The Rookie's "The Reckoning" moves the needle on Chenford's slow-burn romance with a prank that effectively calls back to some of their greatest ones.
The Rookie episode "The Reckoning" continues Chenford's prank war that has been a part of the police procedural since Season 1. This time around, it has romantic undertones which further signal it isn't too late for the slow-burn build-up to Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen's romantic relationship. Much like their interactions in "The Fugitive," Lucy's scavenger hunt creates a perfect opportunity to look back at Chenford's past and ahead to their future. The episode has special callbacks to past pranks, all showcasing how well Tim and Lucy know each other.
What begins as a fun prank to poke fun at Tim for how he treated Lucy as a rookie evolves into something much deeper -- a person trying to help someone they care about because they can see they're struggling. Of course, it isn't until the end of "The Reckoning" that Lucy learns that getting dumped by Ashley is what's bothering Tim. The appeal of Chenford is that while that detail matters, knowing it wouldn't have changed Lucy's actions. She still would've tried to get Tim to crack a smile while holding his lost radio over his head. It's what Chenford does.
It's relevant to examine the history and evolution of Chenford's prank war throughout The Rookie to appreciate the extent of Lucy's prank with Tim's radio. The first prank is in Season 1, Episode 6, "The Hawke" when Lucy uses Tim's lessons against him to steal his money clip. Lucy pranks Tim in Season 3, Episode 9, "Amber" by convincing him she has feelings for him to prove she can do undercover work. Tim then pranks Lucy in Season 4, Episode 21, "Mother's Day" when he pretends to propose to Ashley.
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