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mattoidmeerkat · 2 months

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This is me working through my main issues with Bathena in 7x01. If you have no issues with the transition from 6x18 to 7x01, I'm happy for you and there's nothing to see here. If you'd do see some issues and/or are willing to help me work through some of them, please continue reading after the cut.

Disclaimer: The long hiatus and my recent cold definitely did not positively influence my experience. I'm aware of this.

Man, I'm so conflicted about Bathena's story in 7x01. I mean, the acting was top notch. The scenes and dialogue? Instant classics. The dancing? Swoooon. And we finally get to explore the foundation of their relationship? What's not to love?

Well, this really feels like the perfect follow up to Season 4. They had just addressed their communications issues and still had topics to work through. They would soon be empty nesters and didn't know how that would impact them.

But this isn't the beginning of Season 5. This is Season 7. Since then we have seen Athena and Bobby go through so much separately and together. They have grown closer and have developed their communication skills and the foundation of their relationship.

They struggled together and supported each other through the Hudson ordeal and the fallout around Harry in 5A. We've seen them make time to focus on their intimate relationship (5x09, 6x13) and to sharing personal history (5x15, 6x02, 6x03, 6x13) and support each other through oh so much personal trauma (5A, 5x14, 5x16, 5x17, 6x02, 6x03, 6x09, 6x12, 6x17). They've put the other's happiness before their own without a moment's hesitation (5x05) and developed a deep and easy intimacy with each other (5x08, 5x09, 5x11, 5x15, 5x17, 6x02, 6x08, 6x12, 6x13, 6x17) without ever losing their individuality in the process. Athena built a relationship with Bobby's sponsor and Bobby shared his AA world with her. Athena allowed herself to be vulnerable with him by admitting fears while she developed a deep understanding of how Bobby worked on a fundamental level (6x14).

And then Tim came back and decided nope, none of this. Gonna reset Athena to Season 4 (when he left as showrunner) and leave Bobby as confused as me.

I love me some good angst and conflict to explore characters and their dynamics. But what explanation were we given for this drastic change in Athena's personality? She is afraid to find out who they are when it's just the two of them? Which we have just seen again and again in Season 5 but much more so in Season 6?

Characters being flawed and acting irrationally is not bad writing. On the contrary, it can be excellent writing because flawless characters are boring and bland. And Athena and Bobby are so deliciously flawed. Have been from the very beginning.

So why not provide us with an explanation for how 6x18 Athena went from happy and confident in her marriage after settling into her empty nest with Bobby for a year, to the neurotic mess we see in 7x01? (A highly entertaining and cute mess, but still a completely different Athena than literally one episode before.)

How did 6x18 Athena, after recently celebrating her fourth wedding anniversary with Bobby and saving him from a bridge collapse, from one moment to the other decide to go to therapy (something she canonically avoids like the plague - see Seasons 3, 4, and 5) and do a 180 on cruises (despite copious discussions of cruises her fear did not come up with Bobby in 5x18, 6x01 or 6x18, with May in 6x01, or with Hen in 6x01, or in the conversation about cruises with her parents in 6x01 despite those two apparently being responsible for that fear)? How did that Athena then board the cruise with Bobby at the end of 6x18 full of joy and happy anticipation after a last minute cancellation? And how did Athena then manage to have a therapist appointment about the last-minute cruise two months in advance somehow?

I'd love to find some explanations for this beyond sloppy writing at best and blatant disregard for the prior story lines at worst.

At this point my only hope is that the next two episodes will shed some light onto what exactly triggered Athena's abrupt change in personality from one episode to the other. (actually retroactively within the previous episode somehow) But I won't get my hopes up too much because so many of Athena's, Bobby's and Bathena's story lines have been left to fizzle out without any kind of explanation or resolutions over the years (under both Tim and Kirsten).

So what's my takeaway here? I desperately want to love this episode. It has so many amazing scenes. But the retconning is making it really difficult for me to process as a coherent story line. And that's on me. Shows do this all the time. THIS show has done it plenty of times in the past.

But I feel so sad that I seem to care more about Season 5 and 6 Bathena than the show itself. It feels dismissive of the growth those two have gone through. And it makes me fearful of what kind of disregard the show might display towards these characters, their arcs, and their growth journeys in the future.

Thoughts? Helpful ideas? Number of a good therapist? 😅️ (One that doesn't just say "I'm sure you'll be fine.")

#911 #ramblings to make peace with 7x01 #to be deleted later #I know it's just a TV show

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mrsbsmooth · 5 days

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I’ve been so turned off by what fusebox has been putting out lately that I haven’t even opened the app in a year or so, but I’m glad that people seem to be liking s8 so far!

I’m super curious to know how you would rank it against past seasons and what your thoughts are overall ❤️

RANK? YOU WANT ME TO RANK THEM

hjeslafhajsdkfgsdj

omg okay. way to make my night. I'm supposed to be writing. Let's fucking gooooooo.

[Noting based on my recent post, this is my ranking for if you're pursuing a male LI. WLW rankings would be very different].

So, to me, I think there are two main criteria that define a season: Love Interests and Gameplay.

Love Interests can be further broken down into:

Sprite Design: How good they look overall as a cast. Are they proportionate? Unique?

Variety: How different/unique are they to previous seasons? Are they all models and carpenters and finance bros?

Fandom Impact: This one is silly and subjective. Are people still talking about them years later? Do they have fanfics and art? If you don't know this person, are you missing out?

Gameplay can be further broken down into:

Quality of Plot Drama: How it's written, how impactful it is. Is it stupid manufactured shit, or is it important and moves the game along? (Cherrygate? Great drama. Suresh wanting to 'give Lulu a chance' after he'd been all in for us? Shitty, awful drama).

Challenges: Are they engaging and interesting? Do they move the plot along?

Replayability: Are there enough unique aspects in the routes that you feel the need to replay?

So, based on these two criteria, I assigned rankings to each season, with Season 2 being the best that fusebox can possibly do. (We already know that it is).

These are completely subjective, but this is what I came up with.

Some brief explanations:

Season 1:

Not the best art style, but overall the proportions were spot on, the body shapes and types were different and unique. Personalities top tier (Tim? Jake? sigh.) Cherrygate, dunking challenge etc.

Season 2:

The best the fandom can do in terms of consistent art style, poses, challenges and replayability. Every route is unique. Characters are overhwhelmingly gorgeous. Some may not like the drama, but I think it's just enough.

Season 3:

I thought things were ranked too high but then remember Tai? Rafi? AJ? The waterfall date, the water balloon and tent challenges that meant something and caused drama?

Season 4:

Lost points for the NaJamUno character merge, but gained points for Youcef and Oliver. Great characters, poor challenges and drama points. Dylangate was dumb and so was making us sleep on the daybeds.

Season 5:

The less said the better. But the sprites were hot af.

Season 6:

The great character merge was atrocious. But the drama from Casa, the Marshall&Ozzy plotline, and HAMISH oh my god, he gets a bonus point for drama all on his own.

Season 7:

Personally very forgettable season. Some of the sprites were lovely. Evan was a highlight and he's gorgeous. But given how quickly everyone forgot about this season, it's loowww.

Season 8:

Gets a high ranking for fandom impact purely based on the immense amount of art and interest that's come about this season. Even with up to a half-point deduction to account for recency bias, this season ranks highly.

This gives us an updated ranking of:

Third? THIRD? Season 8 is THIRD?!?!?

This gives us an average season rating of 6.4. We could remove the outliers, but we're trying to plot how good each season is against the average, so let's not. If we then plotted this and threw in a bar to show the average:

It says the only seasons that are 'above average' are Seasons 1, 2, and 8. Which, honestly, given my adoration for Bruno, Ciaran, and Lewie, rude. How dare I hurt myself with my own chart!!!!!

I'm sure one of the maths people could do something statistically significant and make this fully mathematically valid, but this is just me latching on to a silly ask and being an idiot about it.

I like S8 a lot. It's worth playing.

In other words:

Yes. Play it.

#litg #love island the game #love island game #litg s8 #litg tempting fate

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thisnightissparkling089 · 2 months

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I didn't want to say anything but when I watched the first scene yesterday I was annoyed because this is for me where the show miss when it come to intimacy. They could have shown intimacy with tim kissing her cheek/neck (I so want a neck kiss but I know it's never happening) when he came from the bedroom or when he went to the shower. Like it's not even about sex. That scene missed that element I think. The show truly have room for more playfulness with them. And this is where I don't understand why they give up that part from season 1 & 2. They showed intimacy like that. Emmett and lucy had 1 scene and they were able to show me something I still wait to see for c henford. During my rewatch I got so bitter because the scenes between lucy and nolan are exactly how I imagine lucy and tim when I think about them. I don't understand why we can't have scenes like that. For a room of writers that love playing with storylines they're not really fan of playing with couple with cute couple moments. For the hot moments like you said every other shows on abc show us too.. it truly special how the show don't want anything to do with stuff like that.

