Strike's Robin explains why she dodged Cormoran's kiss after all that build-up
"I just panicked."
At the end of Strike: Troubled Blood, Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacot finally looked set to take the plunge and admit that their relationship extends beyond the platonic.
He'd already given her flowers for her birthday, but he admitted that he "should have done better". So, under the guise of a meeting for some run of the mill detective work, he presented her with a balloon donkey, an amusing touch, and took her to buy some perfume, which was very romantic, and which he paid for. Bonus points for that.
He then joined her for an intimate birthday dinner and in The Ink Black Heart, the show's sixth season, we pick up with them during said dinner, which unfolded exactly as anticipated.
The conversation, which spanned both the light and the profound, flowed freely. From the outside looking in, they could have been a couple, such was their ease with one another.
But shortly after exiting the restaurant, the evening drew to an abrupt end.
While waiting for a taxi, Robin went to say something. But before she could finish her sentence, Strike leant in to kiss her, only for Robin to pull back.
In supremely awkward fashion, he then bundled her silently into a taxi.
"Night," he said curtly, before turning to walk in the opposite direction without looking back.
Both of them looked utterly crushed and unsure of themselves on entering such unfamiliar territory, so much so that neither of them could bring themselves to broach the subject, instead choosing to avoid one another – well, as much as is feasibly possible when you run a private detective agency together.
But why, after so much build up, did Robin reject Strike in what seemed to be the perfect moment?
While viewing a flat with one of her friends, she spoke candidly about what was rattling around inside her head when he made The (now cursed) Move.
"I just panicked," she said. "I kind of pulled away and I can still remember the look on his face. I just panicked."
After claiming she didn't know why she did what she did, Ilsa coaxed the truth out of her.
"Because I knew he'd regret it once he sobered up," she explained. "And I couldn't stand the idea of hearing him say it was a mistake. I just didn't want to hear him say he hadn't meant it."
Ilsa then seized the opportunity to ask a very important question.
"So, what are you saying?" she asked. "Are you in love with him?"
Robin laughed, before taking a moment.
"I definitely don't want to be," she responded. "That would screw everything up. The agency means a lot to me, and I don't want to mess that up."
Contrary to what must have been running through Strike's head in that moment, Robin's feelings for him are not a figment of his imagination.
She cares, far more than she wished she did, which is exactly why she decided not to kiss him, once again leaving viewers bereft.
And so, TV's most frustrating will-they-won't-they rumbles on...
Read more:
- Why Strike and Robin's relationship should stay platonic in The Ink Black Heart
- Strike's Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger on future: 'It feels worthwhile playing it through to the end'
Strike seasons 1-6 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
