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Lucy Chen

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"In this job, we have to separate from the personal. It's the hardest thing we have to do. Because if we lose control, bad things happen, right?"
―Lucy Chen[src]

Sergeant Lucy Chen is a main character in The Rookie, played by Melissa O'Neil. She was a Police Officer I assigned to the Mid-Wilshire Division. Her training officer was Tim Bradford in Season 1-3, and their callsign was usually 7-Adam-19. Her badge number from Seasons 1-7 was 28537. She was promoted to Police Officer ll in "Amber". In "The Shot", Lieutenant Wade Grey needed another training officer, so she was given an interim (temporary) promotion to Police Officer III and trained rookie Seth Ridley until his termination from the FTO program in "Chaos Agent", after which she reverted to a Police Officer II. Upon her promotion to Sergeant I at the end of "Mutiny And The Bounty", her role becomes the night shift supervising Sergeant; her badge number changes to 8713 and her callsign becomes 7-Lincoln-300.

Biography[]

Season 1[]

In the Pilot episode, Lucy Chen is a rookie paired up with Training Officer Tim Bradford. She tells Bradford that her parents are both psychologists, the implication being that she joined the police force as an act of rebellion. In a later episode, she tells Nolan that she realizes how committed she is to her new career.

Chen drives a 1977 Datsun 280Z, which she has to push down the street in the pilot, and she says she lives in a one-bedroom apartment with a view of a methadone clinic.

In the Pilot, it's apparent that Chen and John Nolan are romantically involved and trying to keep their relationship on the down low. When Talia Bishop warns both Chen and Nolan about the stigma attached to female cops who sleep with male cops, they break off the relationship, though neither one is happy doing so. The break up happened at Nolan's house in "The Switch".

In "Caught Stealing", Chen is forced to find a new place to live, as her landlord is evicting everyone to convert her building to condominiums. In the course of the episode, a criminal is found dead in a "surprisingly upscale" apartment, and Chen ends up renting it at a discount due to the fact that there had been a death there.

In "Green Light", Chen remarks to Nolan that he seems happy and credits his dating Jessica Russo. Chen and Jackson West react with approval to the news.

In "The Shake Up", Chen's father, a psychologist, is injured by a patient and ends up in the hospital, where he and Chen have a difference of opinion about the role of the police in mental health cases. They do not part on the best of terms.

Season 2[]

In the beginning of the season, Chen gets a good score on her mid-term exam, but Bradford requires her to continue to wear long sleeves and a tie, even though rookies are usually permitted to wear short sleeves after passing their mid-term exam. The reason for this, as he describes it, is because he has full control over his rookie, including their uniform. Chen schemes to get Bradford to go on a date (with Rachel Hall), making a bet with Bradford that she can set him up; if she wins, she gets to wear short sleeves. Chen wins the bet and is allowed to switch to short sleeves.

In "The Night General", West ends up living with Chen after his landlord has been arrested.

In "Safety", Chen rides patrol with Detective Nyla Harper, who mockingly gives her the nickname "Not Nolan". After Chen easily loses fights to two meth heads and Harper, she angrily tries to prove to Harper that she is worthy enough to be on the police force. Chen eventually helps Harper subdue a serial bomber by wiggling her way out of the trap that he has set for her, and Harper appears to be impressed.

In "Clean Cut", after Bradford rear ends a woman while on patrol with Chen, she immediately comes to his defense and helps clear his name, something Bradford appears to be appreciative of. She also helps set the trap for the woman's boyfriend so Bradford can arrest and charge him with attempted murder.

In "The Dark Side", Chen meets a man named Caleb Wright at a bar, and the two seemingly hit it off. She is later shown on a date with Wright, only to have it abruptly conclude with Wright stuffing her in a trunk after slipping a sedative into her drink.

