#the rookie 3x09 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bronx-bomber87 · 7 months

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Happy late Tuesday evening fandom. :) Ahhhh we’ve reached the ‘Feelings’ episode. I remember when it first premiered I lost my damn mind. I don’t have actual cable (cause too damn expensive lol) So I didn’t look up the preview for the next ep. I just watched it next day with Hulu. I went into this episode completely blind. When that scene came up, I went from in shock to laughing my damn ass off. Eric and Melissa get a gold star x 1000 for that scene. For the whole ep really. I can’t wait to delve into this one. I can already tell imma struggle with the gif amount ha Let’s get going.

3x09 Amber

We start off with Jackson and Lucy listing all the ways they’re excited to be graduating from the program. Nolan tagging along not adding to it cause he is stuck a month behind them LOL What happens when you go rogue and don’t listen to your T.O ya turd…but I digress. Lucy has a Lucy-Lesson themed last day planned for her and Tim.

Gotta love her for being herself no matter what. Massive respect. Tells the boys she has a list full of steps to ensure a healthy parting. Of course she does haha That she’s going to make Tim go through every single one of them. I adore this woman so much. She truly is exactly what that man needs I love it so much. Jackson asks how she’s going do this? She laughs and says trickery HA Oh Lucy I love you so.

We join our lovely duo in their shop. Lucy saying how it’s their last shift together. Tim gives her nothing. Her adding kinda crazy huh? He says ‘Not really.’ Oh Timothy fighting the feelings from the jump. Lucy can’t believe he could actually feel this way. Trying to goad him into to saying something. How they’ve ridden shoulder to shoulder for over a year now.

Tim shakes it off saying there will be a new rookie in that seat that’ll annoy crap out of him soon enough. Ok Tim… LOL Like you don’t love her ‘annoying you’ at all. Or talking about your personal life. Lucy keeps pushing it saying ‘So you’re not going to miss riding with me at all?’ Tim continues his deflection saying it’s a job not ‘happy hour’

Does he hear himself? Acting like you’re not going to miss her. Ain’t no one buying what you’re selling Timothy. His reply thrills Lucy though. Flagging all of this behavior as denial. She’s not wrong. It’s not just a river in Egypt as they say. He’s swimming in it doing laps. Tim is feeling like some Lucy like lesson is happening and says what? Lucy disregards him and plays it off with a 'Hmm? Nothing...' Baha

Lucy asks if Tim sees himself as her mentor? He says no. He’s just her T.O. That it’s his job to make sure she’s not dangerously incompetent. When Lucy is released Into the world it’s not a disaster. Did he just decide to be a lying liar when he woke up this morning? Be in an absolute denial about their bond and what he is to her? SMH Oh Tim. Lucy shakes her own head not letting him affect her in the slightest.

Tim tells her he couldn’t wait to get off probation. Lucy replies she is very excited. Then goes into saying it’s important to acknowledge the loss for them both with this. Tim gets SO defensive when she calls it a 'Relationship' So she follows it up with partnership or mentorship LOL Man is seriously in massive avoidance of his feelings about today. He doesn’t understand why she needs closure. Lucy is going to see him at the station the next day as he mentions.

Thus begins Lucy’s list. This starts when he asks what there is to talk about? It's so funny she has a list prepped and is going to make this happen. The second Tim see's this he grabs the list and chucks it out the damn window. Now if only your feelings for her could be dispatched that quickly eh Tim? She says littering is a $250 dollar fine. HA Tim replies that it was worth it. My god these two. Cracks me up so much. It’s like he’s purposely being obstinate so their eventual departure won’t be as hard.

If he’s a dick she won’t miss riding with him. Oh Tim you forget being a dick how this whole thing started my love. Naturally Lucy came prepared af with a second list. I’m dying. Did he really think his girl was only going to have one copy? You trained her Tim. Also Lucy knows you so damn well she made sure to have a second one. I adore them so much my heart may implode with happiness ha Lucy continues on without missing a beat. Like he didn’t just throw out her original copy LMAO

They get an amber alert about a child abduction. The suspect is the husband. They’re going through a messy divorce. He was removed from the hospital due to being a threat. He has a sordid past of drug use and intent to sell. It’s not good…Angela gets ahold of the mother. Says her ex will do anything to get a fix. Even selling their baby. Good lord...

