It’s happening! Our favorite series returns with The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” It’s an episode that shows us that this is Chenford’s season as an old enemy returns to threaten all of our favorite characters. Ready?
Here we go!
If It Doesn’t Matter, Why Are You Talking About It?
The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” is THE Chenford episode. The kiss they had in the season finale affected them, even if they try to deny it. Lucy dreams about it and Tim is flustered, trying to convince himself that it didn’t matter. Although it did because, as Angela tells him — if it doesn’t matter, why is he talking about it?
Neither of them knows very well how to behave with each other. The awkwardness gains ground because one part of them wants to continue what they started and the other part wants to go back to a minute before that. But they don’t have much time to think about it. Duty calls and they must go undercover as a couple.
They manage to hide pretty well until they find out that Rosalind ran away. This unsettles Lucy and Tim strokes her arm and leaves her hand right there, for her to feel him. That wasn’t Tim performing for the audience they had at the time, that was Tim anchoring the woman he loves in the here and now.
Rosalind was the one to blame for nearly killing Lucy and knowing that she is free…Lucy wants to run to catch her, but she can’t do anything. And Tim recognizes that instinct in her. The scene together in the bathroom is one of the best in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” At that time they weren’t their characters, it was just Tim supporting Lucy, calming her down, and trying to convey to her that she is safe.
And she knows it. She didn’t get over this, she won’t until Rosalind is back behind bars, but she can focus on the task ahead. Tim is conflicted, on the one hand, he knows that Lucy is strong and can handle this but, on the other hand, his instinct is to protect her and get her away from a dangerous situation.
From Kiss to Kiss and Keep Going
The kiss… they had wanted to kiss again since that first time. But neither of them dared to take the first step. Again, undercover gives them the perfect excuse. In hindsight, they needed to do it so the outside audience would think they just had sex, but they definitely didn’t need to get *too* carried away.
This second kiss leaves Tim thinking about Lucy even more. This kiss leaves him with no way out: he has to admit to himself that he has feelings for her. He can’t keep ignoring it anymore. He wants her. Deep down, Tim knows it’s more than desire but he’s not ready to accept the intensity of his feelings. At least not in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down,” but we think he will be by the end of the season.
Tim can no longer keep quiet and decides to talk to Lucy. Though he does act like a coward here because instead of acknowledging that the attraction is mutual, he makes it seem like only Lucy is affected. Tim definitely got this wrong because he’s terrified of how he feels about Lucy.
She is about to set the record straight but there is no time. Lucy has to save the day and the sometimes asshole sergeant Tim Bradford — I love her for this. Later, the moment seems to have passed…but Chenford is far from over in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.”
Mondler and Chenford: Parallel Fates
The two are disappointed that the operation is over. That was the only thing that allowed them to be so close. It was the only excuse they had. But now they will be Lucy and Tim again and they can’t be together, there are a thousand reasons why they can’t be together.
But technically, they haven’t finished the undercover operation yet, so what they do doesn’t count, does it? I have to confess that this “if we’re undercover doesn’t count” part reminded me a lot of the beginning of Mondler AKA Monica and Chandler’s relationship on Friends. They also used the London excuse to convince themselves that they felt nothing more than a passing attraction and that nothing would change in their lives. Spoiler alert: everything changed.
And that’s just what’s going to happen with Chenford. Lucy even forgot that Chris existed and Tim tried to deny the urge to go in but couldn’t resist for God’s sake. Tim could have turned around and nothing would have happened, but he walked in, choosing to be with Lucy for at least one night. He came in because he wants to be with her and Lucy let him in because she wants to be with him.
The excuse will not last long. Sooner or later, just like Monica and Chandler did, Chenford will have no choice but to accept that what they feel is not a passing attraction and casual sex will not make them forget, if not quite the opposite.
So The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” perfectly shows Chenford’s journey this season. There is no doubt that this is their season and, despite the heartbreak along the way, the journey’s end will find them together. Save this review for May.
Future Decisions
One of the things that surprised me the most in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” is Nolan’s decision to be a training officer. I mean, after his well-deserved golden pass, I thought he was going to choose to be a detective because that’s what he’s been wanting to do ever since he joined the police force.
We know that Nolan made it clear last season that he was serious about being a training officer, but we always thought he meant that he wasn’t going to expect that to be the springboard to being a detective. But the truth is that we always thought that being a training officer was his second option and in the previous season he just was embracing it.
But The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” proved us wrong. Being a training officer started as a second choice for Nolan but he discovered his true calling. Sometimes we make plans that life cuts short…just to give us something we didn’t know we needed. Although I would have liked The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” to explain this better. I said what I said.
Rosalind and the Power of Persuasion
Rosalind does her thing too much in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” We mean, from the moment she came out in the season premiere promo, we knew she was going to run away. They just…didn’t explain it all that well. We have no clear idea how Rosalind and her ally met or why she wanted her parents dead.
That said, I think the first part of Rosalind’s plan is well executed. She had her lawyer as an ally and she knows how to hide very well, so we’re ok with her in that house. But the second part of her plan flounders. I mean, Rosalind literally went undercover with the police to almost kill Chris in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” With the entire police force looking for her and on high alert, that’s impossible.
But maybe Rosalind has more help in The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” After that heart attack end, it’s clear that this is not over. Rosalind may have an ally within the police force. That would explain everything. Both that she managed to get as far as posing as Chris’s shooting guard and that she has access to social media and can follow Nolan so closely.
If so, I’ll eat my words happily, but for now, I think Rosalind’s escape is predictable and it’s not very well executed. Despite this, The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down” knew how to keep our interest in her scenes, mainly due to the excellent work of the actress and that unhealthy obsession that Rosalind has with Nolan.
That keeps us on the edge of our seat because we know that whatever Rosalind has planned, it’s all going to have to do with Nolan in some way…which makes us seriously scared for Bailey. Will Rosalind kill her?
PS: James and Nyla are still super cute and one of the best parts of The Rookie 5×01 “Double Down.” I love them!
PD2: Bailey and Nolan follow closely behind.
The Rookie Season 5 airs Sundays at 10/9 on ABC.