In "Day of Death", Chen wakes up to find herself tied to a chair in a house, with Caleb tattooing her day of death onto her abdomen. West has told the other officers about Chen's disappearance after failing to find her at the apartment that they have together, and they discover that Caleb is the protégé of serial killer Rosalind Dyer. Chen tries multiple times to get away, breaking her restrains, but to no avail. Caleb intends to lock Chen in a barrel and bury her alive, as he has done with previous victims, but the LAPD manages to find the remote property where Caleb buried her. Caleb is the only one who knows where she is buried, but he is shot to death by Nyla Harper in the stomach. But Bradford and the rest of the team locate Chen's burial site, where Bradford pulls her out of the barrel and performs CPR, saving her life.

In "Now and Then", Harper gets permission from Bradford to ride with Chen, in an attempt to try and help her ease back into the job after her kidnapping. Later after they all get off, Harper and Angela Lopez take Chen to a Speed Dating event, attempting to give her a fun girl's night out. However, one of the men points out a loose fabric on her shirt and touches it, causing her to have a flashback to her kidnapping and pin the man to the floor in self-defense as a result of her panic attack. Harper later tells Chen that she had also been in a situation similar to the one that Chen had been in.

In "Follow-Up Day", Bradford reveals to her that he is holding off on his promotion to Sergeant in order to complete Chen's training.

In "The Overnight", Chen accidentally auditions for American Idol. She impresses the judges before Bradford retrieves her, as the judges tried to approve her going to the finals. She also meets Valerie Castillo, a reporter who will do anything to get a good story. Chen goes alone with Castillo to a hotel to try and catch a man who has been committing crimes there. Chen eventually realizes that the situation is out of her control, and she calls Bradford in for backup.

In "Control", she meets a firefighter named Emmett Lang during a call. She is immediately intrigued by him, but Bradford is hesitant to give her dating advice because she nearly died the last time he gave her advice, however, Chen assures him that what happened with Caleb was not his fault.

In "The Q Word", it is shown that her relationship with Emmett is starting to evolve, as they had slept together. Chen also comforts West, who is grieving over the death of Chris Rios, a close friend and fellow officer who died on the operating table after being shot.

In "The Hunt", Chen finds out that Rachel was planning to move to New York, and she spends most of this episode concerned about Rachel and Bradford's relationship.

Season 3[]

In "In Justice", Chen and Bradford meet a young homeless girl named Tamara Collins and Chen takes Tamara under her wing after Tamara is caught stealing Chen's car. Though the conversation is quite strained at first, Tamara eventually begins to open up and trust Chen.

In "Revelations", Chen becomes interested in doing undercover work after her upcoming promotion to Police Officer II.

In "Bad Blood", Emmett breaks up with Chen over text, which greatly upsets her, as seen by her talking to multiple people in an attempt to find out why.

In "Amber", Chen is promoted to Police Officer II. For the remainder of the season, she and Jackson West rode together while on patrol.

In "Threshold", Chen goes undercover as a chemist, taking down a major drug trafficking ring in the process. Her cover is nearly blown by La Fiera, but she is able to fend for herself until Lopez, Bradford, and Harper arrive to rescue her.

Season 4[]

In "Life and Death", Chen learns of Jackson's death and is devastated. While the others travel to Guatemala to rescue Lopez, she stays behind with Sgt. Grey and helps apprehend and arrest Jackson's killer. Chen later returns to the apartment she shared with Jackson and becomes sad as she looks at his empty room, which is just as he had left it.

In "Five Minutes", she and Nolan help Tamara move into Jackson's old room and she begins riding with Nolan on patrol after Harper begins training a new rookie. However, eventually newly promoted Sgt. Bradford requests to have Chen as his aide, so she rides with him and Nolan goes solo.

In "A.C.H.", she and the squad are updated to prepare for anything on Halloween. She is also amused to hear the story of how Bradford got his uniform ripped. She and Tamara are later confused when a neighbor tells them that the building is haunted especially when they look into its history. Unlike her suspicious coworkers, she doesn't think it's a ghost. However, while she and Tamara are trying on costumes, they discover a man is actually living in the walls of the building and stealing from the apartments. They even found the groceries Chen accused Tamara of eating. She later found the man about to assault a woman and had to escape the walls to defend the woman. She attacked the man with a broom handle and arrested him, freeing her building of his thieving spree.