Lucy makes comment to Tim how awful this is. That the mother must be going out of her mind. Tim tries to take a pot shot at psychology again in his reply. Saying how if the parents had properly worked through their separation this could’ve been avoided? Lucy shuts his ass down immediately. She knows he's trying to undermine her list and her psychology prowess. Lucy says no the mother needs to get away from this man asap.

She tells him having easier access to counseling and mental health resources could prevent things like this. Tim seems like he is being a jackass in the moment. I mean he kind of is. BUT I have no doubt he grew up in a house where mental health was discredited by his father. That it was a sign of weakness to have emotions let alone any mental health issues. I’ve said this before we are the product of our environment growing up. Even when we fight against it things still come out.

To Tim growing up psychology was stigmatized I believe. (it was for me too) So naturally his first inclination is to discredit it. Make fun of it because he doesn’t actually understand it. Leave it to Lucy teach him why it is important. How access to help and normalizing having mental health issues is important. Her next line says it all. She could not be more on the nose in her reply above.

Tim tries to turn it around again on her but she is on her shit today. Not to to be trifled with Tim. He knows she is a formidable opponent. When he says later on he’s going to miss riding with her. These are the moments he will miss the most. Her challenging him, standing up to him. Which in turn makes him grow because she shows him the world through a different lens.

Lucy does what she does best. Crushes him with her reply and throws his words back at him in the process. It’s a twofer. That look of his... He knows when she’s got him and he has no recourse. Lucy can’t help but gloat after that. She earned it and has his number. Boy is Tim so very aware of that. She’s got his goat as they say. It’s glorious.

They find out the dad didn’t take the kid. A random woman did. Now the case has shifted in a more stressful way. This portion is what I like to call 'Tell me you’re married when you’re not married.’ A Tim Bradford Edition. Lucy is freaking out waiting for the ID on this woman. Saying they’re wasting time while this baby is out there. Tim tells her she needs to get her head on right in case this goes badly.

Lucy snaps back she’s squared away. Tim disagrees vehemently by replying if she was she wouldn’t have said that… He’ starts out strong then makes the mistake of saying ‘Look you’ve been lucky on the job so far..’ Her face oh my lord. Ready to chew him out and Tim instantly regrets what he says. Love love this moment for him.

He recognizes what he’s said was hurtful and wrong. Then apologizes and says it came out wrong. Good Hubby. Well intended but very wrong. Look at our boy self correcting all on his own. So proud. He then compliments her as his continued apology. Telling her she’s been through hell, stuff that would’ve broken a lot of veteran cops. That being said he tells her a dead kid is different.

That a dead kid will change her forever. We all know he does not want that for her. She’s been through quite enough. Lucy concedes to his point. Saying she hopes their last shift doesn’t end with that. They both look emotional and Tim replies ‘ Me too...’ The most honest he’s been this entire episode with her. He knows she’s upset so he’s wonderful and brings up the list he can’t stand. Knowing it’ll distract her in the best way possible.

She lists off surrounding yourself with people who support, value and energize you. Tim is nodding along thinking he checks all those boxes for her. Then she says it’ll have to wait till later. Oh Lucy this man is all those things for you. You don’t see it just yet. He looks a little hurt she bypasses this. Like he isn't that for her. He supports and values her so much. Him asking her to revisit the list, despite his dislike of it is the epitome of what she just spoke above. Love is blind and not in the best way sometimes haha

Lucy continues on saying to reflect on lessons learned. Good and bad and express gratitude. Tim is nodding along not hating where this is going. Genuinely asking her 'What he taught her that she is grateful for?' Her answer is perfection especially because we know how this episode ends. The absolute best thing he taught her was not to second guess herself. To see the BAMF he noticed from day one. Them reminiscing about Plain Clothes Day is the best.