I have to be honest, if it wasn't for Tim talking about the hookup in the laundry I wouldn't have think they had sex, this is how weird it was to just cut like that the scene. 💀 (important to note that you can see the difference with couple moment after season 2 with angela & wesley. They had scenes they wouldn't have now. Like the hook up they had at work in the room. )

You're definitely not alone! And the way I would go feral for a coming up from behind neck kiss!!!! @$^*$@<*$@,>/#!!!

I agree with you, really, it isn't about sex, it's that intimacy that we miss out on. And like you said, this isn't just about Chenford. None of the couples really have any intimate scenes shown.

And if it was always this way, sure, no big deal. But there was more intimacy shown in earlier seasons. I remember one scene with Wesley and Angela in season 5 sitting on the couch and I thought, and then they kiss. No? Okay, a kiss here? No. No kiss whatsoever, got it.

If I had the opportunity to write the laundry room scene for the show, it would have gone something like this...

"Hey, wait...lock the door first."

Tim, although slightly surprised, catches on quick. Walking backward, he saunters over to the door, his gaze never leaving Lucy's. The lock turns in his hand, shutting out the rest of the world.

He walks back over to Lucy, meeting her in just 4 quick steps. His lips are on hers instantly, as he cradles her head in his hands.

Their kisses are quick and desperate as he pushes her back up against the washing machine and his hands reach out to pull at the zipper on her jacket.

Fade to black

You can do tasteful sex scenes with fade to black to give the viewers a little something, while still keeping things PG-13.

In terms of the writers, I don't know that this is entirely on them. It could very well be an actor/actress setting boundaries and not wanting to do these types of scenes. In which case, I respect the boundaries and learn to deal with it.

But I do agree, something definitely shifted from the earlier seasons to the later seasons. I would be genuinely surprised to see any hotter scenes going forward. I would absolutely welcome it, don't get me wrong, but it would definitely be surprising.

#the rookie #chenford #anon ask #send asks #asked and answered #ask me anything

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outrunningthedark · 3 months

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I’m a big Buddie fan, but I have to say that I don’t hate the idea of Tommy and Buck, it could be the chance for Eddie to be jealous and wonder himself why does he feel like that… in my mind, it works haha! But…who knows what TM think about it…

I think what you're envisioning is how Tim would prefer to tell the story (I honestly think he was ready to take the plunge at the end of season 4/start of season 5 with the will + "gay panic", but y'no. Not his call.), but because Repressed Eddie or Canon Buddie isn't a possibility for now, he's going to write scenes in a way that can be seen as "proof" by the fandom while the general audience thinks he's just a concerned friend. I'm going to assume the only person in the firefam who might have an inkling of Buck's attraction to men is Maddie, being his sister and all. Hen is a close second, especially with how much more time they've spent together on screen. ("I was just waiting for you to say something first.") So when Eddie finds out, or has it suggested to him? He's probably going to be taken aback. The GA will read it as him wondering if he did anything to make Buck feel like he couldn't be honest. The fandom will read it as Eddie questioning everything he thought he knew, wondering if he would have ever been an option for Buck had he said something sooner. (Did he miss his chance?) Same goes for a hypothetical Eddie and Tommy scene after the truth is out. Eddie giving Tommy a bit of a side-eye, analyzing him differently now that he's dating Eddie's best friend and not just helping on a call? The GA: "LOL. Eddie treating Tommy like he must treat one of his sister's boyfriends." Us: "Ohhh, he's jealous." And then maybe, possibly, down the line when Canon Buddie can be #confirmed, little moments like these will be reexamined and reexplained to support Eddie always having strong feelings for Buck, but never allowing himself to fully unpack what it meant because it never felt like the right time. TL;DR If you're getting a "vibe", it's by design. Tim & the writing crew just don't know what they can do with it yet.

#anonymous #tina speaks #911 speculation #tv: 911 #tv: 9-1-1 #buddie #tommy kinard

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neverevan · 8 days

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(random, sorry) I agree it could be so much better on abc now than it could have been on fox. I'm so happy they already got renewed it almost makes up for the sadness over what could have been with the shooting and the will and all...I would have loved to see what they wanted to write. I am still worried though that because time is running out, they see them as just that now – endgame. That we might not get to see their relationship, just an ending?

I don't know... when I think about it, there's always this list of circumstances, you know? things that we have to account for when considering how it is most likely to go down.

1) is Tim sticking around? was he really forcibly removed because of the buddie thing or was that just a coincidence? if someone else takes over the writing again, which way would that sway the story? also, would it be someone new or someone who worked on the show before?

2) the actors. Oliver especially has been very loud about how important it is for him to tell an authentic story for the character and for the people Buck represents; that comes with all sorts of bi and queer stereotypes they'd wanna avoid dipping into, which again would sway the story (of Buck and Eddie together at least) into specific directions. then there's Ryan, who has said many times over the years that he's open to wherever the road takes them with buddie, but he also emphasised truthfulness to the story and characters — we know Tim is interested in their input, we don't know how another writer would go about it.

3) ratings and reception. in many ways, bucktommy was a buddie soft-launch. don't get me wrong, I love bucktommy with all my heart and am very adamant on keeping their story separate from buddie because it isn't about buddie within the realms of the show, it is somewhat about buddie irl though.

making a lead (male) character canonically bisexual was a big leap of faith. yes, it is a Ryan Murphy show and yes, the show had a lot of queer rep already, but we never had a man-on-man on-camera kiss before on the show and we all know how differently general audiences react to two women kissing and two men kissing — which is, again, why this storyline on such a big primetime TV show is so so important. they calculated the risks, went for it and it all worked out; the ratings were great and the response was overwhelmingly positive. that's a great step one into the direction of canon buddie.

4) writing. buddie going canon however would make 3 of the 5 lead characters queer and not only that but all of them would be in relationships, bringing in outsider recurring or even guest star characters somewhat harder to write, unless they branched out and brought new people in to be part of the lead ensemble (Ravi main, abc, I'm begging!!). not to mention the people who'd call it pandering; and even though the story between Buck and Eddie is there to see for everyone already, it'd be harder to defend when the numbers would be 3:5 compared to the intial first season's 1:5.

all that being said, we are on a good path right now; we are renewed for season 8 and that, at least, gives us time to develop the story without rushing through it and I have my fingers crossed that the stars will align and the show will do justice to this beautiful love story that has been in the making for years.

until then, I'm just immensely grateful for abc and the budget and freedom they gave to the writers, cast and crew and I'm here for whatever they'll give us, because I know it'll be great.

#i know it's long but you guys know i love to yap #buddie #911 #911 abc #ask #anon #ramblings #my stuff

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buckttommy · 3 months

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No but you are so right for that last post. Tim acknowledged that they are grateful to have the current audience follow them over to the new network but also made the pointed statement that they are aware that new viewers are going to be around as well. It’s almost like they will be treating season 7 as somewhat of a relaunch to reestablish what works for the current audience (seasons 2/3 and parts of 4/5) AND to keep new viewers around once they check it out. And like you mentioned part of that is to keep them invested in the characters and their relationships which will be a motivating factor for new audience members to go back and watch prior seasons and become fully invested. Like as new viewer you would tune in and see Buck/Eddie fighting and be like meh the boys are fighting but if you then go back and watch from the start and all that history you’re then like “OH…THE BOYS…ARE FIGHTING?!!” It would be the same for the Madney wedding…it would be like “oh just another wedding” but if you go back and see all that history and how much Chim and Maddie had to fight to get there it would then be “Madney wedding!!!!!” They want more seasons and have more stories to tell but they need to solidify/grow the audience first to be able to show that the network move was the right call and investment. With that said it’s not wrong at all to say manage expectations as in season 7 is not the year for Buddie canon because it’s too condensed of a season and to make a bold narrative choice like that when they are getting established on a new network and expanding the audience. They are also repairing the dynamics that have been lost over the course of season 6 so that we can get back to our Firefam and what worked so well with the found family aspect. I think the most reasonable expectation is that if Tim wants to still leave the door open for Buddie canon certain narrative choices can still be made to have those threads exist for season 8 once the show finds its footing again and is established on ABC and they have an understanding of the audience/demographic (abc is slightly different than fox)and the network expectations moving forward.

