Kari

did a couple different photo edits b/c that quote from rmdrk fits tim’s romantic journey so well. he went from 💔➡️❤️ b/c of lucy & i think that’s beautiful. it says a lot about their relationship & how impactful it’s been not only to her but to him as well.

Just gonna leave these here. You’re welcome.

Ooooooh Ashley’s back now too 👀

ngl was ready to fight tim for this bc of lucy’s 😕 expression like EXCUSE YOU SIR be nicer to your work wife thank you

(but also i’m manifesting more lucy feelings realization moments like this one in 4x21 for 4x22) ✨🕯😌🤞

sir, your poker face could use some work, just saying. 👀 also, was anyone else surprised by ashley’s admission? or just me? not that i expected or assumed she had to have kids or want marriage, it’s just — since those are two things tim seems to want (kids) or has had (marriage), i was a little thrown when she was essentially like “yeah no.”

kinda wondering if that’ll come back up in season 5?? cause y’all know helena mattsson posted congrats to the cast about s5 so unless ashford (tim/ashley) breakup in 4x22 i’m thinking that may be a subject of their relationship moving forward since it’s kind of a big issue or two to not be on the same page with, you know what i mean? idk, just my two cents laaaaaate at night over this part of the 4x21 scene.

ps: tim, i’m not buying your “oh okay uh great” for a second there buddy.

thanks to abc network for posting this scene so i can fully break it down including the cringe moment b/t ashford (tim/ashley) — i’m sorry y’all but that “shhh” w/the 🤫 NO THANK YOU. also did anyone else find it kinda funny how ashley asked tim if it was a good day & the first thing he talked about was lucy?? like dude, be more obvious please i dare you. 😅 & the fact that he tried to explain something to her because of something LUCY SAID as opposed to something that HE FELT is so absolutely telling it kills me. 👀

ps: ashley’s expression in fifth photo = me when that “magic” line was said by tim & the sixth photo is me when she repeated it later in the scene to him 🚫

Like for example, how they edited it to show Lucy asking the question, then Ashley’s face. probably just me overthinking it but it’s almost like they’re comparing the two women. Or at least, using it as an example to show how one would react vs. who’s the one discussing it? Does that make sense? I mean I know it’s not like you announce it to the person you’re going to marry that you’re going to propose, but you’d think that ashley would have some idea that it could be coming.... or if not, then that says a lot about the state of ashford right there. (Eric’s ship name, not mine!)

Then there’s the whole idea of even if it is just how they edited the promo, I’m curious about Chenford not making eye contact with each other. Because usually they’re very good about the 👀 you know? And yet in this crucial convo, neither looks directly at the other when speaking. But especially Tim, who looks off to the side more than once when answering Lucy’s question w/“I can.” The casualness of his time betrays it too. Like come on Timothy. That’s not an “I’m so excited to marry ashley” voice nor is it an “I’m gonna marry the love of my life” look he has on his face. That’s because the love of his life is sitting in the seat next to him

I’d just think that friends who are comfortable enough around each other (& don’t have potential to be romantic) would be able to discuss these things with genuine excitement and support. Now, I’m not saying Lucy’s not being supportive of Tim or that she’s not genuinely excited about this for him. But, I am saying that these feelings of hers are gonna come to the surface and 💥. Major feelings alert — which I think will affect Chenford in 4x22, but I digress.

I’m also still wondering if the proposal thing is leaning towards a vacation because Jon’s (Jon steinberg, EP of the rookie, fyi) now deleted Chenford equation mentioned a vacation and it lent itself to being Tim/Ashley. But idk! I’m still just a little bummed if they did use the respective as a way to kind of trip us up in the episode description but also not totally discouraged because it makes more sense for chrischen to have the moms day stuff. oh well.