How one look from him could send her into a tailspin. Tim is in complete agreeance with her assessment. Even smiling thinking about how far she has come. Teaching her to trust her instincts is one of the best gifts he could’ve given her. Especially since it strengthens her resolve to go against him and what he would do. She already had that in her but he reinforced it. Taught her to trust in it even when it didn’t go his way. He couldn’t be prouder of her and this moment is a beautiful reflection of that.

Lucy takes a lovely moment and ruins it for Tim with mention of UC. Saying how trusting her instincts like she does now will be crucial for UC work. We watch the happy proud face devolve into one of worry. Tim asks her if she’s serious about being UC? Lucy seems insulted by this question and says ‘Yeah why? Do you not think I’m tough enough?’ Thinking does he not remember her successful op?

Tim tells her it’s not about being tough. He knows she’s tough. He thinks she’s too sensitive. Lucy looks so damn offended by this. (as she should be) He brings up Tamara and what she’s done for her. Her need to relive their last year plus together. Lucy defends her empathy fiercely. Saying it's what makes her a good cop. Tim tells her yes but not a good UC. Lucy is wounded and says as much 'Ouch…. ' When you know the scene you can see Lucy resetting. Formulating her plan to get back at Tim for what he said.

She starts off with a compliment. Telling him he was right. That he’ll always tell her the truth no matter how painful. Which is all true but Lucy is legit setting him up for this moment. Lulling him in. She gets serious saying she has been hiding behind her checklist all day. That she needs to tell him something she's been avoiding all day. You can see how Tim is almost holding his breath as she continues to speak. Not sure where this is going but having an inkling of it...

Let me start off with this. I truly believe there is a kernel of truth to what she’s saying here. The things she says and brings up are accurate af. The way she assembled this convo on the fly. To me means she’s had this convo before in her head. Her saying it out loud brought some truth to it. S3 is where I believe the the attraction and work flirts were kicked into a very high gear. And now she was no longer going to be his rookie.

I don’t think this would’ve been the right time for them to start IMO. They weren't ready. I’ll always be for the timeline we received and what leads them there after this ep. But to say there isn't feelings of some sort on both sides at this point is foolish. With all they've been through over the last year or so.

The minute Lucy says she has feelings for Tim it starts the overdrive for him. Lucy doesn’t even let him reply. Just steamrolls over him. He can't even get a full sentence in above. Then hits him with another emotional bomb bringing up 2x11. How he saved her life. I mean faking or not she knows the bond that forged for them. So she is starting out STRONG with saying this. Tim is in complete paralysis from the start of this 'confession'

The more she speaks the more he panics. Not because he doesn’t feel the same way. I think she’s nailing everything squarely on the head and he’s freaking out because of that. You watch Eric’s face and the myriad of emotions flitting across it. Goes from confusion, to realization, then he just panics and shuts down. She’s bringing up huge points. Him saving her life that bonded them in a way no one could ever touch.

How he is protective of her, why he doesn’t want her to go into UC is because of his feelings. To me where is the lie in this? There isn't. Now like I said Lucy is clearly doing this to get back at him. What she doesn’t realize is she’s exposing him and that explains his overloaded reaction. She’s exposing feelings he has repeatedly forced down into the depths of his soul.

Because her being his rookie he would never ever cross that line. Nor would I ever want him to. We all know Tim can’t handle his emotions well. Especially when it’s this intense. The one person who can usually guide him is the one provoking it in this moment. I truly believe she fell first. When he was a dumpster fire and there was no way in hell he could’ve reciprocated at the time. It was one way for a little while. But over time Lucy Chen has repeatedly wormed her way into his life. 2x11 was the start of those emotional dominos for him. They've been falling ever since.

I’ve said before Tim doesn’t really understand why he feels the way he does about Lucy. Only that he does and it usually a driving force for him. To Tim in this moment it feels Lucy is calling him out. That she is pulling out this deep dark secret. One he thought he kept hidden away pretty well. This gif above is everything. He is literally malfunctioning at her bringing this up. She has short circuited him and it’s so funny tbh. He can’t process anything she’s saying. Eric you are the king of facial expressions good sir.

