Hello! ^^ It's me :D So, I just watched the episode in Season 6 where Slicker goes a bit off the deep end with his drinking. It's nice to see him finally recognizing the problem at a deeper level and trying to fix it. I was wondering what your thoughts where on his drinking problem and subsequent character development. Also, I haven't actually finished Season 6 yet, but I'm open to spoilers. XD So does he manage to keep it under control? (also, why did Anthony have to die?! *sobs*)
Hey! Thanks for the message :)
As for Anthony, I know right?! I mean, at least it was a death we could see coming, but it was still awful. That scene where he talks with Grace and Robert E. about heaven is so heartbreaking, and then that montage along with his essay about finding a home… I think that might have been one of the most beautiful moments of the entire series. It’s also so sad for Brian to lose him because they had so much in common as adopted children, which raises issues other friends wouldn’t understand. I was just watching “His Father’s Son” the other day and even though they weren’t on the same page about it, Brian could talk to Anthony about his struggle with being adopted and sadness about his father’s lack of involvement in his life. It is pretty upsetting that all of the children’s friends either disappear or die at some point, like poor Becky. lol
I actually just watched “Lead Me Not” the other day as well, so I have been giving it a lot of thought. Jake’s development throughout the series is really interesting because it mostly has to do with his relationships with others, or lack thereof. I think at the beginning of the series he kinda feels like he’s alone in the world and that the only person he’s hurting with his addiction is himself, and he’s okay with that. The first time Jake’s alcoholism is addressed, it’s made apparent that his “binges” are a pretty regular occurrence. He locks himself away in his shop and no one ever bothers to check on him until it’s passed. Sadly, it seems that before Michaela arrived, no one showed any concern for his illness, which would definitely contribute to his idea that his behavior is merely self destructive. Like he says in “Happy Birthday,” every man makes his own choices and it’s his life so he can do what he wants with it.
It’s not until “Lead Me Not” in Season 6 that he realizes how many other people he’s hurting with his addiction as well. He instantly turns to alcohol when faced with a distressing situation instead of working it out rationally and hurts several people in the process. He vandalizes Loren’s store, physically harms Robert E., making him unable to do his work, contributes to the vandalization of The Gold Nugget, frightens Michaela’s family, drops her infant child, unnecessarily harms his relationship with Hank, and almost destroys his relationship with Mrs. Morales.
For Jake, merely helping himself wasn’t enough reason to attempt overcoming his addiction. He couldn’t be helped because he didn’t want to be; however, his desire for a relationship with Mrs. Morales and the harm he realizes he’s causing others encourages him to improve himself for his own sake and the sake of others.
