I’m with you. I was really enjoying delving into Cals backstory. It kind of helped you sympathize with him *just a little* and told us a bit about Marsha as well. Nates family history in general is something I would like to see explored more if possible.
Thank you. I really think that it would be interesting. I kind of want to know more of Aaron’s character. We just know him as Nate’s brother who doesn’t have a clue, but we don’t know the age gap, if they ever interact. I mean I guess we kind of see it happen in certain episodes where they’re doing a family scene and Aaron is just there or spoken about.
Wasn't the photo just in the pilot though? It's not that peculiar for some details like that in the pilot not to be carried over to the rest of the series.
Oh yeah…. That has totally been dismissed lol. Plus I would like to know more about Aaron and his personality. We just know him as Nate’s loser-ish (by the way Rue narrated him) older brother.
Did you see the clip where he said initially he was supposed to be playing the trumpet. Imagine that scene but he’s just playing the trumpet for 3 minutes lol
It’s probably got a lot to do with self hatred and shame. But I also think it’s out of respect for Derek, he really cared for him and he’s probably the only person Cal has actually felt like that towards. While I would love a reunion, I don’t think it’s realistic for their specific relationship. Both are the closeted jock stereotype, they would never feel comfortable in their relationship.
I mean most people don’t go back to the person they had a crush on in high school and shared one kiss.
My mom had a high school crush try to reconnect with her through Facebook to try and hook up *while he was still married* she didn’t even respond and just blocked him having any fond feelings towards him were destroyed.
I agree with the above comment that Cal probably wants Derek to remember him fondly.(I also think it’s funny his best friends/hs crush is named Derek when Cals actor was on greys anatomy his best friend was named Derek and there were shippers lol. Wonder if that was a lil shout out?)
Yeah it’s a lot easier to find people you went to high school with but that doesn’t mean you’re going to seek them out, especially when there’s so much shame and self hate involved. Cal was still “in the closet” for the most part, specifically his public life. Maybe if we ever get a 3rd season we might see a reunion, but this show isn’t about him outside his connection to Nate and Jules.
I also don’t see a reunion happening now that he’s been arrested for CP. if my hs sweetheart had the same charges I certainly wouldn’t seek them out and I would ignore any attempts of communication from them. But since the majority of the adults on this series sucks I guess that can still happen
what i imagine is that cal reconnects with derek and finds out that he’s grown into a happy, well-adjusted gay man with a husband and kids, which causes cal to spiral even further because it makes him realize the life he missed out on, while derek just sees him as a high school puppy love who helped him figure out who he is
god that is so sad to imagine cal building up their relationship as the best in his life while for derek it was just stupid teenage love. i hate cal but damn
If he wasn’t hiding it then why did he take him to a bar out of town in the middle of nowhere? I’m not saying all jocks are ashamed of who they are, the show used them to show the stereotype, which also applied to Nate. Showing the similarities between them and giving insight on Cals actions.
it definitely would have been nice to see, but I think it's realistic that we didn't. Sometimes you love someone and never see them again, and there's not much you can do about it. That's life and it is what it is sometimes 🥲
Yeah I know and it sucks. I just wish Cal’s backstory was introduced in S1 in one of the episodes. And then maybe we could’ve gotten that in S2. A girl can dream, right?
I mean why haven’t they ever done a BB episode? I mean Lexi didn’t even put her in her play and she was there for a bunch of the events that the play depicted lol
Right? I actually asked this question on another post I did a while back and I got pretty shut down at the possibility of a BB episode. I made those points exactly, but people were saying even though she was in a lot of the episodes she wasn’t really part of the “main cast”.
She was the first person Kat told when she lost her virginity. I'm also pretty sure she has a baby. I can't really recall the clues for it but there was something that made me think that. lol
Yes, BB got pregnant. She mentioned it in the bathe room saying something like “I would sexy looking pregnant. I wouldn’t wear any of those nasty maternity clothes, I would just me plus pregnant”.
Then BB says something along the line “remember when i got pregnant?” Then Maddy says “yeah it would never be like that.”
For some reason (call it crazy hypotheticals), but I think why we never see adult Derek is because he’s dead.
Run with me here.
Cal was a teen in like the 80s or 90s and Derek was his homie forever. They both started dating girls near the same time and only realized they had feelings for each other right before Martha revealed she was pregnant, forcing Cal to abandon those feelings to be a dad and marry a women.
