As much as we love The Rookie — and yes, we’re still watching religiously every week — there’s something that happens in Season 7 Episode 15 ‘A Deadly Secret’ that just doesn’t add up, especially for us, the Chenford fans who’ve followed every Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford moment with laser focus. Ready?
Here we go!
A Contradiction We Can’t Ignore
In The Rookie Season 7 Episode 15 ‘A Deadly Secret’, we get a (supposedly) revealing flashback in which Lucy tells Tim she’s already forgiven him. The problem isn’t the confession itself — because yes, we’ve been waiting all season for it — but the timeline: it takes place in September. And if that made you raise your eyebrows, you’re not alone. Because if Lucy had already forgiven Tim back in September, then what on earth have we been watching all season?
A huge part of Lucy’s arc this season has revolved around not forgiving Tim. Her emotional distance, the tension in their conversations, the looks filled with hurt and hesitation — it’s all been painting a picture of someone still dealing with the aftermath of a painful breakup. The show has made it clear that Lucy wasn’t ready, that she was still processing everything that happened, and that forgiveness hadn’t come easily.
And now we’re being told that she had already forgiven him months ago? That it was done and settled in September? That simply doesn’t align with the emotional story the show has been telling.
If Lucy had already crossed that bridge, why has she been acting like someone still carrying the weight of unresolved feelings? Why distance herself from Tim for so long if she had already made peace with what happened? It doesn’t make any sense.
MORE: Have you read our review for this episode? Check out our The Rookie Season 7 Episode 15 ‘A Deadly Secret’ review!
The Danger of Flashback
Flashbacks are meant to add complexity and reveal what characters haven’t said out loud. But what we saw in The Rookie Season 7 Episode 15 ‘A Deadly Secret’ isn’t a reveal, it’s a reversal. It’s an emotional retcon that threatens to unravel the careful work the show has done in building Lucy and Tim’s journey.
Because if she had already forgiven him, then all the emotional tension between them in the months that followed loses its weight. That’s the most frustrating part: the inconsistency.
The Rookie has done a solid job of building relationships with emotional depth. It’s given us a slow-burn love story that’s been everything from messy to hopeful — the kind of arc that makes a ship unforgettable. But when the show inserts a moment like this, contradicting everything we’ve seen, it breaks the emotional thread we’ve followed so closely.
MORE: Why The Rookie’s Chenford is the Best-Built Romance in TV
So What Now?
Unless the show gives us a real reason — something we’ve yet to see on screen — to explain why Lucy acted like she hadn’t forgiven Tim when she actually had, this moment in The RookieSeason 7 Episode 15 ‘A Deadly Secret’ feels more like a rushed way to wrap up the Chenford storyline than a natural progression.
And that takes away from what should’ve been one of the most meaningful moments for this couple. Because it’s not just about seeing Lucy and Tim reconcile. It’s about how they get there. We want the reunion to feel earned, deserved, and true to the characters we’ve come to love.
The Rookie still has time to course correct. To give us that overdue conversation between Lucy and Tim that makes this shift make sense. To show us what really happened between September and now. Because if there’s one thing we know, it’s that we don’t need shock value or out-of-nowhere confessions. We just need the story to be honest. The way Lucy and Tim have always been with each other.
The Rookie Season 7 airs Tuesdays at 9 pm on ABC.
