Diksha Sundriyal
In Peacock’s ‘The Paper,’ the tide turns for the Toledo Truth Teller when it gets a new editor-in-chief, Ned Sampson, who is determined to take it back to its glory days. This requires all hands on deck, even if they don’t have any experience in journalism. Nicole and Detrick also become a part of the team, even though her job is with ads and his position is in sales. Joining Ned’s crusade isn’t the only thing that ties them together. Detrick has feelings for Nicole, and working together gives him the chance to express them. By the end of the season, however, things take a dramatic turn in their relationship. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Detrick Makes a Significant Decision Regarding Nicole
Even before Ned comes into the picture and Detrick is pulled from his sales position to volunteer as a journalist, he harbors feelings for Nicole, which are not hidden from anyone in the office. Everyone knows that he likes her, and they also know that he expresses his feelings a bit too strongly. They also know that his expressions make Nicole uncomfortable and do nothing to make her feel anything for Detrick. But then, Detrick is advised to exercise some distance, and eventually, the space that he gives to Nicole by stepping back a little bit allows her to move towards him, and they finally kiss. This is a huge step for Detrick, as he had already imagined his whole life with Nicole. She, on the other hand, wants to keep things casual and encourages Detrick to see other women. While he tries to do it, his bad experience does not allow him to date anyone else.
However, instead of clearing this up with Nicole, he keeps it a secret and lets her think that he is seeing other people. The truth about Detrick’s dating life comes out in the season finale when the team attends the Ohio Journalism Awards. Previously, Detrick told everyone in the office that he was going on a date with a famous woman who did weather news for a channel. While he did go on a date, things didn’t click between them. Still, he told Nicole that he was seeing the woman on the side. At the award ceremony, Nicole talks with the woman and discovers that Detrick has been lying to her. This makes her angry because she thinks that he has tricked her into being in a monogamous relationship with him. He confesses that he lied to her, but he also admits that he wanted a monogamous relationship to begin with.
He never wanted to date other people, and only pretended to do it because he thought it would make her happy. He takes it a step further and tells Nicole that this is the only way he can be with her, but she doesn’t seem to want it. And so, Detrick decides that he has had enough, and they break off the relationship. While Detrick is broken-hearted, he keeps his emotions to himself and is later seen talking to a different woman. Nicole, at first, tries to act nonchalant about the whole thing, but when she sees Detrick with another woman, she breaks down emotionally. Detrick does not see it because it happens in secret. She cries her eyes out in Mare’s room, after everyone has called it a night.
This shows that Nicole hadn’t been entirely honest, even to herself, about her feelings for Detrick. While she may not have had feelings for him in the beginning, she developed feelings when they started dating. Perhaps the label of casual allowed her not to feel pressured about the relationship, especially since Detrick seemed too passionate about it. But when she discovers that he has not been seeing anyone else, she realises that things are getting serious between them, and this scares her, so she backs off. Detrick, however, takes a step back from chasing her, and for now, they are broken up. However, since they both have feelings for each other, as Nicole’s crying session proves, it is only a matter of time before they get back together.
Read More: Is The Toledo Truth Teller a Real Newspaper? Is Enervate a Real Company?
