting

I HAVE FAITH! The angst level is perfect so far this season. I still have to watch episode three but I plan on doing that tomorrow and maybe watching 5x04 live if hotd doesn’t mentally wear me out too much right before it.

Also I KNOW RIGHT? Watching that scene I knew they weren’t gonna cheat and didn’t actually want them to cheat but… in that moment they were fully prepared to. Regardless of whether they’d have gone through with it IN THAT MOMENT THEY WERE.

Tim has to be in danger at some point right? Like that had to happen and lead to something. I’m fully expecting it.

[burningblake]

tbf, i really enjoy the rookie for more than just chenford and i didn't expect to like it sm, because i thought of it as yet another cop show. yet it has so many good elements:

they add something interesting to every little incident and then when you least expect it a case might turn more interesting than it appeared initially, which puts you on the edge of your seat all the time

honestly the writing is so crearive

the body-cam/dash-cam footages used to add suspense or show funny moments like random goofs caught on the surveillance camera? such a brilliant filming technique!

all the characters have a story and a unique personality and compelling arcs and you get to care for them regardless of whether they appear every one or ten episodes

like angela and wesley? they put a smile on my face. the watch commander? i wanna give him a hug. jackson west? so funny and so beautiful. nolan and his unique way of connecting with people? and my god, naila harper? i love her guts! and then of course, lucy chen, the absolute sunshine of this series, and tim bradford, the tough cop with a hidden softie side - they're all so unique.

i love how it's a cop show calling out everything that's bad about cops lol

the cast is so wonderfully diverse, the only white regular characters are just nolan and bradford

[wanna-be-bold]

3, 6, 9, 17 & 30 for ao3 wrapped :)

6. Answered here; 30 answered here

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Such a Beautiful Liar. If anyone has read my fics they know I write fluff and happy endings and this... wasn't.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Chenford. They're the only pairing I wrote for in 2023

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Besides Tim and Lucy, my favorite character to write is Aaron. I really need to start incorporating him into more fics.

AO3 Wrapped Ask

[ltstarbuck18]

The day is finally here. Literally, this is my Easter. My kids got baskets full of candy and toys and we spent the day in the beautiful New England weather. My husband is still outside cleaning his ginormous smoker because that’s his Easter. When asked what I got for Easter I said well, at 10pm tonight I get a brand new episode of The Rookie and it might be a really big one because of Chenford. The family groaned since I’ve been talking about it all week lol.

Regardless of what happens, I’m just excited. I haven’t been this excited for a fandom in a really long time and I have a loooooot of fandoms. In all seriousness, I love this show because it doesn’t try too hard, it doesn’t shy away from the tough stories, it shows so much humanity, the characters are amazing, the writing is thought out, and can I also add, the actors seem like they really truly love the fans (exhibit a: Eric Winter and Melissa O’Neil). Seriously, your dynamic is reminding me a lot of Mulder/ David Duchovny and Scully/ Gillian Anderson when I was completely obsessed with X-Files. The entire cast honestly really seems to enjoy the fans and that makes my love for this show even deeper. Thank you all for that!

[tuckersdeslauriers]

I loved the Chenford dance but what do you say to the people who think it had no substance or plot development? Personally I feel like there’s more to come this season and generally speaking, it was just really cute!

honestly? i haven't really thought much about it, but if you think the dance had no substance/plot development...you are not reading the characters in the way they are being written. it wasn't a fan service fluff moment – they were so! very! intentional! with every second of that dance, with every touch, every breath, every word. the writers and director were incredibly clear with this one.

that is the thing, too – i've always thought that if they were going to write in a dance, it had to be intentional. it couldn't just be a "look! chenford is dancing, the fans will love that, keep a few seconds of it in" thing – they had to have a purpose with it, and god, did they have one.

tim bradford, with his whole chest, had one conversation with lucy about her wanting more recognition, then sat on the thought for...literally days? and decided he was going to do something about it. he then told her about his whole ass grand gesture while they were literally in each others arms, dancing, their faces closer than they've ever been off the clock.

i don't know about you, but i don't think season one "i'm married, officer chen, and this isn't something you and i talk about", season two "begrudging nod while lucy proclaims they are friends", season three "it's a job, not happy hour" tim bradford would have told lucy about an incredibly pointed grand gesture he's making for her, period, let alone while he's holding her in his arms, stuttering like a nervous kid. the level of growth in the concept of the dance, the intention behind it alone is more progression than i was prepared for, and then the dance itself? the proximity? the soft, warm tones? the heart eyes? the giggling? god. it was beautiful – and you're right, there's definitely more to come this season! this is building to something, but i loved it regardless of that.