"It’s almost like they will be treating season 7 as somewhat of a relaunch to reestablish what works for the current audience (seasons 2/3 and parts of 4/5)"

This part. This whole message is golden. No further comment.

#jack answers mail #tv: 911 #911 spoilers #7a speculation #I don't know why I keep tagging 7a as if we're going to get an A/B season this year. Lol

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canonicallyobserving911 · 3 months

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Hi how's your day going? Just wanted to vent and say I'm pissed at what sounds like Ryan being sidelined and casually belittled in the latest cast interview/promo 😑 i.e. apparently zero mention of Eddie's storyline for s7, Tim once again making the tired joke about eddie being "too pretty to kill off" (kind of insulting considering how much Eddie and Chris have brought to the show since s2), seems like the only thing Ryan got to say was something incredibly sweet and complimentary about working with Gavin 🥺😍 and fandom just thinks it's funny "well he IS pretty". If that's all Eddie is to buddie fandom...that just confirms everything I've been complaining about the last couple of years 🙃

Thank you @blutterlie for the ask. I'm doing well and I hope you're doing well too.

I read through the snippets that were posted on 911blr from the panel interview that was done a couple of nights ago with the main cast and the showrunner and... I really don't have words. But to say I was disappointed is an understatement.

I was really hoping things would be different for Eddie and Chris, the characters and RG and GM, the actors this season since it seems like KR got the boot and is no longer sitting in the showrunner's chair. Hopefully she is gone and if so, maybe someone other than Buck (Eddie, Chris, Chimney and Bobby because they were all sidelined in the last two years while the other half of their ships got good storylines) can get a storyline or two but I can't say I'm surprised with the outcome.

Apparently TM cares about the big emergencies which is great and all but it would be better IMO if they stopped trying to recreate scenes from movies (Speed, Poseidon and whatever other movies they've copied) and focus on growth of the main characters. I've mentioned this before in my Constructive Criticisms posts but none of the first responders have been promoted. How long are they going to remain in their same roles? For me, the show has lost something and I'm not sure a cruise disaster that puts Bobby and Athena in danger again for the umpteenth time is going to make people watch... but I digress.

I'm saddened because RG and GM the actors and the characters they play, Eddie and Chris have been sidelined and given minimal screentime for a while but the little amount they do get is always solid gold because both RG and GM are superb actors. They work very well together and I had hope for season 7 that they would finally be given the screentime they deserve especially since they barely got any in seasons 5 and 6 but it looks like another wash, rinse and repeat season with Buck still looking for answers (which I figured would be the case after I completed a post about his attire in the still of him and Chris). I was really hoping it wasn't going to be another season 4 with Eddie and Chris suffering with another recurring character (all they did was replace AF with M) while they wait for Buck to finally "get it" but apparently some people think it's fun and cute for Buck to be in the words of OS, "stuck on a hamster wheel" but I don't and honestly, unless he's headed for a massive breakdown SO he can finally DEAL AND COPE with all his issues, they can keep it.

The comment TM made about RG being pretty was just... 🙄. IMO, it was disrespectful, disgusting, disingenuous and completely discrediting. If it's true and he was initially hired for his looks for whatever reason, shouldn't they be past that by now? It's been six years and RG has proven time and time again that he's a fantastic actor. For those who forgot, EDDIE carried the ENTIRETY OF SEASON 5 on his back while KR was stumbling around as showrunner with most of the "top billed" cast (that's two-thirds of those who are paid the most) out of pocket. AB was working on A LOT of other projects and that's no hate to her but it's true, JLH was on maternity leave, RD and MR left the show and instead of giving more screentime to Eddie, Bobby and Chimney, they forced TK into the spotlight just to show how bad she was for Buck. They could have done that in episode 1 without giving her a back story so they could have dedicated more time to Eddie’s PTSD and therapy. Buck got two whole seasons and he still hasn't figured anything out but they rushed Eddie’s story and wouldn't even let him say he was going back to the 118🤔.

How many times will the audience have to watch these repetitive storylines? Also, how many times will RG, AH, GM, KC, CM and PK be sidelined for the other mains? It's supposed to be an ensemble cast but someone keeps forgetting that and pushing certain characters out front while they push the others to the side. In season 5, Chimney was sent on a road trip to drive across America with a 6-month-old instead of him staying in L.A. so Buck and Albert could help him with Jee-Yun. In season 6, Bobby was given a sponsor (Wendell) no one had ever heard of before and he appeared out of thin air. Hen's medical school storyline went absolutely nowhere and May disappeared after 6x11. And Eddie and Chris were once again sidelined and then pushed into another "Eddie has to date" because "Chris needs a mother" storyline with another bland and ridiculous recurring character because they keep dragging out whatever the "F" they're doing.

Now with the comment about RG being "too pretty to die", it made me wonder if Eddie and Chris being left out of the promos was a mistake after all🤷‍♀️.

I hope RG and GM can find a show that will appreciate their contributions and give them the screentime they deserve and it be based on how great they are as actors because they deserve so much better.

Anyway, this got longer than I expected and I didn't mean for it to but I'm disappointed in how they're treated and I'm tired of watching the same ole same old.

#eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #911 on abc #911 abc #911 season 7 speculation #ryan guzman #gavin mchugh #Canonically Observing 9-1-1 Speaks #anti taylor kelly

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chenfordspiral · 11 months

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master post - all my Chenford stories

missing you sucks (i don't feel like me anymore) (AO3) Spec fic for 5x21 & 5x22. Lucy's on a longterm UC op and Tim misses her.

home is where my heart is (you feel like home) (AO3) Lucy's POV while she's undercover. Companion piece to "missing you sucks"

she was always the one you were meant to find (AO3) Isabel returns and makes a few observations about Tim and Lucy's relationship. Spec fic for 5x20.

i don't wanna lose you now, or ever (AO3) Lucy's insecurities are brought to the surface with Isabel's unexpected return, leading to a long overdue talk with Tim. (kind of a continuation of 5x20 spec fic from Lucy's POV, but works as a standalone)

it never was, not with you (AO3) Lucy spends some more time at Tim's bedside after his surgery, eventually hearing something unexpected.

you couldn't have loved me better (AO3) Lucy gets pulled out of her deep cover op prematurely after three months, so she's expecting bad news. She just never imagined this. Warning: Major Character Death!

i can't lose you (ch 1; ch 2) (AO3) A continuation of that last Chenford scene from 5x21, from Lucy's POV.

no one but you (AO3) Tim hasn't been able to let the thought go, but he didn't expect the conversation to end up being this emotional.

we've been here before, but it's different this time (AO3) Missing moment from the season 5 finale. Continuation of that hug scene.

i'm here if you need me (AO3) After learning of Chris Rios's passing, Tim tries his best to offer some comfort and be there for Lucy.

tell me we could have it all (AO3) Tim and Lucy share a moment when he drops her off after Nyla's wedding. Will they run and pretend it never happened, or will it finally make them realize that there's something between them and talk about their feelings?

feels like there's oceans between you and me (ch 1; ch 2; ch3; ch 4; ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8) (AO3) An insight into Tim's mind as he struggles to make sense of his changing relationship with Lucy and come to terms with his growing feelings for her.

the scratches gave us away (AO3) Aaron makes an interesting discovery, and proceeds to out a certain secret relationship.

Little bit of Love (AO3) A look into what the future may hold for Tim and Lucy.

when you’re by my side (AO3) Tim, Lucy, and Aaron get stuck in an elevator while on duty. Lucy’s trauma triggers a panic attack, but Tim is there to help her through it.

run into the night (like the sun won't ever come up) (AO3) After their first time together, Lucy and Tim spend some time lying in bed talking about scars, and feelings, and how they got to where they are today.

you keep his shirt (he keeps his word) (AO3) The day wasn’t special or remarkable at all, not in that sense anyway — until it turned into one that neither Lucy nor Tim would ever forget.

all this chemistry has got me falling (i'm definitely high) (AO3) Tim needed to forget; he needed to forget that his marriage was basically over. So when a beautiful stranger he met at a bar while drowning his sorrows suggested they help each other forget for a night, he couldn’t say no.

Little bit of Lust (AO3) The M and E rated missing scenes from Little bit of Love.

warm with you, safe with you, in love with you (AO3) When Lucy unexpectedly gets sick with the flu, Tim makes sure she's well taken care of. Even when she doesn't want to admit she's sick in the first place and insists on going into work anyway. Set sometime between 5x14 and 5x16.

