[JJH85]

Sounds like they might have originally planned for Scotty to be as present as Hal and Caleb. So if Scotty had been the intended victim all along, I'm kind of glad he got a bigger part because then we got to see a bigger side to him.

Speaking of Scotty and of course Cole, does it bother anyone that in S2, they had Cole as a wreck and the family was concerned about him and compared him to his father and then so shortly afterward the tables turned and the family was concerned about Scotty and Cole compared him to their father? That has bothered me right from the start because I feel it's bad writing or storytelling. Maybe I'm thinking too hard on it, but it still bugs me.

[jade86]

Originally Posted by JJH85 (View Post) Speaking of Scotty and of course Cole, does it bother anyone that in S2, they had Cole as a wreck and the family was concerned about him and compared him to his father and then so shortly afterward the tables turned and the family was concerned about Scotty and Cole compared him to their father? That has bothered me right from the start because I feel it's bad writing or storytelling. Maybe I'm thinking too hard on it, but it still bugs me.

I think the focus being suddently on Scotty was just a brief distraction. I think there is more about Cole's relationship with his father to find out and it was pretty clear at the thanksgiving scene. Do you remember what Cherry said? "You think you are better than him? You think you are different than him? You are not". That fits perfectly with the way Cole admits to see himself in season 3, and it also fits with Alison's line in episode 3x08 "as long as i am crazy you get to be sane". That line may have a deeper meaning and may have something to do even with the way Scotty suddently became "the focus" as Cole's father's ghost. I think Cole is just rejecting the idea of being like his father. Will that last? Season 4 may be about that.

[JJH85]

That's a good point about -- "Cole is just rejecting the idea of being like his father"

[jade86]

Originally Posted by JJH85 (View Post) That's a good point about -- "Cole is just rejecting the idea of being like his father"

Yeah, right? It would be interesting if he actually became like his father somehow in season 4.

[JJH85]

Originally Posted by jade86 (View Post) Yeah, right? It would be interesting if he actually became like his father somehow in season 4.

Part of me wants it and part of me doesn't, but the part of me that doesn't is because I don't want a dark side of Cole.

[jade86]

Originally Posted by JJH85 (View Post) Part of me wants it and part of me doesn't, but the part of me that doesn't is because I don't want a dark side of Cole.

I know But i'll always think that exploring the dark side of a character is the best way to understand it completely.

[JJH85]

Originally Posted by jade86 (View Post) I know But i'll always think that exploring the dark side of a character is the best way to understand it completely.

There is truth to that, plus it's always a great way for an actor to show range with their acting. And a lot of actors like to play dark characters because it's different from the way they are in real life, so I get that.

[jade86]

Originally Posted by JJH85 (View Post) There is truth to that, plus it's always a great way for an actor to show range with their acting. And a lot of actors like to play dark characters because it's different from the way they are in real life, so I get that.

Exactly

[LWS53]

Well as long as he doesn't hang himself! It is another theme of the show that in the first episode Martin pretended to hang himself, then in season 2 we hear that Cole's father did hang himself.

I think all of us carry traits of our parents - both good and bad so it doesn't follow that Cole will take the same path as his father when things go wrong. Cherry should remember that all of her sons carry both sets of genes but she has been very strong in the past so they are just as likely to pick themselves up and carry on just as she has done.

[jade86]

Originally Posted by LWS53 (View Post) I think all of us carry traits of our parents - both good and bad so it doesn't follow that Cole will take the same path as his father when things go wrong.

Well, Cole seems to react badly when things go particularly wrong in his life. Think about how he reacted after his conversation with Luisa in episode 9. When he had to face his demons he got drunk and burnt the house down.
I remember an interview with Sarah Treem when season 2 ended. She was answering a question about the Lockhart family and what could happen to them in the future, and she said that she likes the idea that the main characters try to not be like their parents but they end up making their same mistakes.

In my opinion, exploring Cole's relationship with his father and seeing him making some of his father's mistakes (i don't mean he has to hang up of course) for a while would be very important and interesting to see. I feel like his relationship with his father may be the key to really understand Cole and, who knows, even understand why he didn't watch Gabriel.

[LWS53]

I think that Cole just got a bit distracted from Gabriel for a few moments, which was when Gabriel got into difficulties, and has blamed himself ever since but doesn't want to admit it. If he can blame Alison for not taking Gabriel to the hospital he doesn't have to admit that he was negligent. Unfortunately they both feel the other was to blame as well as feeling guilty for their own involvement, instead of just accepting it was a terrible accident.

[jade86]

I remember the scene from episode 9, when Cole "sees" Gabriel and he says "daddy, come into the water with me". I wonder if that was just an hallucination or a brief, vivid memory of what happened that day. Maybe Cole refused to play with Gabriel in the water and let him play with other kids and didn't watch him. Who knows.
I would like to see Cole finally admitting what happened that day. Also, Alison rightly told the young grieving mother that erasing all the memories about her dead daughter by packing all her things and lock them somewhere is not the right way to heal. That is Cole's way to deal with grief and trauma. He always escaped from that and burnt things, like the old house and his grandfather's moonshine, to forget his past. When i heard Alison's conversation i thought that Cole never really put his past behind because he didn't do it in the right way, and he is just pretending he did it. It would be great if her new job as grief counselor will make Alison realize that cole needs to talk about his grief (with her or with another doctor) about Gabriel's death and even about his father's death and his relationship with him. That would surely put him in a very difficult situation because he never wants to talk about it. It would be great to see Cole being challanged by those "pressures".

I really wish writers had a big plan for Alison's new job.

[LWS53]

I always wondered if Cole went out on his surf board and Gabriel tried to follow him, instead of staying in the shallows with the other children. Alison only saw the aftermath and someone bringing Gabriel out of the water, so doesn't really know what happened, and presumably if the other people on the beach were Lockhart's they would stay quiet for Cole's sake.

I hope they give Ruth some good material to work with about Alison's new job.

[JJH85]

Although I think Cole and Alison believe the other had a hand in Gabriel's death, I don't really think they were/are playing any kind of blame game. I think they each feel their own guilt, but ultimately know that it was an accident. I feel like Cole's breakdown in the house is all we will see in regards to losing Gabriel. I don't think Sarah will revisit that loss now that they have Joanie and it's been over five years since his death.

[jade86]

When Alison talked with her doctor in episode 1x09 she said there was a bonfire, and the kids where playing in the water. I guess it was evening, so Cole was not surfing. Maybe he was with his family members and other surfers and they were having a party, just like in the bonfire scene in the pilot. Was Alison remembering something about the night Gabriel died?
Also, Gabriel's death has been mentioned few times and in different ways in season 3. Alison had mental breakdown because of Gabriel's death when Joanie was 4 years old and got sick; Cole just remembered Luisa that they lost a child together (and he said that only because they were having an argument); also, in episode 5, i don't remember which POV was, but Alison told Noah "i will always like children and bonfire" and that to me was clearly a reference to Gabriel's death; and then, Alison talked about Gabriel with the grieving mother and we learnt why she chose that name for her son.
It's clear to me that Sarah Treem didn't forget Gabriel even if Cole and Alison have Joanie now. In season 3, Alison chose to face Gabriel's death in a healthy way and i think she is really getting better now, while Cole still refuses to talk about him. I still hope something more about Gabriel's death and Cole's grief and feeling of guilt will come out somehow.

If writers made good use of Alison's new job also as a way for Cole to face his demons again and "spill his secret", then they would finally make their interaction more interesting.