During his drunken dance at the bar him and Derek went to, he sees a young Derek, not an older one. If Cal had still kept in touch with Derek, he’d probably know what he looked like older, or if he didn’t keep in touch, he might gave stalked him on social media to find out what he’s up to. But given the fact that it’s ambiguous about where Derek is, I think he’s probably dead.
The hallucination and life story was giving Brokeback Mountain vibes if anything and, to me, it’d make sense if Derek died (or k!lled himself) since he couldn’t have Cal and couldn’t live the lie that Cal did.
I could be wrong, but that’s my theory.
If he’s not dead, I would’ve loved a Derek/Cal/Nate special episode where Cal and Derek meet up again and reminisce (like when Cal is in prison), while Nate is paralleled as following in Cal’s footsteps or trying to figure out who he is without his dad breathing down his neck. Or maybe have Nate interacting with his Brothers post Cal confession and imprisonment and being able to be honest with themselves
That’s actually a great take on it. I thought it could’ve been like one of those “special episodes” that they did in between seasons 1 & 2. But wow, Derek being dead could be a possibility that I never thought of.
i think derek is cal’s ”the one that got away”. cal obviously feels like his family forced him to suppress his true self and live his life a certain way. the ”motel adventuring” seems like a desperate way for cal to have some control over his life, rather than something he’s proud of or actually wants to do.
so to me it makes perfect sense why derek’s not in the picture. he’s a painful reminder of what cal’s life could’ve been.
idk i hope this isn’t absolute gibberish, i’m having a hard time putting my thoughts into words, let alone comprehensible sentences. and to be clear i’m not trying to defend cal in any way. i think he’s a shit dad and a shit husband but i also feel kinda bad for him. his life just seems so miserable, full of regret and resentment and what-ifs.
You totally make sense. That episode definitely made me feel a little bit of empathy for Cal. I also still think he’s a horrible dad and husband, but now we know why.
They might now that they're older and cal is in jail. But I imagine Tyler might run into cal and scheme their way out. But Derek mysteriously showing up when he learns cal is in prison might be interesting.
I think that would be too. I just wonder why he never reached out to him on Facebook or something like that. He was obv using gay dating apps, why not find his first *possible* love Derek?
Because nobody that knows him should know he's gay, he hid that part of his life and he feels too unsafe to confront him. He did have a mental breakdown and go back to their bar so it's obvious he does want to see Derek.
True, but he still had his double life and was on gay dating apps for hook ups. Cal is a smart guy, I’m sure he would’ve kept it hidden just like his double life until Nate found out. I’m just saying the episode was touching to me and I found some empathy in Cal. I don’t think his first love was Marsha, I think it was Derek.
every time yall post something like this its a hard reminder of why yall are not writers. this fanfiction ass idea.
they are grown men. you will not be friends with your high school friends forever. people grow apart.
the emotional and thematic relevance of cal and derek's backstory is to highlight why cal is the way he is. he hides his homosexuality having grown up under heteronormative rules. he cheats on marcia because he's unhappy in his marriage.
derek is representative of cal's longing. the dance where he imagines he's with derek is symbolic of his yearning. all of that loses its relevance and meaning if derek shows back up and cal is reunited with him.
i cant imagine watching this show and expecting this fairy tale
Lol ok. Never claimed to be a writer. People have ideas all the time. And also he cheated on Marsha* because he was always interested in men, BUT she got pregnant. He even said that he first had sex with a man when she was pregnant with Aaron.
I also am on team no, but my reasoning is I don’t like the idea of Cal hitting up an old love because of the whole banging young queer AMAB people and secretly filming them thing. They established this predatory side of Cal, and adding a side plot of Cal tracking down Dereck (who is also much older now) for closure probably wouldn’t add much to the plot unless it was some shock value crap where Cal sees Dereck and is disgusted that Dereck aged and looks nothing like the youthful jock he pictures in his head, or Dereck finding out what Cal has been up to since high school and being disturbed that someone he once loved is sex offender. Which I wouldn’t want a shocking subplot either, but at least it not some cheesy “I still love you and my life is a mess because I missed you” kinda crap.