During "End Game", Chen gives Tamara the heartbreaking news that her friend Rebecca "Becca" Price has been killed. After finding out about the death of her friend Tamara is devastated. Lucy has her ask around and do some digging on the app Clip Talk, a social media app, before finding her friend Declan. She and Bradford later discover that Declan killed Becca (albeit unintentionally) and pawned the jewelry she stole from him. Lucy and Bradford arrest Declan. Tamara confided in Lucy and the latter comforted her as she grieved the loss of her friend. Tamara then told her that she was happy to have met her because of the bond they share. Chen also told Tamara, that they can talk about her past life and Tamara having been homeless, but that it could wait until Tamara was ready and the two share a hug.

During "Heart Beat", Chen encounters A.D.A Chris Sanford when he comes to the station and reveals he is prosecuting Tyler, the young drug dealer who she and Bradford arrested. Lucy defends the young man, but Sanford is unconvinced he can be redeemed, leading to an argument. She puts aside her anger, when working a case where a fugitive millionaire crashes plane and shoots at her and Bradford while holding his employee's hostage. Chen and Bradford help Nolan and Harper box the man end, when he tries to flee. At the end, Sanford later informs Chen that because she allowed Tyler to go free, he robbed a store at gunpoint and caused the clerk to have a heart attack.

In "End Game", Chen meets Sanford again and she reveals the clerk survived, something he heard from sources. Unlike before, he is willing to show leniency by having Tyler act as a CI and implicate his boss, Curtis. Chen did not like the idea, as Tyler would be in serious danger if he did become a CI, and another argument ensues; an implied attraction, however, exists between them.

To her dismay, Bradford sets her up with Sanford on a double date with him and Ashley McGrady in "The Knock".

During "Hit List", she and Sanford are still dating but in a debate over whether they are a couple. When Sergeant Grey is attacked and other witnesses for a murder case against a crime lord named Matteo Rubio end up murdered, Sanford tries to get Chen the list of witnesses to stop the spree, but she refuses to take it because she didn't want to jeopardize their careers and he understands. That night, the team discovered that a corrupt court clerk gave out the names of witnesses and the prosecutor Sean Del Monte. Chen realizes Sanford is in danger and calls him twice. After he finally answers, Chen warns him that the assassin is after Del Monte and that Sanford could be in danger too, before the building's power shuts off. Once he states the assassin is inside, Chen tried to get Sanford to leave but he hung up to warn Del Monte. Luckily, they manage to evade the killer long enough for the police to arrive and arrest him. She tends to Sandford about his experience before she jokingly asks if he was trying to impress her by giving the list.

In "Coding", Chen is forced to relive her trauma of being abducted to testify against serial killer Rosalind Dyer. To that end, she has to watch the video of her kidnapping by Dyer's follower Caleb Wright. After Chen watches the whole thing, she is left shaken and works up the strength to tell Sanford that she can't testify and he understands, saying they have another way to convict her. Later, while they are taking a break from trial prep, Chen, and Tamara, who was busy flirting with an office assistant by the name of Austin Geoffrey, while Chen was doing trial prep, are horrified when Sanford carelessly and thoughtlessly hums Dream a Little Dream, the song Chen sang while buried alive inside a sealed oil drum, while slowly running out of air, as he made himself a cup of coffee. When he realizes his mistake, he apologizes to Chen profusely, saying the song was stuck in his head due to having watched the footage and videos many times. He takes Chen to dinner, as a way to shift her mind from it and as an apology.

In "Long Shot", Chen learns from her aunt Amy that her mother had previously had an affair with a client, Patrick Walsh, which resulted in her mother becoming pregnant with her. Chen later learns that Walsh, her biological father, had died in a car accident five years earlier.

In “Day In The Hole”, Chen discovers drugs in the boot of Tamara’s new car and later finds that its previous owner closely resembles Bradford. She shows this to Tamara and the entire squad, who are all amused. The doppelgänger, Jake, is a drug courier who she nicknames “Dim”. Seeing an opportunity to catch the main dealer, Chen convinces Bradford to go undercover as Jake. Lopez later brings in Dim’s girlfriend, Sava who bears an uncanny resemblance to Chen, resulting in Tim giving Sava the nickname "Juicy" and Chen being brought into the undercover operation. Whilst preparing to go undercover at her apartment, Chen and Bradford share a "practice" kiss.

