WeBuiltThePyramids

So I was editing/posting a scene in GDT tonight and I started crying over Walter and Ralph.

Don't misunderstand I'm not like "omg I am such a good writer " more like "my ultimate weakness is this dynamic and literally anything involving them that isn't depressing is bound to get the waterworks started."

FoxPhile

There are so few really good Father/Son relationships on TV. Most of them are at the very least conflicted, or they are emotionally detached or at worst they are downright hostile. Much of that reflects our society, which dictates that men - and boys - are supposed to keep their emotions in check. I know that is changing, but the entertainment media seems to have a hard time with it.

Of course, in Scorpion, we had the whole gamut - emotionally detached with Walter/Sean, Walter/Cabe and Ralph/Drew. Somewhat hostile with Sly and his father and I suspect Toby's relationship with his father was somewhere between detached and hostile. But Ralph/Walter reflects a lot that Father/Son relationships should be. Walter, who is normally so uncomfortable with his emotions, is able to show genuine love for Ralph. He is also able to teach Ralph everything he knows, while allowing Ralph the freedom to follow his own interests.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Yes! And you still sometimes get conflict, but at the heart of it is a dynamic that simply loves each other, which is the foundation that those other relationships struggle to have, except for Walter/Cabe, but coincidentally that was the next healthiest father/son dynamic on the show.

FoxPhile

Even the healthiest, most loving family relationship is going to have conflict at times - especially when it's parent / child. But even at Ralph and Walter's tensest moments, you could still see the underlying love there.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Bumping this because the 3 word story thread got me all up in my S1 Walter/Ralph feels.

FoxPhile

Of all the relationships on Scorpion, I think Walter/Ralph probably has the biggest potential to bring out the feels.

WeBuiltThePyramids

I agree! There's something so pure about child/surrogate parent love.

FoxPhile

One of the things that makes it so special is how easily Walter was able to love Ralph. He has such difficulty with emotions, yet this particular emotion for this particular person seems to cause him little if any anxiety or stress.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Yes! And he rarely overthought things when it came to Ralph, which made it even easier for the both of them.

FoxPhile

He was also able to connect with Ralph about anything - not just about science. Some of the talks they had were exactly the sort of talk you would want a father to have with this son.

WeBuiltThePyramids

Exactly, it was very wholesome and healthy.

FoxPhile

I suspect Walter has a good deal more EQ than he gives himself credit for. He just isn't comfortable interacting with most people and that manifests as a lack of empathy.

WeBuiltThePyramids

And a lot of people just wrote him off, which contributed both to his struggles AND to the excuses he'd give himself - when he'd blow ideas or concepts off, he seemed he would lean on that - which is partially justified and partially, you need to allow yourself to grow.

FoxPhile

I think we saw that right in the beginning of the pilot - when his girlfriend tells him he's a million miles from normal. It's obvious that's not the first time he's heard something like that, and he's gotten so used to it that he even uses the same phrase to describe the rest of his team.

FoxPhile

Riley got me right in the feels.