'tis the first of many seasons (AO3) Chenford celebrate their first Christmas together with a ski trip and a cozy cabin. Bonus points if they get snowed in for a couple days. For Chenford Secret Santa 2023

two hearts that beat as one (our lives have just begun) (AO3) Chenford's first New Years as a married couple. Bonus fic for Chenford Secret Santa 2023

#chenford #the rookie #chenford fanfic #chenford fanfiction #the rookie fanfiction #mychenfordstories

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bronx-bomber87 · 8 months

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Hello all we’ve had an amazing string of Chenford and Tim/Lucy backstory goodness. S2 is very kind to us. This ep it tapers off a bit still have some Chenford but Rachel is re-introduced back into this and is the driving force of it. I mean with all the eps we just had you forget he’s even dating her tbh haha as I’ve said all season Rachel’s moments with Tim all have their purpose. Including this one. I would apologize for the lack of content but its not my fault LOL This will be much shorter than the last 4-5 have been ha but let’s get started :)

2x15 Hand-Off

Their scenes start off with the war bag room. Lucy is asking if Tim is nervous to meet Rachel’s dad? Tim doesn’t seem in the least phased by it. Lucy tells him it’s ok if he is just a hair scared. That Rachel adores her dad so much would make sense. Tim shrugs it off, thinks he has an in with him being a cop for 30 years. Lucy scoffs and says yeah but it was in a place that had 2 stoplights haha Tim doesn’t let her deter him and says a cop is a cop. LA or Mayberry.

This where it gets really adorable. First off I love his cute little smile when he says Mayberry. I think that show must be a good memory for him. One of his few in his childhood. He also seems so proud of himself for the reference. It goes way over her head sadly. Lucy is beyond confused and not getting his reference in the slightest. Cracks me up she gets him in so many ways but not this one LMAO. Tim gives up and says never mind…

They’re in the shop starting their day when Lucy asks where he’s taking her dad? Says it can’t be too fancy or he's gonna look like he is showing off. But he is visiting so a possible celebrity sighting wouldn't hurt. Tim delivers his answer proudly. Lucy approves (you know he secretly wanted that approval) He’s learned a thing or two since her birthday. Tim’s smiles when Lucy says she likes it. I love that its too cute. He seems pretty proud of his choice and the fact that she likes it. You know he's happy she isn't giving him any crap for his plans. He is a little more confident in his choice this time around than he was with her birthday gifts.

Rachel ends up calling Lucy interrupting their little moment. Tim is all cute and smiles until the phone call ends. Lucy has decided to recruit them to find her dad’s missing suitcase. Naturally they both see this situation differently. Lucy sees it as an opportunity to bond for Tim, to get off on the right foot with her dad etc. All Tim can see is the low solve rate and her father being disappointed in him cause of it.

Clearly impressing her dad is more important than he lead on…because well Tim. Lucy god love her thought she was doing it to help him. Always has his best interests at heart. Even when he so vehemently disagrees. All he can think about now is how they're not going to find it. That he will let her dad down before he can make a good impression. It’s awkward after that and Lucy goes on about their bread LMAO Her nervous rambles as Tim shakes his head. I love our girl so much.

Tim could not be cuter walking up to meet Rachel. Also his smile as Lucy and Rachel's dad get reacquainted. Then the awkwardness kicks in when they shake hands. Tim is doing his best to be respectful but is already striking out with him. The inner T.O. coming out in him. He tells Colin the chances of finding his suitcase is low. Crashing and burning fairly early into this intro.

Her dad bites back that a cop should have beat integrity and such. Tim says it’s easy to when you have 9 criminals LOL Oh Tim. Her dad says he’ll crack the case for him then by driving around. Tim's need to prove himself kicks in. He tries to fix it by inviting him into the shop. Says they can cruise around since he saw the guys face. Not doing so hot my love….

Lucy jumps in to help Tim. Invites Colin into the front seat says she can sit in the back while they drive around. Lucy makes sure to check back with Tim. She knows he isn’t happy about any of this. From being roped into it and now having to ride around with him. The need to prove himself is very real. Their body language in this scene cracks me up. Complete antithesis. She is taping her hands against her belt happily. She see's this as positive thing where all Tim is feeling is dread. You can sense his discontent.

What also cracks me up about this scene is it’s them in a moment. Lucy his sunshine human personified telling him to be positive, when literally that’s the last thing he wants to be LOL. Grumpy and Sunshine at their finest in this moment. His face in the last gif I’m dying. He’s so moody atm and her sunshine attitude about the whole thing is too funny. You can also see the panic on his face. We all know his deep rooted issues with his own father. To have to try and prove his worth on the spot to someone else’s not his idea of a good time…

The silent communication continues between these two. Just look at them above. They’re out looking with Colin and Tim says his spiel about LA. Her dad puts him in his place a little and Tim knows it. I love him checking in with her in the mirror. Lucy acknowledging him before he returns to the convo. It’s the little things I love so much with them. She does side with Tim in the fact this guy could be long gone.

Colin is strong in his resolve this guy is still around. He is so sure they're going to find him. They roll up on a taco spot where he spots the guy. Tim looks impressed. They confront the man and his partner jumps Lucy. She handles herself like a BAMF while Tim chases after the first guy. Colin clothes lines the guy fleeing impressing Tim further. It's a pretty good action sequence.

My fav kind of shot tall and smol in this scene. Why do I love their height difference so much? haha Whenever I see it just makes me smile. Colin is letting them know about how back in his town they didn't have partners. If you couldn't do the job alone you shouldn't be doing it. He forgets LA is crazy populated no way people could do this job solo. He really should be impressed by their dynamic together. They are alway so amazing to watch in the field together.

They look beyond adorable as they smile and look at each other after he says his partner bit. Lucy is happy she’s being called his partner and not just his rookie. (We all know she is more than just his rookie hehe) Tim is just looking proud she is his partner. God they cute.. They handled that whole takedown perfect together. They are so in sync with everything they do. From this arrest to this moment. I love them sfm. They are simpatico in the field it's a thing of beauty to behold really.

Colin finally gives Tim some praise. Something I think he wasn't expecting to get at all. He lets him know what a good cop he is. Starts listing off all the reasons why as well. Tim is all happy until he says ‘Just not for my daughter.’ Poor Tim looks crushed. I know he feels like he did all the right things and is still in the wrong with Colin. Seems like a backhanded compliment at this point. Praising him but also saying it's why he isn't right for her. What a gut punch to him. To praise him then use that as the very reason why he shouldn't be with her.

Tim defends himself and what he does passionately. Which I find very attractive. Something about the way Tim says ‘Sir, It’s every cops duty to’ *fans self* sexy af the way he wears his pride on his sleeve about his job. Yum Tum for me. Colin doesn’t chide Tim for wanting to go out into the darkness. That he was just like him. Putting the job first. Above his wife and above his daughter. The toll it took. He doesn’t want his daughter left alone in the dark. I get it but damn way to crush Tim.

This moment shows why Lucy is meant to be his person. She’ll join him in that fight in the dark. They’ll be together battling the crazy side by side. I.e. the s5 finale and the way they were a power couple in battle. Also why Rachel would not have worked out for him in that regard. The biggest take away from this scene is she’s not Lucy. Tim lays aside his career and job for her. He doesn't blink. You see in his defense he doesn’t say he would stay for Rachel instead of going out into the night. Only that it’s a a cops duty to....

I said earlier his scenes with or about Rachel has purpose. This is one of those moments. In this instance it’s to show why Lucy is his end all. The things he would be willing to do for her vs what he would do for Rachel. I mean hell look at this season. What he’s already done for Lucy while dating Rachel. Gave up a promotion to stay with her and the influence she has on his life. One of many things he does and will continue to do for her. Because when it’s the right one all the stuff Rachel's dad is posing at Tim right now doesn’t matter.

Tim tries one more shot at changing Colin’s mind. It’s then one of the main reasons her father doesn’t want her with Tim gets revealed. She might have Huntington’s disease. It’s hit his whole family. Rachel refuses to get tested to see if it’s hit her too. You can see Tim struggling really hard with this information. Clinging to the possibility it might not happen to her.

Colin then says once again that if she gets it she’ll need someone who will stay. Someone who will will give up everything to take care of her. That Tim isn’t that person. Not for Rachel he isn’t. We all know if it was Lucy he wouldn’t hesitate. There is hesitation in him during this. Can't blame him in the least. It's a lot of intense information to take in at once. This is once again the difference between Rachel and Lucy.

Tim of course goes to his safe space about this immediately. They’re talking about it at the station together. Lucy has looked up the disease and all its symptoms. I love him going right to her with this. Needing her perspective and take on this whole thing. Lucy had no idea Rachel might even have this. So she’s playing emotional catch up herself. Which unfortunately doesn't give Lucy enough time to advise him like she normally would since she is reeling herself.

