Chenford has become everything on The Rookie.
Seriously, you needn’t look far to see the fanbase devoted to this pairing, and they’ve been loyal to both the characters individually and as a couple for as long as the series has run.
It’s been a long, slow burn for this ‘ship, and when it finally sailed during The Rookie Season 5, it practically broke the internet and our brains.
Finally, the long-awaited pairing was together, and we could anticipate all there was to offer with these two as a couple.
What’s exciting about Chenford is that the chemistry between Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter is fantastic and can’t be manufactured.
And they have such a profound understanding of their characters and that specific dynamic, and they pour all of that into the series and the storylines that have unfolded.
That’s no less the case with the big Chenford breakup during The Rookie Season 6 Episode 6, which left viewers emotionally in shambles.
We’ve also been scrambling to find the needle drop that played as The Rookie shattered our hearts during that buzzworthy moment. Seriously, can ANYONE share the song playing with the rest of the class? We’re dying over here!
It was a wonderfully angst-filled development that hurt so good because of the tremendous performances of the actors and how deeply emotional the whole ordeal was.
After all, we’ve fallen in love with this pairing, and it feels like we’ve barely had them together before they ripped them away.
Truly devoted Chenford fans know this pairing will improve and strengthen after this.
A breakup is merely a drop in the bucket for these two characters, who have overcome so much already.
It’s standard fare for a beloved ship that they’ll inevitably rip them apart in a devastating manner before the two find their way back.
And it’s easy for us to believe Chenford would be no exception. They’ll face the same thing.
We can already envision a storyline where they have to experience some things as individuals before they reunite romantically, and then, we won’t have to worry about them as much.
From a writing perspective, we can even understand what they’re angling for and what they want to use this development to explore.
Because of the nature of their dynamic prior to introducing romance, it was like an extension of what they already had — a great friendship and partnership with the bonus of love and sex.
And things moved rather quickly for the two of them. Lucy didn’t have much time between properly calling it quits with Chris before she embarked on this relationship with Tim.
It was similar to Tim and his romantic love interest, who I can barely recall offhand.
We had this pairing who had an incredibly slow burn catapult themselves into a very serious relationship that had them discussing their future children and practically living together in a matter of months.
In the eagerness to deliver all the domestic moments that fans craved, they accelerated this relationship, yes, but also the problems that a couple could face over time.