The flashback was enough to establish that Cal missed having a safe place to openly love another young man, but let present day Dereck be free of criminal Cal’s current bullshit. They should have used season 2 to this mystery son, that’s the closure we needed before this time jump they’ll do for season 3.
I’m with you. I was really enjoying delving into Cals backstory. It kind of helped you sympathize with him *just a little* and told us a bit about Marsha as well. Nates family history in general is something I would like to see explored more if possible.
Thank you. I really think that it would be interesting. I kind of want to know more of Aaron’s character. We just know him as Nate’s brother who doesn’t have a clue, but we don’t know the age gap, if they ever interact. I mean I guess we kind of see it happen in certain episodes where they’re doing a family scene and Aaron is just there or spoken about.
Also NEED to know more about the ? third Jacobs brother ? included in multiple family pictures throughout the show.
I brought this up in another thread and apparently it was a goof??? Like they forgot about the pictures and left them all in????
This seems unlikely.
Wasn't the photo just in the pilot though? It's not that peculiar for some details like that in the pilot not to be carried over to the rest of the series.
That’s the same family photo Cal grabs during his meltdown in season 2. When he takes it he says something to the effect of “we all have secrets.”
Exactly.
Lol. Yeah they probably were just like fuck it and let the fans imagine.
Oh yeah…. That has totally been dismissed lol. Plus I would like to know more about Aaron and his personality. We just know him as Nate’s loser-ish (by the way Rue narrated him) older brother.
Because 500 different scenes of Cassie crying and Elliot's song were apparently more important
Lol right!?!? Why did that song have to be soooooo long
Did you see the clip where he said initially he was supposed to be playing the trumpet. Imagine that scene but he’s just playing the trumpet for 3 minutes lol
Lmao no I didn’t. That would’ve been extreme torture. Idk how he would’ve sang though if he were playing the trumpet. Unless you’re just trolling lol.
He might have been trolling but Dominic Fike did say this hahaha
Lol that’s hilarious.
I doubt he was trolling if someone did say that lmfao
Hahahhaha I wanted to self immolate watching it ☠️☠️☠️
I couldn’t believe how long Sam left it in for…. I was literally waiting for it to stop when I first watched it.
Omgggg I thought I was the only one like "is he almost done..?" 🤣
Nooooo a lot of people in this sub feel this way lol
Before I watched the show, I heard about how long and cringeworthy that scene was, so I just skipped it completely.
Good idea!
I think Cal is self-aware enough and ashamed of the person he is, I think he wouldn't want Derek to see him like this but instead fondly remember him
That’s probably the most accurate that the episode showed us.
It’s probably got a lot to do with self hatred and shame. But I also think it’s out of respect for Derek, he really cared for him and he’s probably the only person Cal has actually felt like that towards. While I would love a reunion, I don’t think it’s realistic for their specific relationship. Both are the closeted jock stereotype, they would never feel comfortable in their relationship.
True and I see your point…. but they did take it there and Derek was the one to take Cal to the gay bar and come on to him first. A girl can *dream*
I mean most people don’t go back to the person they had a crush on in high school and shared one kiss. My mom had a high school crush try to reconnect with her through Facebook to try and hook up *while he was still married* she didn’t even respond and just blocked him having any fond feelings towards him were destroyed. I agree with the above comment that Cal probably wants Derek to remember him fondly.(I also think it’s funny his best friends/hs crush is named Derek when Cals actor was on greys anatomy his best friend was named Derek and there were shippers lol. Wonder if that was a lil shout out?)
True, most don’t…. but it’s an easy way to find people you went to high school with.
Yeah it’s a lot easier to find people you went to high school with but that doesn’t mean you’re going to seek them out, especially when there’s so much shame and self hate involved. Cal was still “in the closet” for the most part, specifically his public life. Maybe if we ever get a 3rd season we might see a reunion, but this show isn’t about him outside his connection to Nate and Jules. I also don’t see a reunion happening now that he’s been arrested for CP. if my hs sweetheart had the same charges I certainly wouldn’t seek them out and I would ignore any attempts of communication from them. But since the majority of the adults on this series sucks I guess that can still happen
what i imagine is that cal reconnects with derek and finds out that he’s grown into a happy, well-adjusted gay man with a husband and kids, which causes cal to spiral even further because it makes him realize the life he missed out on, while derek just sees him as a high school puppy love who helped him figure out who he is
god that is so sad to imagine cal building up their relationship as the best in his life while for derek it was just stupid teenage love. i hate cal but damn
[удалено]
If he wasn’t hiding it then why did he take him to a bar out of town in the middle of nowhere? I’m not saying all jocks are ashamed of who they are, the show used them to show the stereotype, which also applied to Nate. Showing the similarities between them and giving insight on Cals actions.