The hits keep coming through out the scene and he can’t form a thought. Once he does his replies are so stilted and funny. He’s stumbling over himself. Trying to compliment her and not hurt her feelings. Because even if he does have hidden feelings no way in hell this man is ready for them. To face them or realize what comes with them. It shows so very much in this scene. He’s trying so hard to be delicate about this and not hurt her. I love him for it tbh. Says he's flattered 'She's a great girl. I mean woman. Uhhh....' LOL Even says crap at the end cause he is at a loss for words. She has made him speechless.

It’s then Lucy breaks and laughing her ass off. Poor Tim he was having a DEFCOM 1 panic attack. Trying to be gentle and sweet about his reply. Then she laughs. And he is so so mad at her. The way he says ‘Oh you’re sorry.’ He is not pleased. She just put him through emotional hell and just says she’s sorry. I mean it was a hell of a comeback to what he said to her. Rightfully deserved with how he told her she wasn’t built for UC.

What a straight up lie that was. Really just his desperate fear trying to keep her from it. Lucy got him real good though. Probably the best of her career in that moment. Lucy for the second time that day parrots his words back to him. Uses them against him. The capper to her moment. Listing off all the ways she just pulled off what he said she wasn't capable of. I mean well done madam. You broke him. You broke him real good. He's so upset about it.

Her 'fake' confession comes at a cost though. The tension afterward is palpable. Tim is so visibly upset. It’s not because she got him. I do think that very much is part of it. The other part is the can of worms she potentially opened. She never gave him a real chance to reply. To get his head on right. Because idk he would’ve 100 percent said no to her. Probably would've have some non comittal answer cause it's Tim. But it wouldn't have been a straight up no. Why I say this is because when Tim Bradford is sure of something he is decisive af.

Like the screenwriter question from 3x07. It was an instant and firm no. This he struggled so very hard with it. The looks between them above are *phew* chemistry personified. Never had a ship say so much with just a look. Lucy thinks he’s really mad at her because of the trick itself. Rightfully so why in the hell would she actually think he might have feelings for her?

Lucy says she made it weird didn’t she? Tim deflects and says 'Nope.' She made it weird and knows it LOL. Lucy tries again and says she was just trying to make a point. She starts to backtrack and even in his anger with her he refuses to let her do that. Says not to because if she does it’ll undermine her point. The way she smiles at him. My heart. Takes care of her even when he’s mad. Yeah no feelings there between them….

Then we reach the iconic parking garage scene. The end of an era for them both. Only fitting they do it in a spot that has held some meaningful moments. This scene is the perfect way for them to end this work relationship. One that ended up meaning far more than either of them ever anticipated. Tim denying all day how much he was going to miss riding with her. Waiting till this moment to reveal that wasn't true.

I love how the scene starts. Her saying ‘We did it’ Tim refusing any of the credit per usual says 'No you did it. 'He waits to the very last minute in his eval of her to say he will. Because well Tim. We all know and love him for it. It's a beautiful parallel to Plain Clothes day. A wonderful way to measure the immense progress she has made since that day. When all she did was second guess herself, let Tim rattle her cage most of the time and didn't trust her gut.

It was Tim’s mission to build that confidence in herself. To push her in a way that she would grow and never doubt herself again. Not only that but have the confidence to stand up for her instincts even when they were in stark contrast to his. Why his eval of her is just perfection. The words her soul had been longing to hear. The way he is looking at her while she reads this. Oh my lord. Just look at the man's eyes. Heart eyes for DAYS. Admiration and love shinning in them. Bursting at the seams with pride for her.

You know Lucy has been yearning to hear that from Tim. Long before Plain Clothes Day. Something she wanted to earn from him. Reason being Tim has always been in her corner. Seen her really seen her since day one. Had faith in her like no one in her life ever has before. She grew up starved for attention and words of affirmation. For support of any kind. Parent's who didn't see her worth. Or praise any life choice she made. I did as well unfortunately. Feel you Lucy. So you long for those you respect to give you them.

To have that reassurance you are worth it and worth investing in. Lucy has wanted this from Tim for ages. He is beaming as she is reading her last eval. All he wanted to do was continue to empower her and his parting words do it beautifully. To have him write that out and her to feel how proud he is of her is glorious. The way he is looking at her is not how one looks at his former rookie. The level of heart eyes he has for her is always unreal. In this scene it’s explosive.