Rachel meets up with them and blows up cause she finds out they both know. That her father has let them both know her secret. Lucy says how sorry she is. Tim tries to be sweet and have them talk about it. She refuses says it’s her life not his or her dads. Then takes off. Tim looking at Lucy like a wounded puppy. Hurts my heart to see him brushed off like that.

Rachel comes to find him afterwards. He drops everything to talk with her. He is incredibly sweet and understanding about why she hasn’t taken the test. Says he knows his job is unknown as well. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to do it every day. Tells her he’s not going anywhere when she gives him an out if he wants it. Such an honorable and good man. Ugh my heart. I adore this man so much. I loved getting this insight into him by watching how he is with her. How he is in a relationship. Pre-Lucy. When he loves he loves VERY hard. I truly love Rachel for what she did for Tim post-Isabel.

We get to see how loyal, loving and tender he is when he’s with someone. He always makes that person #1 Makes my heart happy to see him happy. It’s not with Lucy right now but it’s what he needs to get there. They both are so not ready for what is to come with them yet. So for now him being with her is tolerable haha Honestly more so than Ashley but I have my thoughts behind her as well but we will dig into that when we hit s4. The difference between Lucy and all the other women he dates is Lucy putting him first we see that in S5 and honestly in general before they're together.

It's why he continually gravitates back towards her. She gives him what he's been denied his entire life. Being put first. Her thinking of him before herself. She did that in this episode. Tim didn't see helping Rachel's dad the way Lucy did. Her saying they'd help out was her way of helping him out. To get Tim off on the right foot. Was her way of taking care of him. It's why their pre-couple time is so important before they dive into what we have in s5. Beautiful trust and love is built there long before they're a couple. Anyways before I ramble on anymore about them I'll stop haha That’s all she wrote for them in this one not a lot but enough to build a review out of it. Ha

Side notes-Non Chenford

Lopez and Grey’s SL was deep and emotional. Poor Angela her first day on the job someone dying in her arms. Grey having it be his partner. Going to a parole hearing to deny this man further freedom for what he did. Rough.

Nolan’s SL was amusing with Seth green and all.

Jackson catching a killer by accident with Smitty too funny.

Thank you all for your continue likes/comments/reblogs. Never stop thanking you all for it. Means the world to me. Shall see you all in 2x16

#Caitlin Rewatches The Rookie #chenford #chenford hiatus #summer rewatch #waiting for s6 #s2 #2x15 Hand-Off #The rookie 2x15 #tim bradford #lucy chen #tim x lucy #lucy x tim #otp: doing my job #otp: you know me so well. too well.#otp: some things matter more.#eric winter #melissa o'neil #the rookie #tim bradford x lucy chen

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aro-geo-turtle · 1 year

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TMA’s narrative structure and its reflection in character dynamics

With the end of @a-mag-a-day, I though it would be a perfect time to post this meta-analysis I’ve been thinking about for ages! Its always fun when a story’s ending wraps back around to its beginning in some way, and TMA dips into this a tiny bit via the “can I have a cigarette” moment, but I think the wider narrative structure and parallels in TMA actually get way more interesting than that. Long rambly analysis below cause I’m a writing nerd, and also remember this is purely my own personal interpretation.

I have three main points to make here.

A: season 4 is a twisted mirror of seasons 1 and 2, which act as a singular narrative unit, while season 5 is just like season 3 but more so in every way.

B: these parallels and mirrors between seasons are symbolized through Jon and Martin’s ever changing relationship.

C: the grand finale of Last Words feels like such an abrupt ending because it breaks the pattern established for how season finales are meant to work.

So let’s look at this chronologically:

Seasons 1 and 2 can be viewed a single unit in the overall narrative structure. They follow the same basic premise: Jon in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, trying to find out the truth about the supernatural. They both have a very slow pace, with only a handful of plot-furthering episodes among mostly world-building statement episodes. Then we have a cliffhanger leading into an action-packed climax, and then a calmer epilogue episode to clarify exactly what just happened and set up the new status quo for the next season. There are obviously differences (added supplementals, the paranoia, Gertrude’s murder, you know), but they follow the same general format. We also see the classic Jon/Martin dynamic established and shared between these two seasons: Martin reaching out to care for Jon, Jon rejecting and pushing him away.

Season 3: Status quo? Out the window! Jon’s out of the Institute, traveling the world, we’re gone from the traditional 3 assistants to 4. The goal is no longer vaguely learning about the supernatural, we got most of those answers from Leitner. Instead we’re building towards the Unknowing from the very beginning. And the pacing here speeds up dramatically. So much happens, plot moving forward most episodes. This is where Jon and Martin’s dynamic first changes, too, finally becoming a lot more friendly. Some parts of the format stay the same, though. The ending is still made up of high-action climax episodes followed by an epilogue episode to set up the next status quo.

Season 4 is a return to the format of 1 and 2, but all twisted and reversed. Jon is in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, but it’s a totally different set of assistants (Tim, Sasha, Martin to Melanie, Basira, Daisy). We’re back to the slower pace, but after the mile-a-minute speed of S3, it feels agonizingly slow, a waiting game. The characters spend a lot of time sitting around. We know how the supernatural works, and now Jon’s looking for answers on what he’s meant to do about it. Of course, S4 also sees the reversal of Jon and Martin’s early season roles. Now it’s Jon reaching out and Martin rejecting him. And then we hit the finale and the tension that’s built up all season suddenly snaps. Once again, it’s a high-action climax followed by a slower epilogue that sets up season 5.

Season 5 is obviously the biggest status quo change of all. Literally all the rules of the normal world are shattered. It’s season 3 but even more so. We’re not at the Institute (there is no Institute), we don’t have the typical 3 assistants (that role doesn’t really seem to exist anymore). Like with the Unknowing, we have a clear goal from the very start: get to the Panopticon, kill Jonah, bring the world back. While the pace of 3 is rapid-fire, 5 is a steady march forward, episode by episode. Jon and Martin are once again friendly, and even more so, have finally connected and realized their feelings. And then we get to the grand finale. I think the reason the ending feels so abrupt to me and many others is because it finally breaks the format of season finales. Last Words is the action-packed climax episode but it has no epilogue episode. It just ends.

So, yeah! Those are my points. I just find looking at this all very cool.

#Tma #tma meta #the magnus archives

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cardcaptorsakura96 · 3 months

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Taxes, Taxes, Taxes-Chapter 21

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Samantha Arias, Lena Luthor, Lillian Luthor, Ruby Arias, Oliver Queen, John Stewart, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, J'onn J'onnz, Alfred Pennyworth, Lois Lane, Cat Grant, Lucy Lane, Damian Wayne, Felicity Smoak, Streaky the Supercat, Martha Kent, Selina Kyle, Talia Al Ghul, Lucius Fox

Summary: What if superheroes had to pay a property damage tax every time they had a fight in the city?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20

Bruce rolled his eyes as he listened to the board members arguing in the background over the phone while he talked to his CFO Lucius Fox. They were trying to push a vote on expanding Wayne Enterprise to Canada. Most were for it. They just couldn’t agree on where the corporate headquarters should be. The places being thrown around were Toronto, Quebec City, Halifax, and Vancouver. Bruce honestly didn’t care about where they built, but his board members fought back that it was all about location, location, location.

Lucius sighed and said, “If it wasn’t for the fact that you pay me handsomely for this bullshit, I would have bailed on these idiots an hour ago.”

Bruce smirked and asked, “So it isn’t the box seat passes that I got you for the Giants’ games for the rest of the season?”

Lucius chuckled and said, “Oh, that definitely took the edge off.” Lucias paused for a moment and said, “What exactly do you want me to do with this stalemate they have about Canada? We tried holding a vote but ended up with equal votes for all the cities.”

Bruce rubbed his head for a moment and said, “Have one of the associates make out a proposal for the mayor of each of those respective cities. We know what we can offer in terms of job opportunities and increasing value to the city. See what the representatives can offer us in terms of tax breaks and things of that nature. Whoever offers us the best benefits is the one we go with.”

Lucius sighed and said, “This is why I wished you were here with us an hour ago. We could have ended the meeting in five minutes with an idea like that.”

Bruce chuckled and said, “I needed to be here for Damian. This is an important milestone for him.”

“Are you sure you are not using this as an excuse to get out of a board meeting? Disneyland was a weird choice, but I have seen you choose stranger places to avoid the Board.”

Bruce rolled his eyes and said, “Damian really did have a field trip for Disney. I wasn’t going to let him go by himself. The PTA already think I am an idiot and absentminded as it is….”

Lucius burst out laughing for a few minutes.

