As a family therapist who specializes in grief, my favorite TV moments are when shows touch on these topics and do it well, making them both authentic and relatable. That's when I get excited enough to discuss them.
Jacob's (Remy Smith) disappearance leaves Del (Andie MacDowell) Colton (Jefferson Brown) teen Kat (Alex Hook and Chyler Leigh) with what professionals call "ambiguous grief": when the circumstances of loss are unclear and there is no closure. The ambiguity is like a big pile of "buts" "maybes" & "what ifs" that often doesn't allow for grief to enter the rooms of our lives. It's hard to grieve a loss that we cannot acknowledge, or that we're not sure even happened. In this case, not knowing what happened to Jacob creates tension between the hope that he may still be alive ("A Landry never gives up hope") and the will for closure ("when a family member died, they would write down the date, close the book and move on").
The Landry family unit was extremely close before Jacob disappeared. I'm sure they had their fair share of less-than-ideal moments, but all-in-all, they were close and had no trouble expressing their emotions. After Jacob disappeared, they fell into a pattern of silence and disengagement and stopped communicating emotions other than anger. They could not recreate the puzzle of their family unit. While this is by no means a testimony to all, or even most families, it is not uncommon.
In popular culture, we often see a linear process of moving on from grief. However, that linear process doesn't exist, because grief is not about moving on from, it's about moving on with. It's not about getting over, it's about integrating our grief into who we are after a loss. The Landry family shows us the complexity of grief in ways that other shows have not.
The cast portrays it authentically and genuinely, Jefferson Brown is a wonderful, vulnerable Colton, Andie MacDowell is as iconic as ever as both younger and older Del - the first innocent, happy and in love, and the latter hardened by pain and shut down. Alex Hook is an emotional, expressive teen Kat, who portrays the multiple losses she experienced and her trauma bond with Brady well. Also, her resemblance to Chyler Leigh, who portrays adult Kat, makes her a casting brilliance. Chyler Leigh always portrays grief and vulnerability well, but this time she really exceeds even my already high expectations. Last, but by no means least, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, is brilliant in her first lead role, carrying the story and cast. She shows us one can grieve people one never met. I am beyond curious to see where her path leads.
Jacob's (Remy Smith) disappearance leaves Del (Andie MacDowell) Colton (Jefferson Brown) teen Kat (Alex Hook and Chyler Leigh) with what professionals call "ambiguous grief": when the circumstances of loss are unclear and there is no closure. The ambiguity is like a big pile of "buts" "maybes" & "what ifs" that often doesn't allow for grief to enter the rooms of our lives. It's hard to grieve a loss that we cannot acknowledge, or that we're not sure even happened. In this case, not knowing what happened to Jacob creates tension between the hope that he may still be alive ("A Landry never gives up hope") and the will for closure ("when a family member died, they would write down the date, close the book and move on").
The Landry family unit was extremely close before Jacob disappeared. I'm sure they had their fair share of less-than-ideal moments, but all-in-all, they were close and had no trouble expressing their emotions. After Jacob disappeared, they fell into a pattern of silence and disengagement and stopped communicating emotions other than anger. They could not recreate the puzzle of their family unit. While this is by no means a testimony to all, or even most families, it is not uncommon.
In popular culture, we often see a linear process of moving on from grief. However, that linear process doesn't exist, because grief is not about moving on from, it's about moving on with. It's not about getting over, it's about integrating our grief into who we are after a loss. The Landry family shows us the complexity of grief in ways that other shows have not.
The cast portrays it authentically and genuinely, Jefferson Brown is a wonderful, vulnerable Colton, Andie MacDowell is as iconic as ever as both younger and older Del - the first innocent, happy and in love, and the latter hardened by pain and shut down. Alex Hook is an emotional, expressive teen Kat, who portrays the multiple losses she experienced and her trauma bond with Brady well. Also, her resemblance to Chyler Leigh, who portrays adult Kat, makes her a casting brilliance. Chyler Leigh always portrays grief and vulnerability well, but this time she really exceeds even my already high expectations. Last, but by no means least, Sadie Laflamme-Snow, is brilliant in her first lead role, carrying the story and cast. She shows us one can grieve people one never met. I am beyond curious to see where her path leads.