The flirting, the support, the teasing it all encompassing their relationship to this point. They shake hands for far longer than is necessary. LOL As he tells her not to ever let someone tell her she can’t do something. Not even him. I love this so much. Him accepting her going against the grain and praising her for it. Ugh my heart. Having a loaded hand shake while having those looks on their faces. Idiots in love who don’t even know it. She hands him her present. Saying they’ve reached the final step. Acceptance their checklist is complete. He is grinning like a fool.

The scene finishes off perfectly with her pranking him with a call back to 2x01. The flour bomb. Fully encompassing this end of an era moment. This “gift” being her “thank you” for every lesson she ever learned. Her version of payback for all his Tim tests haha The look on her face is so damn cute. She is quite pleased with herself for this idea. Tim can’t even be mad about it. She had his number all day. Hell the last few episode really. Just shown her amazing growth right up to this moment.

Their competitiveness is one of their love languages. A massive one really. Their pranks would be another. It's another form of affection between them. It all ends up to the same thing. I adore them so much. Their final words have me squeeing. They call each other by their FIRST names with no last name attached. Which Lucy has done but a rarity by Tim.

The end of an era and the beginning of another is what this scene represented to me. The extra flirting, the extended handshake and how flirty and intimate saying each others first name was. God I love these sfm. Their slow burn is one the best I’ve had the pleasure to go through.

Phew that was a content heavy one in the best way way. Hard to believe we only have 5 left in this season already.

Side notes- Non chenford

I ADORE Angela going back into her T.O. days just for Jackson. It’s so nice. How far they’ve come. Didn’t want him to finish up his final day as a rookie at the front desk. Bad ass woman.

The SL about the woman and her baby gets me in the feels makes me sad. Angela handles it like a pro when she gets on scene. So good.

Nyla is so good to John. Sees he’s bummed about Lucy/Jackson moving on and he’s stuck. She invites him to dinner with her and Lila. He says he doesn’t need the pity it’s ok. Damn Nolan take her being kind geez lol She turns it around says it’s not pity when he’s paying lmao Nolan is a schmuck but I do love their dynamic.

Thank you everyone who supports these reviews. I enjoy doing them so much. To have them so well received means the world. The likes, comments and reblog are all so appreciated. Shall see you all in 3x10 :)

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deeg9 · 2 years

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Chenford Fic: 'Up to no good'

BUT .... What if Tamara and Tim wanted to break up Lucy and Chris?

“Thanks for this,” Tamara smiled at Tim as she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. He was taking her to the police auction to pick out a new car. The city had finally refunded her after the LAPD found a kilo of drugs in the trunk and repossessed the car she bought from them. Tim wanted to join her to make sure it all went smoothly this time.

He looked out her window.

“I thought Lucy was coming?” Tim asked.

“No, her and Chris were kind of getting into it. She said to go without her,” Tamara’s lips formed a flat line and she looked down at her hands.

“They’re arguing?” He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t help himself.

He’d finally told Angela the night before that he broke up with Ashley, even though it had been three weeks. He hadn’t told Lucy yet, and deep down he knew why. It bothered him more than he liked to admit that Lucy was still with Chris. He wanted her to be happy, but there was something about him Tim couldn’t quite put his finger on. All he knew was Chris wasn’t the right guy for her.

“Yeah. Same one for weeks from what I can tell. It’s just–”

“What?” He prodded when she paused.

“Look, I know I shouldn’t ask this, but I’m gonna anyway and if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine," Tamara said. "But you should know by not answering you’re actually telling me a lot so you really should just answer.”

“You haven’t asked me anything.” Tim pointed out.

“Right,” Tamara took a breath. “Why aren’t you and Lucy together?”

“Uhhhh,” Tim’s eyes darted to the side to glance at Tamara. He probably should have seen that coming, but he hadn’t. And he definitely didn’t think he should answer.

“Chris is so wrong for her,” Tamara insisted. “But whenever I see you two together, it just makes sense. Go ahead, try and tell me I’m wrong.”