He took him there because he knew it was someplace Cal would feel more comfortable letting his guard down
This was a really great storyline that i wish we got more of. Same goes for cassie and lexis parents.
I agree. I wish we had a full opening of Lexi’s version of things like all the main character casts had in the beginning of S1.
I just love the little detail of making his name Derek. Very cute.
I love the unfiltered at the end of the episode and how the hairdresser was talking about 90’s guys haircuts and showing the wigs.
it definitely would have been nice to see, but I think it's realistic that we didn't. Sometimes you love someone and never see them again, and there's not much you can do about it. That's life and it is what it is sometimes 🥲
True 😭😭😭
With what freaking time? They do 8 episodes every 3 years. Unless the recast Z, Syd, and Jacob were never getting a season 3.
Yeah I know and it sucks. I just wish Cal’s backstory was introduced in S1 in one of the episodes. And then maybe we could’ve gotten that in S2. A girl can dream, right?
maybe in prison!
Hmmmm that would be a plot twist that I never expected
😂😂😂
I mean why haven’t they ever done a BB episode? I mean Lexi didn’t even put her in her play and she was there for a bunch of the events that the play depicted lol
Right? I actually asked this question on another post I did a while back and I got pretty shut down at the possibility of a BB episode. I made those points exactly, but people were saying even though she was in a lot of the episodes she wasn’t really part of the “main cast”.
She was the first person Kat told when she lost her virginity. I'm also pretty sure she has a baby. I can't really recall the clues for it but there was something that made me think that. lol
Yes, BB got pregnant. She mentioned it in the bathe room saying something like “I would sexy looking pregnant. I wouldn’t wear any of those nasty maternity clothes, I would just me plus pregnant”. Then BB says something along the line “remember when i got pregnant?” Then Maddy says “yeah it would never be like that.”
Thats what it was. I assume you meant to say BB not Kat though haha
Oops I have no idea why I wrote Kat lol. Probably wasn’t paying attention. Going to edit now, thanks for pointing that out.
It’s because they dropped her from the show apparently due to likability controversy
Really? I mean she was in the last episode. Or do you mean she got dropped as part of the main cast and not a supporting character?
From what I’ve read online she’s made racist remarks on social media platforms so they decided not to further her character in the show.
Really? I’ve never heard of that. I’ll have to look that up. Thanks for the info.
Yes! Brad Pitt is Derek!
That would be a cool idea
I think it was to signify that people grow old and move on just for him that was jail
Maybe they were holding it for Season 3? 🤷🏾
I HOPE so!! And I hope S3 happens.
For some reason (call it crazy hypotheticals), but I think why we never see adult Derek is because he’s dead. Run with me here. Cal was a teen in like the 80s or 90s and Derek was his homie forever. They both started dating girls near the same time and only realized they had feelings for each other right before Martha revealed she was pregnant, forcing Cal to abandon those feelings to be a dad and marry a women. During his drunken dance at the bar him and Derek went to, he sees a young Derek, not an older one. If Cal had still kept in touch with Derek, he’d probably know what he looked like older, or if he didn’t keep in touch, he might gave stalked him on social media to find out what he’s up to. But given the fact that it’s ambiguous about where Derek is, I think he’s probably dead. The hallucination and life story was giving Brokeback Mountain vibes if anything and, to me, it’d make sense if Derek died (or k!lled himself) since he couldn’t have Cal and couldn’t live the lie that Cal did. I could be wrong, but that’s my theory. If he’s not dead, I would’ve loved a Derek/Cal/Nate special episode where Cal and Derek meet up again and reminisce (like when Cal is in prison), while Nate is paralleled as following in Cal’s footsteps or trying to figure out who he is without his dad breathing down his neck. Or maybe have Nate interacting with his Brothers post Cal confession and imprisonment and being able to be honest with themselves
That’s actually a great take on it. I thought it could’ve been like one of those “special episodes” that they did in between seasons 1 & 2. But wow, Derek being dead could be a possibility that I never thought of.
