The thing about TK Strand is that he doesn’t want anyone on earth to suffer the way he’s suffered, but he also wants everyone on earth to have the good things he has in his life.
He is so soft and gentle and comforting with patients in the field. He’s so instantly sad puppy eyes when anyone he loves is hurting, so desperate to try to fix and help and offer a shoulder. He was the first to say “this isn’t our place we shouldn’t be here” in the pilot when it seemed like Owen was going to swoop into a grieving community and tell them what to do. To say “I don’t care if you never tell your parents, I love you and I’m not going anywhere” to Carlos. He tried to save Marjan in the grain silo, he wanted to reassure the little boy who shot him, he welcomed Nancy into the friend group, he took Paul to a gay club. He’s so drawn like magnets to wounded horses and dogs with cancer and stick bugs who might get trampled. He wants so badly to just take care of everyone and for no one to ever have a cloudy day.
But then he’s also the biggest cheerleader for all his friends to find love like he has. He’s so willing to forgive people for their mistakes because of how many mistakes he made that he was forgiven for. He never gives up on people because people didn’t give up on him, he gives endless second and third and fourth chances because of all the chances he was given. He made peace with Judd, he had empathy for his mom even though he was hurt by her leaving, he can love both his dad and Enzo despite their flaws and failings, he shows Carlos endless grace when he stumbles.
So much of TK comes from him thinking either “I know what it is to hurt so I will do whatever I can to stop someone else from hurting”, or “I know what it is to be forgiven and given another chance so I will forgive and give second chances.”
He’s made of sunshine and I don’t know how we got so lucky to have him in this silly little show.