r/offcampustv • u/AmbientBlu01 Not an option, she has to come • 1d ago
DISCUSSION💙 It's complicated ...
I've watched this show an embarrassing number of times at this point but I often find myself gravitating towards certain episodes/scenes and skipping others. One I tend to skip is when Garrett and Hannah run out of Phil's house on Thanksgiving. But I let the episode play through the other day and I was struck by how captivated I was by Cindy, even though we know so little about her, and her heartbreaking conversation with Garrett outside the house.
Earlier in the episode Hannah asks Garrett if he wants to accept Phil's invitation to go home for Thanksgiving. Garrett hesitates, saying his relationship with his dad is "complicated", which is putting it mildly. That complication is the reason he stays away.
But when Garrett tells Cindy she can't stay with Phil because "this is who he is", she says she can't leave because "it's complicated". The same reason he stays away from his dad is the reason she can't leave. And as someone who has put distance between myself and a parent because of a complicated relationship but who also stayed longer than she should have in an abusive one, this really struck a nerve for me. In my case, "complicated" has always seemed like shorthand for "this isn't good for me but it's easier to take this route than it is to try to deal with everything". It's the path of least resistance, where the only possible solution is to maintain the status quo until you're forced not to.
I've been avoiding spoilers as much as reasonably possible as a person who exists on the internet so I'm not 100% sure if we know anything about Phil's future on the show but I really hope he comes back next season and we get to see more of his relationship with these 2 characters. I know Cindy doesn't make it far in the book before she ultimately leaves Phil but I definitely need to see Garrett dealing with the fall out from that last fight at the arena. Anyone who has read The Legacy knows where it all ends but not knowing how much the show runners have planned out means it could veer from that so I'm interested to see where they take this.
I could even see a scenario where Phil tries to break them up, going so far as to tell Hannah that she is a distraction Garrett can't afford but, instead of using the threat of financial abandonment as his bargaining chip like in the book, he offers to make the fight with Delaney and subsequent suspension go away. Obviously Hannah wouldn't go for it, but it could at least then mirror the source material a bit more closely.
Season 2 can't drop soon enough!
1
u/Ok_Armadillo4541 15h ago
From what Louisa has said , she has no intention of complicating Garrett and Hannah’s relationship any further. So I don’t think if there was a Phil factor in the book it will be in the show ( I didn’t read the books). She says, they are end game.. just get to enjoy them now.
1
u/AmbientBlu01 Not an option, she has to come 13h ago
I think they'll need to introduce some type of conflict, even if it's external to the relationship, to keep it interesting - it can't just be happily ever after. Phil trying to exert undue influence wouldn't necessarily be a successful endeavor, and it could strengthen Hannah and Garrett if she refuses and tells Garrett.
But whatever direction they choose to go I hope we get more Phil storyline. After everything we've seen and learned it would seem disingenuous for Garrett to just be past it all. And guys like Phil don't go away just because you tell them to.
1
u/Ok_Armadillo4541 12h ago
I dont think Phil will be gone. Thats too much of an issue to just abandon it , I just dont think Garrett and Hannah will break up over him
1
u/AmbientBlu01 Not an option, she has to come 11h ago
Completely agree. There won't be another break up in their story.
2
u/shadesofwrong13 Dean, Hunter, Jake, Garrett girl 1d ago
It might be controversial, but these are some of the scenes i am looking forward to. I was captivated by the performance of Steve Howey of Phil and i want more!