While The Rookie struggles with villain-driven plotlines, it certainly has its relationship stories figured out. John Nolan and Bailey Nune are in a good place, while Angela Lopez and Wesley Evers are an underrated couple. But many viewers have been waiting for Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford to get their romantic spotlight. That's finally happened in Season 5.
Now that the series has committed to Chenford, things have become more serious between them. Tim and Lucy celebrated their first Valentine's Day. Tim changed jobs so that they could still be a couple. Lucy kept a major secret from Tim. Then Season 5, Episode 17, "The Enemy Within" suggested that The Rookie has long-term plans for Chenford, rewarding viewers for their years' worth of waiting and anticipation. But fans shouldn't get too excited just yet.
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Was The Rookie Hinting at a Chenford Baby?
"The Enemy Within" gave Chen and Bradford an entertaining subplot to contrast the rest of The Rookie's dramatic storylines. Chen signed Bradford up to entertain a cancer patient as part of the fictional Make a Dream program. He guilt-tripped Chen into helping, and it was good that he did because despite their skills as cops, they lost the kid — twice.
Bradford was calm during their search of the police station, and Chen said that he had better be more serious if they lost one of their kids someday. Later, Bradford made a comment about having to be a better father if Chen was going to make a habit of losing their future children. The whole situation was comical — until they actually found the boy. His father had instructed him to find a way into the station's computers and delete 37 traffic violations.
Tim wanted to throw the father in jail for setting his son up to commit a crime, but he admitted that Chen had been a good influence on him. He sent the father to "Daddy and Me" driving school instead, while Chen told him that he would be a great father one day. "The Enemy Within" showed how Chen has positively influenced Bradford, but it also got a lot of The Rookie fans thinking about Chenford's theoretical kids and if the series was dropping a hint very early in their relationship.
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It's Too Early for Chenford to Have a Baby
All the talk about kids and parents showed fans that The Rookie is committed to keeping Chenford together for the long haul. The fact that both of them are talking about children showed that they see themselves spending their lives together. However, The Rookie Season 5 is not the time for a Chenford pregnancy plotline — no matter how much fans would be excited by it. Tim and Lucy have only been dating for half a season and as good a couple as they are, they haven't gotten out of the "honeymoon" phase. They need to overcome a few more obstacles in their relationship, like how The Rookie addressed Tamara's inclusion, before they start considering parenthood.
The Rookie has also overplayed pregnancy as a storyline. The series had Nyla Harper welcome her baby early in Season 5, and Angela has been pregnant twice. While the show was incorporating the real-life pregnancies of stars Mekia Cox and Alyssa Diaz, introducing a Chenford baby would still be going down a very familiar path. While "The Enemy Within" established that a child is a possibility in their future, it's not the immediate future.
The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 8:00 pm on ABC.
