Rookie Blue is back after a few weeks off.
The last viewers saw, after a late-night hook-up with Chloe (Priscilla Faia) at the local bar, Dov (Gregory Smith) in the middle of an uncomfortable situation when he learns that Chloe is a new rookie cop joining 15 Division.
"There's more juice in that lemon," Smith tells The Hollywood Reporter in previewing the ABC cop drama's return. "There's a long, awkward ride of shame that episode three centers around Dov."
To complicate matters even more, Chloe isn't all that she seems. The fresh blood actually has ties to the Division that Dov isn't aware of -- at least not yet.
"We've all been there right? When you meet someone personally and then you find yourself working with them professionally, it's awkward," he says. "There's more to reveal about Chloe. She has a deeper connection to someone in the Division that Dov ends up on a collision course with."
In describing Chloe, Smith throws out descriptors like "wild," "crazy" and "crashes him like a tsunami," similar to how creator/executive producer Tassie Cameron described the bubbly addition to the group. "Chloe's an open book, refreshingly frank," Cameron told THR in May, saying that she's a "game-changer."
Over the course of the season, Dov and Chloe's relationship begins to blossom. "They end up together through a bit of the episodes," Smith says. "It's more than a moment."
While last season saw Dov go through several life-altering moments, including a shooting at a convenience store, don't expect the upcoming episodes to be as heavy. "[Season four] is a lighter season for Dov," Smith says. "It's more affairs of the heart. Chloe's a big part of it."
But that doesn't mean there won't be drama within the walls of 15 Division, which includes Swarek's new girlfriend Marlo (Rachael Ancheril) and Andy (Missy Peregrym) going toe to toe in Thursday's installment. Big things are also in store for the cops and detectives at the Division "that affects everybody."
One of those occasions is the departure of one of the Division's regulars. The exit was "absolutely" heartbreaking, Smith says. "We're such a close group that any time anybody leaves the show or when Jerry (Noam Jenkins) was killed [in season three], we all really feel it."
Episodes five, seven, eight and 12 are high up on Smith's list of momentous hours. "They include some of my favorite moments," he shares. In one of the episodes, the Everwood alum reveals that "he gets pooped on by a bird" and in another, "Chloe almost punches Dov in the face."
After playing the character for three-plus seasons, there is no doubt Dov has evolved tenfold. "I tried to make him as enthusiastic and bright-eyed and romantic as possible about his future. That gives you a high distance to travel from," Smith, who directed the first part of the season finale, recalls of the first episodes. "He's hit his low in season three, and now he's coming up again in season four, figuring it out and getting to a point this year where his expectations and realities are starting to really mesh."
Smith hints that season four ends with many strings left untied. "The season builds to a climax unlike anything we've had before," he teases. "I'd say it's less of one specific moment in the middle of the season as it is a slow boil and build toward an epic conclusion."
Rookie Blue returns at 10 p.m. on Thursday on ABC.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
