This Chenford Easter Egg In The Rookie Season 8 Highlights Their Journey

The Rookie season 8 has been a gift for fans of Chenford, the romantic relationship between Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) and Lucy Chen (Melissa O'Neil), and the easter egg hidden in its most recent episode is proof of what makes the long-time couple work. While there has been friction between Tim and Lucy for the past season of The Rookie, the most recent episodes have shown massive developments.

After The Rookie season 7 left the couple on a precarious cliffhanger after Tim asked a tired Lucy to move in with him only to discover she'd fallen asleep and missed out on the question, viewers were prepared to find their way back to normal with the couple's season 8 storyline. Instead of keeping viewers on the hook, Tim and Lucy quickly got back together during season 8's premiere.

Despite there being some criticism surrounding the lack of conversation between the pair prior to their reconciliation, Tim and Lucy's relationship and co-habitation appears to be going smoothly after just a few episodes. While The Rookie season 8 episode 3, "The Red Place", appeared to open up with some tension, a surprising callback made it clear just how much their relationship means to the series.

Lucy's The Rookie Season 8, Episode 3 Red Sweater Importance Explained

During the ending scene of The Rookie's most recent episode, Lucy comes home to Tim after a difficult day working with a kidnapping victim. After discussing her own traumatic past, sharing her experience being abducted back during The Rookie season 2, Lucy and Tim dealt with a minor domestic issue, but fans noticed a specific detail about their final scene together.

Back in her plain clothes, Lucy was wearing a red three-quarter zip sweater that fans of The Rookie may remember from a pivotal moment in the show's second season. In The Rookie season 2, episode 12 "Now And Then", Lucy is wearing the sweater while working out in the Mid-Wilshire boxing gym (please bring this back, Rookie writers!) when Tim approaches her to talk about what happened.

In their season 2 scene together, Tim is coming to Lucy as her training officer. Clearly feeling responsible for some piece of her trauma, he talked to Lucy about ways she can reframe her mindset, suggesting that she chooses to see herself as a survivor rather than a victim. While it's not a romantic moment, it's a huge shift in Tim and Lucy's relationship.

Echoing Tim's sentiments in the most recent episode, Lucy shares her story with the hospitalized victim and then heads home to her now-live-in-boyfriend wearing the same sweater. This nod to the early days of Chenford may have been tough to catch, but the repeated outfit signifies just how far Tim and Lucy have come in the last several seasons.

Tim & Lucy's Tumultuous History Make Their Romance In The Rookie Season 8 More Satisfying

As Tim and Lucy move into new territory in their relationship, their tricky past has made their romance far more satisfying. Going from a hardened training officer and his crafty rookie to live-in romantic partners has taken years of work from The Rookie, but the series has been able to make it clear that the Chenford relationship is well worth the effort.