The Rookie Boss Has A Message For #Chenford Fans After That [Spoiler] In Season 6 Premiere

The following contains spoilers from Tuesday night's Season 6 premiere of ABC's The Rookie.

The Rookie really did a number on #Chenford fans with its Season 6 premiere — first delighting them with the prospect of Lucy riding with Tim, as in days of old, to brush up ahead of her detectives exam, and then steering the couple into a quarrel, when Tim's attempt to be supportive came off as him doubting Lucy's ability to pass the test.

"Did you undermine me today because you're scared that I'm going to make detective?" asked Lucy as they left the station that night and Tim clocked her coldness.

"What? No.... And I'm upset you'd even think that."

"Look, I don't know, maybe it wasn't deliberate, maybe it was subconscious—."

"So now you're accusing me of being unaware of my actions?" asked Tim. "That's not better."

"You have to admit that what happened with Isabel was deeply traumatic for you."

"I've never not admitted it. The only thing I did today was have your back, but if you can't see that, then...." Tim caught himself, then shook his head. "You know what, I'm tired. You've got studying to do. So let's just... take the night off," he said, before turning and walking away.

That argument surely was a tough pill to swallow for fans of the workplace romance. So, what does The Rookie showrunner Alex Hawley have to say to calm the #Chenford faithful?

"What do I want to say to them? I want to say to them that it's going to be a dynamic year," Hawley told TVLine.

Alluding to next week's 100th episode, Hawley noted, "There's some stuff that they're going to absolutely love," including a titillating lie detector scene and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it visual that will launch 1,000 GIFs. "But we're a drama and we want to play fair with them as always," he continued, "as I feel like we have for the whole run, with regards to the obstacles that can be there."

Turning to the season premiere's procedural aspects, the Mid-Wilshire Division eventually got their hands on Boyd Taylor (played by Orphan Black's Kristian Bruun) aka the criminal mastermind who'd led the LAPD on a bit of a goose chase while he and a few minions robbed the Federal Reserve.

But before Boyd could flip on whomever was pulling his strings, he got taken out with a bullet to the bean, mid-prison transfer — and not long after his lawyer, Monica Stevens (of course), cryptically counseled Boyd's boss to do whatever lets him "sleep most soundly at night."

When will we meet the mastermind behind the criminal mastermind?

"The backstory of that is something we'll be getting into towards the end of the season," Hawley previewed. "Ultimately, that story is there to set up is Monica to a certain extent. Bridget Regan has got a big role this season, and this sets her up as the powerhouse wheeler-dealer that she is."