Bruce narrowed his eyes and asked, “What’s so funny?”

Lucius’ laugh started tapering off and said, “I’m sorry. I just never thought that you of all people would care what other people think. Imagine what your opposition in your second life would think.”

Bruce gave a deadpan stare and said, “Ha, Ha. Very funny.”

Lucius chuckled and said, “You know I’m kidding right?”

Bruce smiled coyly and said, “Sure you are.”

“Anyway, how is Damian taking to Disney? I’m sure it is different to the other eclectic things he has been exposed to in his childhood.”

Bruce sighed while rubbing the back of his head. He knew going to Disney would be a very foreign concept for his youngest, but he didn’t expect him to fight him the whole way. Or maybe it was wishful thinking. It would definitely explain the looks his other three boys gave him when he mentioned their trip. Dick and Jason just bursted out laughing at the suggestion and Tim started to do research into securing Damian an attorney in case he decided to burn the theme park down in vengeance.

Bruce shook his head and said, “Damian hasn’t taken too kindly being here. He has already pressed the panic button he has twice to try to get Tim to pick him up since he is with the Titans this week in California. When that didn’t work, he tried to ditch me to go back to the main road to hitchhike before I caught up with him.”

“Considering his other antics are you really surprised by this?”

Bruce sighed and said, “My three older boys have already indicated the same thing. I just want him to have people his age to associate with.”

Bruce looked out the corner of his eye and noticed Lena coming back with several Dole Whips.

While looking at her thoughtfully, Bruce said, “Lucius, if there isn’t anything else, I am going to have to call you back after I get back to Gotham on Monday.”

“Okay, hope things go better with Damian this weekend.”

“You and me both,” muttered Bruce under his breath as he hung up the phone.

He quickly changed his frown to a passive smile as Lena finally walked up to him.

Lena smiled and said while handing him a Dole Whip, “Damian and Kara wanted some. I got some for you in case you wanted one as well.”

Bruce gave her a blank stare. He knew that Kara trusted her implicitly, but he still had some nagging thoughts about her.

Lena chuckled nervously and said, “If you don’t want it, that is fine. I can just give it to Kara. She would probably be excited at the prospect of having two more.”

Bruce let out his charming smile which took Lena off guard for a moment.

Bruce said, “I would actually like to try some. Some of my employees have talked wonders about this so I am curious if it lives up to all the hype.”

Bruce took the cup from Lena. He began to eat. His eyebrow went up in surprise. He knew that this was similar to ice cream but this is the best ice cream that he has had in a while.

Lena smirked and said, “I take it this means that it far exceeded your expectations.”

Bruce chuckled and said, “Definitely.”

They stood in weird silence with one other. Bruce could tell that Lena kept nervously looking around. Probably wish that Kara would come back as quickly as possible. Originally, Bruce thought about keeping silent until his son and Kara came back but then saw it as an opportunity to get to know the girl. Clark hadn’t been too keen on anyone approaching Lena. Several veiled threats were made if anyone did. If asked, he could use this as an innocent run-in, although he can hear it now from Clark accusing him that it was planned.

He sighed and said, “Kara has said that you run a children’s hospital.”

Lena smiled and let out a sigh of relief and said, “Yes. I believe in the importance of getting children the best healthcare they could as possible no matter what the cost.”

“What caused you to want to focus on children’s health though?”

Lena looked up thoughtfully and said, “My niece Ruby inspired me actually. She was sick. Most doctors thought it was a cold or at most the flu and said with just over-the-counter medicine it would go away. However, she kept getting sicker and nothing was working. We went to doctor after doctor until one actually did their research and found out what was wrong with her and got her the treatment that she needed to get well. I don’t want any family to have to go through that. Being dismissed and thinking that your concerns aren’t valid. I wanted to have doctors look into everything instead of looking at what is most common. That is when I decided to scout for the best of the best in pediatrics and start my own hospital.”

Bruce gave her an insightful look. Many had regarded Lena using her hospital for nefarious purposes, but he has seen that the commercial that Kara and Lena did a couple of weeks back had changed the discourse around it. Now, more patients have been giving reviews and it has been overall positive. It was good to know that Lena created the hospital as a way to inspire change. Bruce was about to comment as such when he heard his phone ring again. He sighed and looked down and saw that Alfred was calling. He looked at Lena sheepishly and mouthed “One moment.”

Read the rest on AO3

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theflyindutchwoman · 1 year

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Can we talk a bit about how different the show now feels from the first 3 seasons. It's one of the main complaints I've seen around lately, which I fully get. But the thing is, that is the point. The show IS different from back then. When The Rookie started, the story was following 3 Rookies + their 3 Training Officers in patrol. We have passed that. By now, two of the original rookies have graduated to fully fledged Patrol Officer, one didn't survive and none of the original TOs are in patrol anymore. The premise of the show has changed, so the storytelling has to adapt to this new dynamic.

And to me that's the major challenge faced by the writers today : the expansion of the world within the show. And that's also part of the reason why they are cramming so many storylines in one episode.

In season 1-2, they usually had three different storylines, one for each duo, but still keep the story relatively cohesive under the lesson of the day (Plain Clothes Day, the Roundup, CIs…) and a closing scene with the rookies most of the time. And from there, we had supporting characters at work (Grey, Anderson) and at home (the different love interests, son, friends, etc).

In Season 3, the problem started when Angela became a detective. There's a reason many procedural shows hate promoting their characters : it rocks your entire world. In this case, they had to decide how to integrate Angela with the other plots. Alyssa's pregnancy gave them an opportunity : it was easy to write it in the show, considering the proposal from season 2. And from there, the writers gave her an arc : La Fiera, with motherhood being a bonding element. From episode 03, she was used primarily for this or for personal matters (pregnancy/wedding). But outside of these two arcs, they never really managed to properly integrate her to the rest of the storylines… To the point where she's not even present in one episode.

So once season 4 rolled out, that same issue got exacerbated because this time, with the rookies' graduation, it was the whole structure of the show that was being reset. We suddenly had : . Tim + Lucy . Nyla + Aaron . Nolan . Angela If they kept the original one storyline/pairing they had going on, that meant potentially 4 storylines within an episode (+ whatever personal plots)… Not good. They also couldn't just pair up Angela with Nolan for the whole season since their job was of a different nature. So they had to get creative. Angela would work with a different pairing every other episode and they gave her the Elijah plotline, an extension of La Fiera. They also couldn't leave Nolan alone so Bailey became his unofficial partner on the job when he couldn't be paired with someone else. Even though she never should have been able to, since she's not a cop and there were some massive conflict of interests (the serial arsonist case, her ex-husband). Adding to that, we started spending more times at home with the characters. Wesley and Bailey became de facto part of the main cast. It's all fine but it also means less screentime for the plots. Or for some characters. Like Aaron for instance, who was supposed to be the link to the show's original story aka the rookies, but wasn't even made part of the main cast/characters.

And with season 5, the world got expanded even more. For the first part, we had : . Tim + Aaron . Lucy . Nolan + Celina . Angela + Nyla Thankfully for the writers, since they were gearing up towards Chenford, Lucy could be paired up with Tim/Aaron. And when the story needed Tim/Lucy together, it was easy to include Aaron with the detectives. So they were able to maintain a better balance than in season 4. But now, they have patrol + detectives + metro to contend with. And the occasional Feds showing up. And they have to find a way to make it natural for these different elements to interact on the daily basis. And make sure that nobody in the main cast gets left behind for too long. That means cases with bigger impact (you don't call the Feds or Metro for a simple ticket violation). And that means more plots inside each episode.

Like I said, that's the challenge now for the writers. Which, actually reminds me that this criticism is not new : it was always a complaint that there were too many storylines within each episode and the pace was too fast. Right from the start. It's just that now, with all this expansion, their former structure of having so many plots within an episode makes it more chaotic. We no longer have just 6 main characters. We no longer have just Rookies/TOs dynamics. We're not even just in patrol any longer. It was always an ensemble show… But this ensemble got bigger, both in terms of cast and world building.

The obvious solution would be to extend some plotlines in two/three episodes (like with Day of Death or the Stanton arc) to let them breathe a bit more. But networks tend to be against that for procedurals, unless it is for finales. We could also focus mainly on one part of the cast in one episode, then switch to the others in the next episode... People might not like that though. It's a tough call to make. Call that may not even be up to the showrunners/writers. Because let's not forget that networks love to meddle too.

