[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Rookie Season 7 Episode 6 “The Gala.”]
Take two exes who clearly nonetheless care about each other, add in a black-tie occasion, have a purpose for them to get shut, and one thing’s certain to occur. That’s precisely the case for Lucy (Melissa O’Neil) and Tim (Eric Winter) on The Rookie for Season 7’s Valentine’s Day episode.
First, they have to awkwardly work collectively as a part of a Flip in Your Ex Day at work (it’s precisely what it seems like). Then, they each attend a charity gala, the place Tim will get a lower on the again of his neck whereas intervening and subduing a drunk visitor. Lucy joins him in a lodge room to assist patch him up. Together with his shirt off so she will be able to clear the realm, then him standing near thank her … effectively, is it any surprise that regardless that they shouldn’t, they kiss and fall into mattress?
“I used to be excited to see the entire messy ramp up and having them be awkward round one another. And once they had their second within the lodge, I used to be admittedly feeling somewhat bit protecting and like, ‘Nicely, wait a minute. They haven’t had a dialog. What’s occurring right here?’” O’Neil tells TV Insider in our Booked: The Rookie Aftershow (watch the complete interview above). She spoke with the writers and Winter. “It was a great train for me as an actor to be like, okay, let me simply belief the method. However in the end it was a extremely fantastic alternative to collaborate with Eric. There’s a variety of nice locations for us to determine and dialogue with one another: ‘Okay, how do you need to play this? How can we assist inform this story as finest as we will?’”
Disney/Mike Taing
O’Neil says Chenford’s evening collectively stems from “the irresistibility of a connection that you recognize exists” and calls it “a second of out of time for them.”
She continues, “There’s no supervision. They each look actually stunning as a result of they bought dressed up for this night. She simply completed watching him being a knight in shining armor. I believe that she had the perfect intentions when she went up there and possibly was attempting to disclaim elements of herself. After which in that second, it’s pheromones. They’re so shut to one another.”
The subsequent morning is awkward. They write it off as Valentine’s Day ex intercourse, aided by alcohol and shirtless triage. But it surely seems to be like each need to say one thing, and he or she hesitates outdoors the lodge room after she leaves. O’Neil reveals that they filmed a number of completely different variations of that scene.
“I wasn’t certain how I needed to have that second. Was she additionally on board with it simply being a factor, like we’re good? Or was she caught off guard?” she wonders. “When she’s standing outdoors, I hope what ended up within the lower is a mixture of wanting to return, but in addition realizing that she shouldn’t. It’s messy. I believe if there’s any via line for Lucy’s journey together with her at work romances, it’s that she very a lot doesn’t need her professionalism to be compromised regardless of herself.”
Trying forward, “I wouldn’t be stunned if they might attempt to keep somewhat bit separated, however due to the character of their job, I think about that they’re going to get proper again concerned with one another,” says O’Neil. “I believe it’s at all times actually enjoyable for us to see them doing what they’re the perfect at, which is certain, being in love with one another, however greater than that, being actually good at their job. They’re actually glorious teammates.”
From O’Neil’s perspective, Lucy “was on the again foot ready for him to step ahead, ready for him to do all of this stuff that he stated he was going to do, ready for him to provoke these conversations. And on the identical time, after I dialogued with Alexi [Hawley] about what was happening within the scripts, it was actually necessary to him that she had company in these conditions and was reclaiming her energy and connecting with him when she needed to on her phrases due to how every part ended. And in addition to that time that as a result of Bradford knew that he had actually tousled their threads of belief in how he departed their relationship, that Bradford was additionally on the again foot ready for her cue. So I do really feel like there’s somewhat little bit of each of them type of sussing one another out, attempting to determine, effectively, what are you going to do? How are you going to be with me?”
Main as much as the gala, Tim talked about he was bringing a date, nevertheless it wasn’t till the occasion that Lucy noticed it was his sister, Genny (Peyton Listing). That “allowed for a gorgeous second to have that launch, that power launch when she noticed Genny,” shares O’Neil. “I type of want that they’d finished that for the viewers as effectively. I type of want that they hadn’t stated something about Genny.”
Watch the complete aftershow with O’Neil above as she breaks down the episode, discusses Lucy as a coaching officer this season and the way a lot she trusts Seth (Patrick Keleher), and extra.
The Rookie, Tuesdays, 10/9c, ABC