Season 5[]

In "Double Down", Chen and Bradford go on their undercover assignment in Las Vegas. She receives word that Rosalind Dyer escaped custody and becomes dismayed, though confident her team can get her. After completing the assignment, she invites Bradford into her apartment but finds Sanford there. She was about to explain until she finds him unconscious and barely alive after his wrists were slit by Dyer who left him for dead. Horrified, Chen and Bradford quickly take him to a hospital.

In "Labor Day", Chen tends to Sanford who has survived his injuries and gets invited for specialized training in Sacramento. She is unsure of wanting to go, thinking she needs to be there for Sanford who assures her that he is fine and tries to convince her to go but she refuses to leave his side. Later, he tries again to show her the experience she'd get if she does it but she remains steadfast in refusing. At the end, she decides to go to the undercover school.

By "Dye Hard", a month has passed Chen has completed undercover school and is welcomed back by Tamara and Sanford who celebrate her success. When Sanford announces he's going back to work, Chen is concerned that he might be too focused on taking down Rosalind. As a result, she has Wesley Evers keep an eye on him to ensure he doesn't go overboard.

In "The Collar", Chen is struggling in her relationship with Sanford, who is trying to convince her to buy a house with him. She and Bradford end up confessing their feelings for one another, and she promises to go to dinner with Bradford, but only after she breaks up with Sanford.

In "Take Back", after a shift of struggling to decide how to break up with Sanford, they break up in her apartment when Chen asks Sanford for his "playbook" as Bradford suggested and she takes up Bradford's invitation to go on a date.

In "The List", Chen goes on her first date with Bradford, but it goes sideways when a fight breaks up. She is later seen having a make-up date with Bradford at the end, and they share a kiss.

In "Death Notice", Chen tells Bradford she is planning to transfer out of Mid-Wilshire as they struggle with their newfound secret relationship, but the transfer doesn't happen as Bradford announces he asked for a transfer to be out of her line of command.

In "Daddy Cop" Chen begins to place plans in motion to move Bradford to another position within the LAPD.

In "S.T.R." Chen goes undercover with Isabel Bradford when she returns to ask for their help to save someone from her undercover past.

In "Going Under", Chen goes undercover to infiltrate an illegal firearms operation.

Season 6[]

In "The Hammer", Chen and Bradford are still dealing with the events of the last episode, but they share a dance at Nolan and Bailey's wedding.

In "Trouble in Paradise" we see Chen take the Detective's exam, with Primm being one of the members on the panel. She placed 17th out of 20, saying "I'm going to die on this list."

In "Training Day" we see Chen deal with the outcome of her position in the Detective's exam. She is also involved in a shooting, but the man recovers.

In "The Vow" we see Chen struggle through Bradford leaving her in the dark over his military past resurfacing. Her struggles continue over into "Secrets and Lies" but she helps Bradford take down Ray regardless, only for Bradford to break up with her at the end, even after she is happy to ignore the lies Bradford reiterated during the DII from Commander West.

Season 7[]

In "The Shot" when Lieutenant Grey needed another training officer, she was given an interim promotion to Police Officer III. She then begins training rookie Seth Ridley.

In "Wildfire", Chen says to Bradford that she's considering taking the sergeant's exam, which she takes in "The Return". "Mutiny And The Bounty" reveals that she passed, and is assigned to night shift sergeant.

Personality[]

Chen has shown that even her patience has its limits and that she won't hesitate to stand up for herself or even call her fellow LAPD officers out; in "Impact", after Bradford has berated her for not reporting that he had voiced his belief he would rather take his own life than bleed out at the house, she angrily reminds him of his past actions towards his ex-wife Isabel, who is a former drug addict. Chen informs him that if he wants to hold her over the coals, then he should go ahead but not "pretend it's as if he has some code".

