MovieChat Forums > Kingdom (2014) Discussion > Good show but 2 things I don't get:

Good show but 2 things I don't get:

posted 9 years ago by big_kmc
3 replies | jump to latest

1. Why or how did Ryan attack his father? This needs to be addressed. At first you meet ryan coming out of prison and maybe think he had some troubled background but no, he's white middle class, no history of drug use or physical abuse. It makes no sense why he would attack his father and put him in a wheelchair if the guy was his hero as Ryan later claimed. It's one of the major flaws in this show, Ryan's character is not congruous with someone who would beat his father inhumanely to the degree it must have taken to put that big guy in a wheel chair with bare hands.

2. I don't know why Lisa treats Alvey so bad. She never states her needs or desires and expects him to be a mindreader. Besides his growing drinking problem in the second season, he seems like an amazing person. He is a great coach, has a community oriented gym not focused exclusively on profit. He cares about his sons, cares about his friends, is a good guy who doesn't shy away from responsibility including going out to dinner with Lisa's scumbag father. I don't get what she wants from him or why she is so resentful of him.

[–] jtb-11370 9 years ago

I think you should rewatch season one, to find your answer to the first question. I don't think it is fair to post spoilers.

I don't think Lisa treats Alvey poorly, I think she doesn't put up with all the crap that he throws at her.

[–] WaySheGoes 9 years ago

Spoilers for anyone who hasn't watched

In regards to the first question, I believe Ryan told the story in AA. He was high/drunk when he came home to a surprise intervention, and his dad got in his way when he tried leaving the house. Things snowballed from there.

I'm rewatching again and almost finished season 1

[–] gmintz 9 years ago

1. Why or how did Ryan attack his father? This needs to be addressed. At first you meet ryan coming out of prison and maybe think he had some troubled background but no, he's white middle class, no history of drug use or physical abuse. It makes no sense why he would attack his father and put him in a wheelchair if the guy was his hero as Ryan later claimed. It's one of the major flaws in this show, Ryan's character is not congruous with someone who would beat his father inhumanely to the degree it must have taken to put that big guy in a wheel chair with bare hands.

As others have pointed out, the meeting in season 1 where Lisa came to watch explained that he was drunk and high all the time at the peak of his career and really full of himself and his abilities and the surprise intervention with his parents and Lisa did not go well (resulting in his father being put in a wheelchair). The Ryan you see now is the one full of guilt and humility about what he did to his father. Very different I am assuming from the one pre-season 1.

2. I don't know why Lisa treats Alvey so bad. She never states her needs or desires and expects him to be a mindreader. Besides his growing drinking problem in the second season, he seems like an amazing person. He is a great coach, has a community oriented gym not focused exclusively on profit. He cares about his sons, cares about his friends, is a good guy who doesn't shy away from responsibility including going out to dinner with Lisa's scumbag father. I don't get what she wants from him or why she is so resentful of him.

I don't think she really does treat Alvey that bad when you consider all that she has to put up with. He's always making poor decisions, especially financial ones when it comes to the gym and money (such as giving the $30,000 to his friend in season 2) and not consulting her when she has invested thousands of her own dollars into the gym. He is unfaithful, always drinking, and very self-absorbed and refusing to let go of his glory days. It's a lot to put up with, especially now that she's carrying his child.