Melissa O’Neil Reveals the Truth Behind Lucy’s Rookie Seth
Patrick Keleher as Seth Ridley and Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen in “The Rookie.” Disney/Mike Taing
At the beginning of season 7 of The Rookie, Lucy Chen was feeling “optimistic” about her position as a training officer, but her outlook shifted due to the drama surrounding trainee Seth Ridley.
“Things escalate quickly,” Melissa O’Neil, portraying Lucy in the ABC series, shared exclusively with Us Weekly, emphasizing that Seth (Patrick Keleher) has already put her in several uncomfortable situations since joining the LAPD.
According to O’Neil, Lucy becomes “constantly suspicious and questioning what’s happening with him” after he shares several conflicting stories while on duty.
“Lucy tends to give people the benefit of the doubt,” the actress noted. “[So] for her to be dealing with this young rookie who seems so innocent and says all the right things makes her want to trust him. But somehow, this eternal optimist in The Rookie senses something is off.”
Viewers were introduced to Seth at the outset of season 7 when he was assigned to Lucy as her new trainee.
Initially appearing sweet and naive, Lucy soon discovered that Seth had lied on multiple occasions, mostly concerning his past. For instance, he claimed his girlfriend had an overdose in high school, which caused him to be sick on their first day after encountering an overdose case.
Patrick Keleher as Seth Ridley in “The Rookie.” Disney/Carlos Lopez-Calleja
Later, Seth mentioned to a police officer that his girlfriend had died in a car accident when he panicked at another scene. To uncover the truth, Lucy discussed Seth’s situation with his high school guidance counselor. Under pressure, Seth admitted that the stories were real, but the girls he mentioned weren’t actually his girlfriends—they were merely classmates.
As a result, Lucy sought advice from her ex-boyfriend Tim Bradford (Eric Winter) on how to handle Seth’s erratic behavior.
“Lucy is feeling an inner tension, constantly thinking, ‘Someone help me with this,’” O’Neil explained to Us. “She’s hesitant to go to [her boss] Grey (Richard T. Jones) about it yet because she wants to resolve it herself, or at least get some guidance from her ex-boyfriend.”
O’Neil noted that Lucy and Tim’s complicated romantic history acts as a distraction amidst her challenging role as a training officer.
“It’s been nice for her to feel some of the sting from their breakup subside, allowing her to focus on her job while also enjoying some light-hearted flirtation and competition with Tim,” she mentioned.
However, O’Neil admitted that even Lucy isn’t completely convinced by her own rules about not rekindling her romance with Tim after they shared a moment following the Valentine’s Day gala in the February 11 episode.
Currently, Lucy is focused on working with Seth and uncovering the truth behind his struggles, especially after he disclosed that his cancer has returned, which complicates her decision to remove him from the training program. Their dynamic will take center stage in the upcoming episode titled “The Mickey,” set to air on Tuesday, February 18.
“He embarks on an undercover mission. The events in this episode heighten the stakes, particularly for Lucy, regarding what she has entrusted him with,” O’Neil disclosed. “The tension escalates significantly for both characters.”
She teased, “I can say without spoiling too much that it definitely leads to a significant climax for these characters.”
O’Neil added, “Everything comes to light in an intriguing way, and it happens on his own terms.”
The Rookie airs on ABC every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