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • In "Pilot", Chen speaks Spanish.
  • In "Pilot", Chen says that her parents are both therapists.
  • In "The Shake Up", Chen speaks Cantonese when communicating with her mother over the phone and with her father in the hospital.
  • In "Revelations", Chen speaks Tagalog when communicating with a drug dealer on an undercover mission.
    • She also revealed that "My best friend in elementary school grew up in Quezon City" in the Philippines.
  • In "Five Minutes", she mentions that she taught herself French to be able to follow the trials of Aaron Thorsen.
  • In "The Roundup", Nolan states to Ben that Chen is 28 years old.
  • In "Tough Love", Chen states to West that she is still 28 years old.
  • She and Rachel Hall had a psychology class together in college.
  • She is also very supportive of Bradford's relationship with Rachel, as she was the one who set them up in the first place.
  • In "Caught Stealing", Lucy says that she attended college so she has to pay her student loans until the age of 60.
  • In "The Night General", Lucy says that she was a psychology major in college.
  • In "The Dark Side", Lucy mentions that she was still in college when Rosalind Dyer committed her initial string of murders and "that was all anyone would talk about back then".
  • She is lactose intolerant, mentioning this on a phone call that she has with her mother in "Tough Love".
  • She has been abducted by serial killer Caleb Wright which is Rosalind Dyer’s protégé.
  • In "Casualties", Chen wants to adopt a dog named Kojo - without talking to her roommate, West, about it first. When it becomes obvious that Kojo needs a firmer hand (and more outdoor time), Tim Bradford adopts him instead.
  • When Chen finishes her first shift as a rookie (P1) in "Man of Honor", she plans a celebratory dinner with her parents, but her mother simply states her disapproval of Chen's career choice, saying, "You are risking your life for a thankless job, and we cannot be supportive of this any longer."
  • She has posted on Thorsen's release site under the name "truecrimejunkie" in "Real Crime".
  • In "A.C.H." Chen finds out that her mother has paid for Chen's eggs to be frozen and stored at a fertility clinic; at first Chen is furious at the idea, but eventually she admits it has its advantages, and she'll probably do it.
  • She lives at 2733 Elmhurst Drive, Apartment 610. ("Double Down")
  • She has completed the DEA Covert Operations Training Academy.
  • Until the sixth season she is one of three main characters to appear in every episode, the others being Nolan and Tim.
  • Lucy's birthday may be March 24th, 1988 (hospital tag in "Wildfire"); however, this may be incorrect as said in S4. And in 6x08 her birthday reminder on Tim's phone says the 7th, likely May 7th.
  • Tim broke up with her in Secrets and Lies but they are still in love with each other.
  • Lucy was promoted to Sergeant I in Mutiny And the Bounty.

Confirmed kills[]

Luke Moran, the attacker of Aaron Thorsen and Celina Juarez was killed. Cause of death: shot by Nolan, Grey, Bradford, and Chen. ("Under Siege").

THE ROOKIEe
Characters John Nolan • Wesley Evers • Celina Juarez • Nyla Harper • Bailey Nune • Angela Lopez • Wade Grey • Lucy Chen • Aaron Thorsen • Tim Bradford • Zoe Andersen • Talia Bishop • Jackson West
Cast Nathan Fillion • Shawn Ashmore • Lisseth Chavez • Mekia Cox • Jenna Dewan • Alyssa Diaz • Richard T. Jones • Melissa O'Neil • Tru Valentino • Eric Winter • Mercedes Mason • Afton Williamson • Titus Makin
Recurring characters Isabel Bradford • Ben McRee • Percy West • Jessica Russo • Nick Armstrong • Grace Sawyer • Rachel Hall • Doug Stanton • Tamara Colins • Quigley Smitty • Miles Penn • Seth Ridley
Recurring cast Mircea Monroe • Currie Graham • Michael Beach • Sarah Shahi • Harold Perrineau • Ali Larter • Jasmine Mathews • Brandon Routh • Dylan Conrique • Brent Huff • Deric Augustine • Patrick Keleher
Seasons 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7
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