We are back! The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies” is an episode focused on Chenford that doesn’t have the conclusion that we would like and doesn’t quite fit with the development of the couple. Ready?
Here we go!
Downgrade a Character Level The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies”
Chenford is the focus of The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies,” so we are going to focus this review on them. The writing of this episode regarding Chenford is poorly thought out from the beginning. And we are going to analyze why.
We understand that Tim couldn’t let this go because he felt he was failing his comrades killed in combat, his brothers in arms, but, playing devil’s advocate here, Tim only had two options: confess and legally catch this traitor or let him pass and try to forget it.
Following him like Tim does in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies” is not an option, it’s a crime. So it’s something that can end his life and his career, as it ends up happening. In the end, Tim ends up having to confess most of what he has done wrong and it’s much worse than if he had done it in the first place.
How should the writers have framed this in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies?” Tim should have gone to his team and friends, to the people who love him. Tim should have confessed what was happening to Lucy, Grey, Angela, and Harper and gone from there.
And yes, we realize that Tim is not someone who opens up easily, but this character grew enough in six seasons to not make the mistakes that he made when he was faced with what happened with Isabel.
So, for us, Tim isolating himself like this and ending up everything in his life is a clear downgrade of the character that comes from no other place than lazy writing.
“Stop Protecting Me!”
Continuing with what happens in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies,” Tim’s open heart scene was fantastic and broke our hearts. Seriously, we loved it. The problem is that that scene should not have been with Angela, but with Lucy.
As Lucy deservedly yells at Tim, it’s not fair that he lets Angela in but doesn’t let her girlfriend and the person he loves, in. And “wanting to protect her” thing is BS, because precisely that attempt to protect her is putting Lucy in danger – and Tamara with her, what would have happened if she had been alone when that guy showed up at home?
So yes, Lucy is absolutely right in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies” when she screams in Tim’s face to stop protecting her and demands that he be honest with her. That Chenford scene is pure gold. But here Tim backs away when he tells Lucy that Angela is different.
Why the hell is Angela is different? Lucy is his life partner, the woman he loves and he has to trust her to protect herself and to work together through everything he’s going through. Tim must see her as an equal, exactly as he sees Angela, not as someone he has to protect.
Playing devil’s advocate again here, we can understand that Tim feels like a failure in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies” and is afraid that Lucy will see him that way, so he prefers to run away, making the worst mistake of his life. Furthermore, on many occasions we need to leave everything behind to heal.
That said, this argument is one that we can buy in a season 2 or 3 but not in a season 6. And much less when a heart to heart scene – like the one we’ve seen between Tim and Angela – could have solved everything. So, again, this is lazy writing because they could have shown how they came out of all this together and stronger.
We don’t think Chenford will end here at all. They love each other, they’re going to find their way back to each other, and when they do, Tim won’t make these mistakes again. But we’re tired of the writers of every show in the world thinking they need to break up a ship for the sake of drama instead of showing how the couple deals with their problems and grows together. We said what we said.
Other Stuff in The Rookie 6×06 “Secrets and Lies”
- It’s good that Tamara follows her life but Lucy always loses everyone around her and my baby doesn’t deserve it.
- That Chenford kiss on the forehead at the end of the episode hurt like hell and was unnecessary.
- Melissa’s performance in that final scene, wow!
- The vulnerability that Eric shows throughout the episode is impressive.
- Bailan’s happiness after the blow to Chenford was left over and was in bad taste, that scene could have been put before or in another episode.
- I loved seeing Aaron and Harper together, this is what I expect from a TO. A rookie is going to make mistakes, they’re going to take things too personal, they’re going to say things out of character… but a good TO is there to teach them why they shouldn’t do that. Learn, Nolan.
The Rookie Season 6 airs Tuesdays at 9/8 on ABC.