Oh & poor Lucy. I’m still betting they won’t be able to fully process whatever the outcome is. Either Lucy sees that tiny bit and doesn’t hear ashley say no (or yes) — or she sees everything and doesn’t hear it. Or, it’s actually the vacation thing and Tim goes to tell her but she’s gone. OR the whole theory of her getting done talking w/Chris then wanting to talk to tim then seeing him w/Ashley... either way I’m still looking forward to this episode & am not one of those people who are “Bradford antis” until this ep is over LOL. maybe it’s because I like angst and drama - I’m here for all the ups and downs as long as Chenford is endgame (by s5 pls!!!)

was trying to find an Isabel photo for a photo edit and OMFG THEIR CLOTHING COLORS ARE EVEN THE SAME HELP WAS THAT INTENTIONAL?!?!?! @ therookie explain yourselves pls thank youuuuuuuu 😳

so @halsteadsass had some lovely thoughts about the 4x21 promo & inspired me to write my own.

there are a LOT of ways i could see this whole proposal thing happening. one being (sadly, but still possible!) that tim actually would propose to ashley. but before anyone breaks down, let me explain why i really see that as the last resort possibility:

tim bradford has always been a man to 1) stay in relationships and 2) not be spontaneous. he’s like the epitome of a person who hates surprises IMO, so why on earth would he spring one on ashley in the form of a 💍? yeah, no. next!

ps: can’t forget how long it took him to divorce his now ex-wife isabel. tim is a helper by nature. his duty is to the people he cares about, and he thought he could help his wife — and in some ways, he did. but in staying for so long, he ended up getting hurt in the process.

with rachel, he initially was against the whole long distance relationship thing because him being a man of logic looked at the statistics. STATS. about love. 🙃 and you wanna know who looks at the heart of issues (pun sort of intended?) LUCY CHEN THAT’S WHO. besides, she was one of the people encouraging him to maybe try & make it work if that’s what he wanted. so, in the s2 finale, he changed his mind & did.

pps: did we ever get a clear reason why he & rachel ended things? am i just blocking that out from my memory or something????? no seriously help me out here people 😂

anyway, moving on to the present day. lucy is with chris; tim is with ashley. now, i’ve gone on about various reasons why i see chris & lucy not working out on the podcast - but in short, the foundation isn’t there (they’ve disagreed on mental health issues numerous times & it’s even come up in lucy’s trial prep), they may have fun but like nikki said in her post, it’s not something long term, and they just don’t have that same page type of vibe that chenford has. you know how lucy said she & tim have a shorthand? it’s because they’re so in tune with each other. chrischen on the other hand isn’t. i feel like chris is more invested than lucy is — remember she called him/their relationship a “work in progress” !!!!

and y’all don’t even get me started on tim/ashley (idk their ship name😅). while i don’t mind them, i do think they’re better as individuals than they are together. they lack common ground, they don’t share any similar interests, & um yes hi so unless i missed something neither has said the oh-so-important l word. (L O V E) .... soooo there’s that to consider. why on earth would tim, a man who isn’t spontaneous & is usually meticulous in his decisions propose marriage to a woman he hasn’t even said “i love you” to yet?!?!?!?!?!?! it doesn’t track to me, y’know?

i’m also in the camp of lucy being the one to actually process her feelings first. tim may have had moments of realization over this last season (esp. since 3x09!) but i think even though he’s one to be logical, he’s also one to push things down easier. so he was able to push anything away feelings wise for lucy since 3x09, or 3x14, or 4x01 easily because it just couldn’t happen for them then. and now that he’s with someone else, i don’t think that it came up again (unless you count the dance - but we missed a critical aftermath scene in that ep so canonically(?) who knows what chenford’s thinking now!)

so he’s able to compartmentalize easier than say, lucy “usually wears her heart on her sleeve” chen is. except, when it comes to tim, lucy hasn’t faced things since her 4x01 realization either (again, sort of omitting the dance scene b/c of the lack of aftermath — DON’T GET ME WRONG I FUCKING LOVE THAT MOMENT THOUGH).