#This is all just my opinion of course #But honestly for a show that has close to 10 main characters - it could be so much worse #The rookie #Chenford #Meta Analysis

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27emailsicantsend · 9 months

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I just have a question to ask about Tim's IG post, "Not Canon (at this time)"? What does that even mean? Does that mean it'll be canon when spinoff is happening? Or...I am trying to figure out what he meant by that, haha. I think it's hint hint for a spinoff, am I right or is it something else that I might misinterpret it?

Oh I wanted to talk about this so thank you for sending!! For anyone who is curious, it was this post:

This is not the only hint he has made about a possible spin-off.

He’s said (I can’t go find all the direct quotes right now but I can give you what I can remember and I’ll post some pictures at the end):

-he’s wanted 5-7 seasons since the beginning

-he feels like the kids are graduating high school for now but the “next obvious place is college”

-he has brought up ideas to the network but nothing is official for now

-he has specifically mentioned Ricky and Gina and where THEY are going next (in the picture above and other interviews)

-he has a “surprise” for everyone after the show ends… which looked like something at East High but I haven’t seen the actual surprise. Unless he was talking about their Wicked song, but even then the picture of him mentioning the surprise didn’t look like the Wicked song set up… it looked different. (I’m so sorry I don’t have this picture but if anyone has it feel free to reblog with it!)

-he wanted the franchise to be “Degrassi”-esque with lots of spin-offs and seasons and such. It was never meant to end here.

Not to mention when Josh and Sofia were asked about a spin-off they just giggled and shrugged nervously but made jokes about it being a rina college spin off (the body language is suspicious and telling)

And the official HSMTMTS account (which I believe Tim has some control over) posted a really cryptic tweet/insta about how “happy endings are just the beginning”

HSMTMTS cast was invited to D23 I believe? This year which is only for announcing NEW things usually so it’s kind of weird to slot a show that’s ended?

I find the amount of promo we’re getting from Tim and the official HSMTMTS account is… bizarre for a show that just ended? Maybe we’d get stuff for a few days but they’ve been hammering it home like we’re getting a new season next week. I don’t really watch promo for a lot of other shows though, so this could be a normal amount.

We also know that the strike is impacting a LOT of things, including promotion or talks of new shows. Tim wouldn’t do a movie/show for this without his og cast on board, so I feel like they’re waiting for the strike to be over to start things.

All of this to say, I do think we’re getting more but the strike really halted any of that coming forth for now. But with how good the show did, the contract Tim just signed with Disney, and how we were really starting to get moment with these characters (not to mention views and $$$ it was bringing in for Disney), I would be SHOCKED if we didn’t get more.

Tim purposely ended the show where he did because he wanted it to end on a high note and close the “high school” chapter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get another. I think Disney was probably ready to offer him a s5 but he didn’t want to risk it… with a new show, he can at least probably get 4 more seasons.

(don’t ask me what the hell is going on with bunk’d and their 7 seasons… I’m still trying to process that)

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #rina #ricky bowen #gina porter #ricky x gina #send me asks #asks #theories #anon #spin off

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starseneyes · 1 year

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Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 2, 3 & 4

Sitting here in a slight bit of disbelief that I'm writing another one so soon, but there have been pockets of time that have opened up in my life, and I'm going to take advantage before I run out, again!

Combining a little, here, because where we had 19 minutes plus of screen time in Episode 1, the number goes down considerably for a few episodes to off-set and focus on some other story lines/characters.

SPOILER ALERT: While I'm primarily writing these as though I were watching the episode for the first time, I will definitely spoil these episodes and MAYBE a little more (there ARE some nice points to reference as we go forward). Consider yourself forewarned!

Can Tim and Lucy untangle the mess of last episode's impulsive near-boinkfest? Let's dive in to find out.

Labor Day

"I'm positive your Sergeant will approve it?" "Yeah, he would, for sure. It's just, um, I have some things going on in my personal life right now."

There is so much to unpack, here. Let's start with Lucy's absolute surety that Tim would approve her going to the Undercover Academy.

When she first thought about pursuing Under Cover, Tim was totally against it. Yes, he has his own history regarding his ex-wife, but he also wasn't sure that Lucy could handle it.

Obviously, he under-estimated her, and he's repeatedly remarked on her doing a good job every time. "Not bad." "I thought she needed rescuing." "You're really good at this." Tim will approve it. No question.

The second is "I have some things going on in my persona life". Because, Chris immediately assumes he's the only roadblock to her happiness, at this point (and, Chris, honey, you are a roadblock... just not the one you think you are).

If you watch to the end of the episode, though, this isn't the only thing on her mind. Tim is, too. Not Sergeant Bradford, but Tim... the man.

They didn't get to finish their moment, and there's no way to take it back. In the flash of a moment, Lucy had to acknowledge her cheating ways and then register that the man she was cheating on was dying on her couch.

And what if that drove Tim away forever? What if that was her only chance, and now it's gone. What if it could have meant something, but she'll never have the chance to know?

Yeah... this is messy.

"How's Lucy?"

Hold the phone right there. Angela is asking Tim Bradford about Lucy.

In the past (especially post DOD), it was always Tim asking others about Lucy. He was the one on the outside who wasn't as close. Now, he's the mouthpiece for Lucy's state of being... and that's huge.

Tim has been in contact with Lucy. Maybe a call, but more likely text messages. But, however he's done it, he's been the one to check on her directly instead of going through someone else.

"Are you checking up on me" is now Tim reaching out to Lucy about Lucy. And that's huge.

"Uh, she's still a little shaken. Taking some time to get Chris settled." "Remind me what you were doing at her apartment... when you found Chris bleeding out."

Hermana! You are not giving this man any leeway and I am living for it!

Look, gossip gets around, but Angela's the only one who knows Tim's caught feelings for Lucy. It's unlikely any of the others would think Tim, who never stops seeing his Boots as Boots, would even consider boinking a Boot.

But Angela's different. She knows her Man of Honor better than most, and she has a feeling there's a reason behind Tim's presence in Lucy's apartment. "Search your feelings, you know it to be true."

"Just dropping her off after we got back from Vegas."

He leans into the truth. Honestly, that's the best thing you can do in a situation like that. But he knows she is fishing and he is hoping she will bite onto his lure away from the truth.

"Mmhmm."

Yeah, she's not biting, Tim.

"What are you implying?" "What do you think?" "I was just dropping her off." "Mmhmm."

Tim narrows his eyes at her, frustrated that she's now going along with his half-truth. Because, for goodness sake, this is messy.

Imagine Tim and Lucy don't get interrupted and they go through with it. Who would ever know? Tim goes his way. Lucy goes hers.

And then they'd have to deal with the inevitable emotional fall-out... but neither of them was thinking past that moment. They certainly never thought they'd have to explain it to others!

A Knock At The Door

Melissa O'Neil has some beautiful physicality to this scene, as she leans up to look out the peephole and sees Tim standing there. Gosh, is that indicative of her life, right now.

She has Chris. He's right here on her couch. But she wants Tim, and all she can do is glimpse him from outside her world. He's right there, but he's not inside... He's back on the other side of that threshold.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" "Just checking in. How you feeling?"

Look. At. Lucy. Her face screams, "Are you seriously doing this?!" This is likely the first time she's seen him since that horrible moment... the first time she's seen him wearing his own clothes and rocking his own hair (slicked back Tim was sleezy, I'm just sayin').

"Lucy's taking great care of me." "I have no doubt."

Tim's voice is so soft on this. I'll later come to identify it as his Velvety Voice... because he's talking about Lucy, the natural caretaker. The one who watches out for others. The one who sends food to her TO to help expedite his recovery.

Lucy is a beautiful caretaker, and a part of him wishes he was the one receiving her affection, right now.

Everything in him is aching to reach for her to offer comfort, right now, because he can see she is hurting. But his hands are firmly in his pockets, and have been since the second he stopped knocking.

"Can we talk?" "Yeah, sure."

He motions his head to the hallway, drawing her back out, across her own threshold. His voice is almost hesitant, and she doesn't know what they might discuss, but I think they both know their "almost" is going to come up.

She leaves the door open, probably to keep herself in check. And as she steps out, she and Tim are now standing in almost exactly the same positions as the last time they saw one another... standing at a threshold prepared to go in.

But, now they've both stepped back out.

"So, I, uh, I hear you're on the fence about going to UC school." "Chris called you?" "Yeah, which was expected. He wanted me to talk to you."

I love his little smirk on that. Not so long ago, his girlfriend called Lucy, and she wasn't phased a bit. But this is different for Tim.

Tim has feelings for Lucy, and that's making things complicated enough in this moment. Now, her "work in progress" is calling him to get him to nudge Lucy in the right direction? Because Chris trusts Lucy will listen to Tim.

Tim is Lucy's person. Man, these people are so bloody dense.