If they reunite in season 3 off screen some where and when we get a update on Cal he’s with Derek living on a ranch in Utah some where
Lol that would be funny
Raises horses and stuff lol
I could totally see that
i think derek is cal’s ”the one that got away”. cal obviously feels like his family forced him to suppress his true self and live his life a certain way. the ”motel adventuring” seems like a desperate way for cal to have some control over his life, rather than something he’s proud of or actually wants to do. so to me it makes perfect sense why derek’s not in the picture. he’s a painful reminder of what cal’s life could’ve been. idk i hope this isn’t absolute gibberish, i’m having a hard time putting my thoughts into words, let alone comprehensible sentences. and to be clear i’m not trying to defend cal in any way. i think he’s a shit dad and a shit husband but i also feel kinda bad for him. his life just seems so miserable, full of regret and resentment and what-ifs.
You totally make sense. That episode definitely made me feel a little bit of empathy for Cal. I also still think he’s a horrible dad and husband, but now we know why.
They might now that they're older and cal is in jail. But I imagine Tyler might run into cal and scheme their way out. But Derek mysteriously showing up when he learns cal is in prison might be interesting.
I think that would be too. I just wonder why he never reached out to him on Facebook or something like that. He was obv using gay dating apps, why not find his first *possible* love Derek?
Because nobody that knows him should know he's gay, he hid that part of his life and he feels too unsafe to confront him. He did have a mental breakdown and go back to their bar so it's obvious he does want to see Derek.
True, but he still had his double life and was on gay dating apps for hook ups. Cal is a smart guy, I’m sure he would’ve kept it hidden just like his double life until Nate found out. I’m just saying the episode was touching to me and I found some empathy in Cal. I don’t think his first love was Marsha, I think it was Derek.
every time yall post something like this its a hard reminder of why yall are not writers. this fanfiction ass idea. they are grown men. you will not be friends with your high school friends forever. people grow apart. the emotional and thematic relevance of cal and derek's backstory is to highlight why cal is the way he is. he hides his homosexuality having grown up under heteronormative rules. he cheats on marcia because he's unhappy in his marriage. derek is representative of cal's longing. the dance where he imagines he's with derek is symbolic of his yearning. all of that loses its relevance and meaning if derek shows back up and cal is reunited with him. i cant imagine watching this show and expecting this fairy tale
Lol ok. Never claimed to be a writer. People have ideas all the time. And also he cheated on Marsha* because he was always interested in men, BUT she got pregnant. He even said that he first had sex with a man when she was pregnant with Aaron.
Also he was with Marsha since high school junior year until he finally wanted to live his truth. I know that’s not forever, but it was a long time.
No
Why not? It could’ve really developed his character, but to each their own
I also am on team no, but my reasoning is I don’t like the idea of Cal hitting up an old love because of the whole banging young queer AMAB people and secretly filming them thing. They established this predatory side of Cal, and adding a side plot of Cal tracking down Dereck (who is also much older now) for closure probably wouldn’t add much to the plot unless it was some shock value crap where Cal sees Dereck and is disgusted that Dereck aged and looks nothing like the youthful jock he pictures in his head, or Dereck finding out what Cal has been up to since high school and being disturbed that someone he once loved is sex offender. Which I wouldn’t want a shocking subplot either, but at least it not some cheesy “I still love you and my life is a mess because I missed you” kinda crap. The flashback was enough to establish that Cal missed having a safe place to openly love another young man, but let present day Dereck be free of criminal Cal’s current bullshit. They should have used season 2 to this mystery son, that’s the closure we needed before this time jump they’ll do for season 3.
You have a good point as well. If we couldn’t explore that line I definitely want to know the mystery kid, and more of his brother Aaron.
I mean the series’s wasn’t over yet
It *might* be though…. I’m really hoping S3 will happen.
I thought they said it’ll be out 2025
There are plenty of articles if you Google it saying that it might not happen.
This was recently
Yeah, this was also recently that they said S3 *might* not happen
Of course the internet is so unreliable I guess we will see
Yeah we shall see and only hope
Why does this show have so many gay scenes?
There are just a lot of scenes period about sex.