Before its season 8 return, a rewatch of The Rookie from the very beginning turned into a sobering realization about John Nolan (Nathan Fillion) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O’Neil). In the first episode, Nolan and Chen were involved in a secret and romantic relationship.
At the age of 45, Nolan felt his life was falling apart after his divorce and his construction business left him in debt. During his midlife crisis, Nolan moved to Los Angeles to become a cop. He was met primarily with skepticism and disbelief as he became the oldest rookie in the LAPD.
Although he could have quit the force, John had the support of his secret girlfriend, Lucy, to remind him why the badge is so important. They kept their relationship hidden from most of their colleagues, including fellow rookie cop Jackson West (Titus Makin Jr.), but Nolan’s training officer, Talia Bishop (Afton Williamson), disapproved of their romance, and it was quickly dropped before it even began.
The Rookie Starts With Nolan & Chen In A Significant Age-Gap Relationship
John and Lucy standing together in The Rookie season 7
John and Lucy’s relationship had an age gap of up to 15 years. Love is love, but such an age gap can become problematic from a power dynamic perspective, especially when it’s a dynamic of an older man with a younger woman. Although their romance was cut short, the age-gap relationship between John and Lucy could have easily become a source of division among viewers if not handled tactfully.
At the time, however, Lucy expected John’s maturity to bring a unique perspective to their age-gap relationship. But John mentioned that he had been married to his high school sweetheart, Sarah Nolan (Emily Deschanel), and had not been in another serious relationship since.
It could have easily wandered into the territory of audiences wondering why Lucy was dating John, who was nearly 50 years old in the pilot, if he didn’t have any significant experience dating as an adult. It could also have led to awkward questions about why John chose to romance someone significantly younger than him, and a potential colleague, at that.
Nolan & Chen Go On To Have More Appropriate Age-Gap Relationships As The Rookie Went On
Tim and Lucy standing together in The Rookie season 7
After their split, John and Lucy went on to date other people who are closer to their age group. John fell madly in love with his second wife, Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan), who is supposedly in her late 30s or early 40s. Bailey is a tad younger, but the age gap is not so significant as Lucy’s. Even though John has a son, Henry (Zayne Emory), from his first marriage, he seemed ready to have another child in the sixth season and expand his family with Bailey.
Lucy, however, still turned out to be attracted to older and divorced men. She was eventually charmed by her distant and hard-edged training officer, Tim Bradford (Eric Winter). In the pilot, Tim would have been in his late 30s, closer to his 40s. Although Tim and Lucy have a 10-year age gap, viewers have warmed up to this on-and-off couple. The Rookie’s “Chenford” fans are expecting Tim and Lucy to patch things up and rekindle their romance in the eighth season.
Thankfully, the secret affair between John and Lucy was brief, and The Rookie seems to have found true love interests for the two. Although John and Lucy split, the pair turned out to be far better friends and officers than lovers.