“Lucy is my friend,” Tim started. “Maybe even one of my best friends, not to mention I’m her supervisor and she’s already in a relationship. There are a lot of reasons we’re not together.”

“And yet not one of those has to do with how you two feel about each other.” Tamara turned to him and raised her eyebrows.

“Did Lucy tell you she has feelings for me?” Tim asked, his heart skipping a beat. He knew he should stop asking questions. So why couldn’t he?

“She doesn’t have to. It’s how she talks about you,” Tamara explained. A sly smile formed on her lips. “Don’t you think she’s pretty?”

“Objectively… I can say she is,” Tim conceded. Not that pretty was the word he’d use. He thought of her more as … Beautiful. Sexy. Tempting. He could go on.

“So let’s review the facts. She's your best friend. You find her attractive. You’ve kissed her and I know you liked that. Tell me again why you don’t think you should be together?” Tamara cross examined him.

“What is happening?” Tim asked, not necessarily to Tamara. Maybe he was asking God. Or the universe.

“Dude. You’re hopeless,” Tamara sighed.

“Chris seems like a good guy.” Tim barely got the words out.

“I thought so too.” Tamara shook her head in anger. Clearly, Chris had done something to change her mind.

“What did he do? Lie? Cheat? Steal?” Tim posed, although he didn’t think Chris was all that slimy.

“No, way worse.” Tamara crossed her arms. His thoughts turned dark as he ran through the worst case scenario in his head.

“Tamara, if he hit her, we are turning around and–”

“Oh, shit. No, of course not,” she waved her hands across her lap. “But I would like to point out that if he did, she would totally kick his ass. Have you seen her in a fight? She’s a freaking badass.”

“Of course I have,” Tim tossed back. He looked between her and the road. “When have you?”

“On Halloween, when we found that secret passageway behind the bathroom wall,” she reminded him. “She stopped this stalker guy from attacking our neighbor.”

“Right,” Tim remembered asking Lucy why they didn’t move out after that. “I was a little busy that night taking out zombies on brain-melting drugs.”

“Okay, so you’re both badasses. Just one more thing you have in common.” She pointed out.

He rolled his eyes but said nothing, waiting for her to continue. He wasn’t going to ask about Chris and Lucy again, because it really wasn’t any of his business. Thankfully, Tamara seemed to read his mind.

“I didn’t really understand it when it happened,” Tamara began softly. “We were in the kitchenette at the DA’s office and he started singing this old song.”

Tim’s hair stood up on his arms.

“She told me later that she sang it when she was buried to comfort herself. It was the last thing she remembered doing before you pulled her out. He told her it got stuck in his head after reviewing evidence for the trial.”

“Piece of shit,” Tim muttered. There’s no way someone could do that to someone they loved. He couldn’t even listen to that song, let alone sing it. Especially not after watching Rosalind try to mindfuck Lucy with it at the prison.

“Excuse me?” Tamara asked.

“Chris is a piece of shit.” Tim said louder.

Tamara laughed, clearly satisfied with his reaction.

“But that stays between you and me,” Tim told her sternly. “In fact, this entire conversation doesn’t leave this truck. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Tamara saluted him sarcastically. “But we should definitely devise a plan to break them up.”

Tim balked. There was no way he was agreeing to that.

But …

“Did Angela call you?” Tim asked, trying to act casual.

“Fine, change the subject,” Tamara glared at him. “No, she didn’t. Why?”

“She needs a babysitter for Jackson for an hour on Thursday,” Tim told her.

“Sure. I have a test on Friday I need to study for,” Tamara said. “No reason I can’t do that from their place instead of mine.”

“Great,” Tim smiled a little too wide and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

Tamara furrowed her brows, examining his expression. She jumped in her seat.

“Oh! Angela,” she rubbed her hands together. “That’s brilliant.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tim said in a satisfied tone. He knew she’d catch on.

“Of course you don’t, because this conversation never happened.” Tamara smiled sneakily, excitement dripping from her words. “But we both know that once Angela is anti-Chris, it won’t be long until he’s sent packing.”

“Is that so?” Tim mumbled, sharing a calculated look with Tamara.