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Fans of ABC‘s The Rookie have been waiting for Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen to address their romantic feelings toward one another for five seasons. But now that it has finally happened in The Rookie Season 5, some viewers aren’t impressed with how Chenford’s storyline treated one character.

Eric Winter and Melissa O'Neil, in character as Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen in 'The Rookie' Season 5, share a scene at a restaurant. Tim wears a dark gray suit over a black button-up shirt. Lucy wears a light blue dress with pink, purple, and white flowers on it.
Eric Winter as Tim Bradford and Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen | ABC

Lucy and Chris broke up in ‘The Rookie’ Season 5

Tim and Lucy kissed for the first time during the season 4 finale. Sadly, it was under the guise of “practicing” for pretending to be a couple while undercover, but the audience saw right through them. The tension between Tim and Lucy increased during the premiere of The Rookie Season 5 when they went undercover.

The colleagues constantly touched each other and kissed. And by the time it was over, they weren’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. At the end of the episode, Lucy invited Tim into her apartment with the underlying notion that they might sleep together. However, they found Lucy’s boyfriend, Chris, bleeding out on the couch once they got inside.

For the next few episodes, Tim and Lucy avoided one another. But they couldn’t hide from each other when Sergeant Grey assigned them to ride together in episode 8. Lucy, struggling with taking the next step in her and Chris’s relationship, confided in Tim. And by the end of the hour, they finally addressed the elephant in the room.

Tim asked Lucy out on a date, but she declined because she had to break up with Chris before anything happened between them. And in the next episode, Lucy ended her relationship with Chris and sought out Tim. He asked her out again, and she said yes. And now, the two are navigating a secret romantic relationship in The Rookie Season 5.

Fans debate whether or not Chris deserved how Lucy treated him

After Lucy broke up with Chris in The Rookie Season 5 Episode 9, one fan expressed sympathy toward Chris in a Reddit thread.

“I can’t be the only one who thought Chris got done a little dirty,” they wrote. “For the most part, the dude was a supportive and caring [boyfriend]. He didn’t do anything wrong. That doesn’t mean Lucy owes him a relationship. But that doesn’t mean she had to do it the way she did … I sincerely hope she gets called out by him and feels some guilt because, damn, that’s dirty.”

A Reddit user commented, “I’ve been saying this lol. Everyone is saying it’s because Chris was being pushy with the house situation, but that’s just a bulls*** excuse so Lucy can be with Tim.”

“As an avid Chenford shipper, I agree,” someone said. “I wanted Lucy and Tim to get together, but not necessarily like this. Putting an end to Chris and Lucy’s relationship like that isn’t really how I’d have liked it to go down. But at least it’s done now, so it feels less cheaty.”

However, not everyone agreed that Chris was an innocent victim of his and Lucy’s breakup in The Rookie Season 5.

One fan shared, “He lost me when he started singing the barrel song. Who the f*** would ‘accidentally’ do that? Then when she asked for time to consider moving in together, he was pushy, sending her pictures/listings for homes to buy a few hours later. I’m not saying he deserved it, but he definitely had his own list of faults.”

“He literally sang the song Lucy sang as she was dying IN FRONT OF HER,” another person added. “I didn’t have a problem with him before that, but afterwards, I was like, ‘please get him off the screen.'”

A Reddit user explained, “Chris did a lot of assuming and seemed to progress their relationship according to his own timeline (calling her his girlfriend, meeting his parents, and searching for houses when she only agreed to talk about it later).”

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Will Chris return in ‘The Rookie’ Season 5?

Some fans assume that the way Lucy and Chris ended their relationship suggests that he will return in The Rookie Season 5. Chris was frustrated with Lucy, and he stormed out of her apartment. There didn’t seem to be any real closure to their relationship, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Chris appeared in a future episode. Plus, he is an Assistant District Attorney, so his and Lucy’s paths will likely cross at work.

There is also a theory floating around that Chris worked with Rosalind Dyer. And if that’s the case, then his story in the ABC series is far from over.

The Rookie Season 5 airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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