The Rookie season 8 may wind up featuring a moment hotly debated by fans, but this Chenford reveal may be better left unsaid. Throughout the run of The Rookie, there are some storylines that fans would’ve preferred to forget about. One example includes Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil) dating the main character, John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), during their time at the academy.
While Lucy and Nolan’s romantic relationship only lasted a handful of episodes throughout The Rookie’s first season, the show hasn’t touched on it frequently in its aftermath. The characters quickly became friends, and as Lucy’s moved closer to her former training officer, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter), her early romance has been shelved and quietly forgotten about by most fans.
Though some Chenford fans have posited that Tim finding out about Lucy’s relationship with Nolan could’ve been fun earlier in the series, others are still hopeful that it will come up in the future on the show. Even Fillion himself, during an interview at San Diego Comic Con with showrunner Alexi Hawley, commented on the idea of Tim discovering Lucy’s romantic past.
The Rookie Cast Has Ideas On How Lucy & Nolan’s Past Relationship Should Be Revealed
Fillion & Winter Have Both Shared Ideas On How To Make It Happen
At SDCC, Fillion shared he had an idea surrounding the reveal of Lucy and Nolan’s past romance to Tim, though he wasn’t upfront about what the pitch was. In the past, Fillion’s joked around about the show ending on Tim finding out about their past relationship. While it’s been something that’s sparked interest with some fans of The Rookie, most have hoped for a deeper explanation.
While O’Neil and Winter haven’t been asked about the idea recently, in past interviews both have shared that they’d be interested in exploring whether Tim knows about the relationship, as well. While Winter has been more steadfast that Tim doesn’t know, it’s clear that the actors haven’t visited the idea with the rest of The Rookie’s team just yet.
Nolan & Lucy’s Brief Relationship Has Less Relevance Than Ever In Season 8
It Hasn’t Been Mentioned On Screen In Years
Although Tim and Lucy were broken up during The Rookie season 7, Hawley has all but confirmed that they’ll be getting back together sometime during The Rookie season 8. With Tim and Lucy likely to return to their romance, moving forward would make sense. Despite the fact that Fillion & Winter seem on board, learning more about Nolan and Lucy may not be a priority.
While the pair have always had a close friendship that’s made sense throughout The Rookie’s run, bringing back their romance for more than a joking bit wouldn’t hold much relevance. With years between their relationship and The Rookie season 8, it seems irrelevant and, ultimately, an unnecessary piece of the puzzle for Tim, Lucy, or Nolan.
The Rookie Writers May Assume Tim Already Knows About Lucy & Nolan
The Most Logical Explanation Is That Tim’s Aware
Although The Rookie may never choose to explore Tim’s reaction to Lucy and Nolan’s romance, it seems likely that he may already know about their past relationship. While Tim and Lucy’s relationship didn’t turn romantic for years, he was her training officer for the first three seasons of the series. Tim’s perceptive nature may mean The Rookie doesn’t explore the past connection.
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