Because Lucy is standing before the man she truly wants to be with, and she's aghast that her stand-in cardboard cut-out is reaching out to the leading hunk in her life.

"It's not the right time." "He's gonna be fine. You owe it to yourself to go." "I know, but-" "What happened to him isn't your fault."

This is important. We're hearkening back to post DOD when Lucy ensured Tim understood Caleb wasn't his fault. But, the problem is that Chris isn't the only thing on Lucy's mind.

"We were about to." "But we didn't. We didn't."

Tim's shaking his head as he's speaking, volume dropping to barely above a whisper, pain in the assertion. I've thought a lot about this... and Tim's trying to assuage Lucy's guilt. He thinks she feels guilty. He thinks that is what is holding her back. Guilt.

But Tim is as wrong about Lucy as she was about Tim when he tried to talk to her in the hotel room. Lucy has had time to think about everything that has happened, and even as she is nursing Chris back to health, she's been thinking about Tim.

Yes, in that moment, they were both going for sex. But, here's the thing, Lucy thinks she's revealed herself to Tim. She thinks he's onto her feelings for him. And right now, she's trying to have the same discussion he wanted to have in the hotel room.

But they have this bad habit of not listening and instead assuming.

"Are you trying to get rid of me as your Gofer?" "No. No. I'm trying to look out for you."

Listen to how Tim's voice breaks. Look at how his face crumples. This is killing him. But he truly believes Lucy feels guilty about what almost happened. Maybe he worries his conversation in the hotel pressured her in some way.

But no matter what, he doesn't believe for a second that Lucy Chen has feelings for him.

He's had time to think this over, and over, and over. And every time he comes to the conclusion that she doesn't feel anything for him, and that she really wants to be with Chris. And Tim wants whatever makes her happy.

Lucy, in the meantime, is breaking. Tim rejecting sex was one thing. But now, as she's trying to talk to him about them, he's pushing her away. That's how she sees it, at least. Tim's pushing her to UC school. he's going to replace her as his Gofer. "Tim doesn't want me."

"It's time for you to move on." "And some time away would be good." "It's a great opportunity, Lucy." "Mmmhmm." "You should go for it."

She thinks he's using US school as a prop to reject her, to push her away, to separate them. And it hurts.

Lucy looks up to Tim's eyes, searching them for something to tell her that she's wrong, something that'll make her believe he means this for her good, truly. Something that says, "I'm not rejecting you."

But Tim turns away. Because this burns. He glances inside to see Chris on the couch, through that threshold Tim thinks he will never cross, again.

He barely glances back at Lucy... because the tears are already brimming in his eyes... and he can't let her see.

Lucy stands in the hallway in pieces. Because she wanted to talk to him. She had time to consider their actions, and she needed to know why he crossed that threshold. Was it just physical? Is there something more there for him, as there is for her?

But they're still talking past one another. Time will tell if they learn how to have an actual conversation.

Dye Hard

"I'd like to congratulate Officer Lucy Chen for successfully completing the DEA Covert Operations Training Academy, which is no small feat."

Tim is watching her the whole time, smiling at her accomplishment. It's no longer, "Your accomplishments are my accomplishments". Lucy did this all on her own.

And Tim is going to support Lucy however he can. Because, in his mind, that's all he can do, now.

Look, 5x01 was all over the place for Tim, emotionally. But in 5x02, he had time to consider what happened, and he has determined that he is Lucy Chen's biggest mistake.

Think about it. He knows how heartbroken she was after her ex cheated on him, then married the girl. From what he knows, Lucy has never cheated, and we know that he never has, either.

So, he has to think about what went wrong, and in Tim's mind... it was him. We know that's not right. We know how these two feel about one another. We know it was a lapse in judgment, not an absence of emotion.

But Tim grew up in an abusive household, with a father who likely blamed him for every beating. He was never good enough... maybe he questioned if anything about him was good.

He puts himself in harm's way every day to protect people, to help people, to put some good out in the world. But what did he do with Lucy? He led her down a path that left her guilt-ridden.

We know that's not true! But, Tim is keeping his distance from Lucy, now, in an effort to protect her... and himself. It's such a mess.

He doesn't even walk over to congratulate her. For all he know, he hasn't texted her since she left for UC school. They're both stuck in their heads thinking the other needs/wants space. A simple conversation would solve everything... but they're too hurt to even start it.

"He hasn't replaced you, yet, so he's happy."

Ouch. Lucy gives us quite a bit of insight into her head right now. She thinks Tim's unhappy, so Tim replaced her... and is avoiding her.

Her eyes land on him across the room, and he can feel her gaze. He looks back, but he has no idea what to say. Lucy breaks the eye contact, feeling even more lost than she did before.

"When did you last hear Chen on the radio?"

It's Lucy's first day back on the job since leaving for UC School, and Tim's hyper-aware of that. He's keeping a listening ear out for her, even if he would never admit it.

He jumps into action, immediately, to go rescue Chen... Chen... He said "Chen", didn't he?

In the past, Tim stuck to "Boot" or "Chen" with Lucy nearly all of the time. "Lucy" was a rarity. But, in 5x01, that's all he called her. He uses her name at the end of 5x02 during their breakup scene (thank God we got that out of the way...).

But once they're both back on the job, he's gone formal as a way to protect and distance himself. But that was before his woman was in possible danger.

"Chen? Chen!" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm in here!" "Hang on. The door is stuck." "No kidding." "You okay?"

Tim is looking at her not entirely like an SO, but more like an... SO. Oh, you know what I mean. He looks her over to make sure she's alright, and there's this softness to it that reminds me of how he looked at her in her apartment before they found Chris.

This is their first interaction since he encouraged her to go to UC school. And it's him rescuing her, again.

Getting to say, "You okay" is the first opportunity he's had to gauge how she is directly in weeks, and her brain is already firing on the Rosalind angle.

This episode is the peak of their era of discomfort. And we needed it. We needed to see how it looks when these two are pining and aching for one another, but not knowing the other wants them, too.

Sure, they could have skipped this era, but this is a huge transition for these two. Every step of this relationship has been earned. There are times he was in the wrong, and times she was in the wrong, and now they're both wrong.

The Choice

"I'd like to stay, too, and make sure Bailey's never down there by herself."

Tim glances back at her as she says it. Rosalind's acolyte... another... trapping another woman in a hole. But one thing I love about this is how Tim never once tells her to sit it out, or acts like she can't handle it.

Lucy once said if she couldn't handle Rosalind in a cage, she shouldn't be a cop. She also said that she knew Tim would help her if it got to her head. (and he protested... but... c'mon, we all know he's going to do it).

"Is John there? Lucy, where's John?"

Lucy looks up to Tim, unsure how to answer. He feels her glance and he kneels down, taking over. "If you need a cop, tag me in" comes to mind.

"Chen." "I'll go down." "No. There may be more traps. It's too dangerous. Just be ready to follow if it's clear." "Okay."

I get both perspectives in this moment. Lucy wants to help in every way that she can. She survived one of Rosalind's acolytes. She wants to do everything she can to help Bailey.

But Tim's not about to lose Lucy to Rosalind twice. He already has his gear in hand as he preps to go down. And he can't look at her.

Tim can't meet her eyes as they're arguing here about who should go down. The last time they were on opposite sides of an issue they were in the air and she kissed him out of nowhere. It's still too fresh.

He settles into position, and as he does he can't help but look up at Lucy—to find her staring back at him. And then neither can look away.

Because they both know that if there are more traps, this may be their last moment looking at one another.

It's the risks they take for their job, but sometimes when you face your own mortality directly (and I have a few times), you consider all the things left unsaid. These two have a lot left unsaid.

In classic YA romance style, Lucy seems to hold her breath until he disappears from sight, when she starts breathing, again.

The rest of the episode isn't Chenford-heavy (this episode isn't about them), but the fact that Lucy was the one to bring Bailey back? Oh, I'm in tears. Because not only did Lucy beat Rosalind's acolyte once by cheating her Day of Death, but she did it twice by saving Bailey.

Stopping here with these three. I feel like we really needed this episode for Tim and Lucy, though. This is the first episode they're working together, again, after things started to get weird. And they easily found their rhythm of leaning on one another, again.

They needed that. They needed to get here so we could get what we see in the rest of the season. If the avoidance had lasted too long, I fear it would have gotten tired and frustrating. Yes, Tim and Lucy aren't yet ready to talk about them, but they're talking, again. Even if it's only work-based, they're talking, again.

And that gives us what we need to get into "The Fugitive". But that, quite literally, is another Meta.

As always, thanks for reading!! This has been a lot of fun!j

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #The Rookie #Meta #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy

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