to recap, we’re left with two people in other relationships who each haven’t fully come to terms with their feelings for each other. i’m honestly wondering if a more plausible explanation is tim proposing those “Mother’s Day plans” to ashley that the 4x21 episode description alludes to. again, it’s just me being the english major & going back to the use of “respective” in the description, which when properly used coincides with the list in question - each item in the forthcoming list relates back to the subject - god i’m not making sense

^ in the description above, respective relationships means whatever’s described first pertains to tim, second to lucy. so tim/ashley deal w/mother’s day; chrischen deals w/the vacation. so, i’m thinking tim is trying to reassure ashley that things will work out if she wants him to meet her mom(?) or if she would inquire about his — although see i’m still not 100% sure as to the status of mrs. bradford (is she alive still? i’d always presumed the opposite, but maybe i’m wrong)... hence why i’m leaning towards ashley would want tim to meet her mother. maybe he’s just gesturing & saying how great it’ll be. OR MAYBE THE DESCRIPTION IS PURPOSELY MISUSING RESPECTIVE & IT IS THE ROMANTIC VACATION FOR TIM/ASHLEY in which case tim’s attempting to be spontaneous & “sell” this romantic vacay idea to his girlfriend aaaaand that’s what lucy sees in the promo! {because btw, chris wanting to meet lucy’s mom or parents in general would make more sense than chrischen romantic vacation storyline IMO}

but maybe chris does wanna do a vacation & that is what’s on lucy’s mind as she’s walking & maybe that’s when she sees tim. hell, maybe she was going to go ask for his advice about said vacation idea. or the whole chris meeting her mother thing. maybe it brings up emotions surrounding bio dad for her again & since she mentioned it to tim before maybe she’s looking for a sympathetic ear again. who knows (i only wish i did - thank god we only have to wait 6 days to find out)

also one of my other friends said maybe it’s some sort of fever dream lucy has. like it cannot be real, the tim getting down on one knee thing.... maybe it’s all just a dream lucy had that gets her to wake up and realize her feelings for tim are real (nikki i believe mentioned this in her post or on other social media!)

anyhow, i’m still in the camp of lucy is needing to talk to tim, sees the “proposal” then BAM! feelings are officially being processed, all cylinders are firing. now, do i think ashley says yes? sorry to say (HAVE U SEEN TIM BRADFORD🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥) but i think she says no. and maybe lucy is only seeing the grand gesture (if it is a real proposal) and mistakes it for ashley’s yes. or, i think someone else either or here or twitter had said maybe it’s a practice round 😆 either way, i’m still thinking that everything is not what it seems when it comes to that scene — even the result if it does happen to be a real marriage proposal from tim to ashley.

i do think that regardless of the outcome, chenford probably won’t have a chance to discuss it with each other. i feel like they’ll be dummies and stew privately, or push all these weird emotions away that come up from said scene. so, i’m thinking that this undercover mission in 4x22 will be extra tension filled because of the words unspoken, feelings unsaid. and when the stakes get higher in this possible drug op, an undercover kiss or at the very least, almost kiss happens which will definitely turn chenford’s world upside down. (& bring fans like me an eternity of screaming until s5 in sept.)

ok, i think i’m done now. brownie points for you if you read this whole thing. i ramble. i’m a writer. it’s kinda my thing. oops. 🥴 hope some of this made sense. chenford endgame ftw that’s all!

The Rookie 4x21 promo “Mother’s Day”

Late night filming = great chaotic posts from these guys 🙌😅👏 gotta love it! It’s officially ChrisChen & Ashford y’all (still rooting for Chenford endgame!!)

sorry ashley 😅 even chris noticed 👀

Aaaaand the awards for Best Third & Fourth Wheel 🏆🏆 go to:

😂😂 poor Ashley & Chris they never stood a chance with this double date

*insert cricket noises*

Tim: is on a date with Ashley

Also Tim:

That awkward moment when your dates forget they’re on dates with you and not each other but then proceed to act married AF and seem more interested in talking to each other than you — Ashley & Chris third & fourth wheeled so badly in 4x12 😂😅😬🥴🙃