Plot Summary
Netflix’s new YA adaptation follows the journey of Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), a 15-year-old girl whose life is turned upside down when her family dies in a car accident, causing her to be shipped off to Colorado to be under the care of her mother’s best friend, Katherine Walter. Going from a small family of four to living with a family of 12 is no easy transition. Especially when most of them are teenage boys. Whilst Jackie is struggling to grieve the loss of her family she must also figure out a way to carve a new life for herself and tackle the tricky ever-growing connection between the two Walter boys, troubled ex-football star Cole (Noah LaLonde) and sweet bookish Alex (Ashby Gentry).
Introduction
Who would’ve thought that a young adult novel first published on Wattpad would become a sensation, leading to a Netflix adaptation? “My Life with the Walter Boys,” the beloved coming-of-age story by Ali Novak, captured hearts with its compelling characters and intricate plot. Granted the book wasn’t the best piece of YA fiction I had read, but it still had moments I could appreciate and always maintained the ability to keep me entertained. Whether that be the many Walter boy’s pranks, Jackie’s struggle to transition from the highlife of the Upper West Side of New York to the dirt roads of Colorado, and even the love triangle that left all its readers on the edge of their seats.
But when the news of a Netflix adaptation broke, I couldn’t help but feel both excited and apprehensive. Would the TV show do justice to the book? And most importantly, would it be able to capture the essence of what made “My Life with the Walter Boys” such an enjoyable read? Unfortunately, the answer to these questions is no. While the TV show follows the general premise of the book, it fails to capture the same level of depth and emotion that made readers fall in love with “My Life with the Walter Boys.” Because of this, the show was a struggle to get through and that’s putting it mildly.
Top Differences Between the Book and the TV Show that Negatively Impacted the Series
Adapting a book to a screen is a complex process, and it’s expected for some elements to change. However, the deviations in “My Life with the Walter Boys” went beyond minor tweaks. The character portrayals underwent significant transformations, deviating from their original personas.
Alex’s Character Portrayal
In the book, Alex Walter is the classic ‘good guy’. He’s a sweet-hearted nerd with a charming personality that no parent would refuse. The stereotypical type of guy that girls overlook in high school but appreciate in their adult years. He’s that antithesis of Cole in every way and his relationship with Jackie acts as a symbol to readers of what a healthy relationship should look like on paper. The deep-rooted contention between the brothers only further encourages readers to compare the two and ultimately pick a side. The fact that he is Cole’s younger and less popular brother already places him in the position of the underdog that you can’t help but root for, even when the odds are against him.
I mean isn’t that the basis of a great love triangle? You want the “second lead” to tug at everyone’s heartstrings. To like the character and connect with him enough that you feel both excited, frustrated and nervous about the main character’s decisions. I remember feeling that when I read the book, although Alex wasn’t perfect, I genuinely liked his character enough to low-key support him.
However, this character took a drastic turn for the worse. Although book Alex was jealous of Cole which fuelled his insecurities, TV Alex magnified these negative traits of his, portraying them as way more toxic and concerning than they should have been. We were supposed to feel bad for Alex, NOT be wary of him. His desperate attempts to get Jackie made him look needy instead of charming. The feelings that he has for Jackie didn’t come across as sweet at all to me, it felt like he was using her from the beginning to the end and whatever genuine feeling he developed for her in the process did not come through on screen.
His insecurities overpowered his relationship, making his attachment to Jackie look unhealthy. Because of this, the love that we as the viewers are supposed to feel for the couple becomes distorted, leaving us doubting whether Alex even likes her let alone loves her.
Cole Character Portrayal
Is it just me or did Cole look way too old to be taken seriously? In the book, he’s described as the typical popular blond all-American boy. As the character, Noah Lalonde was the right choice when it came to casting, his appearance fit Cole’s description to the tee. However, alongside the other characters, he clearly stood out and not in a good way.
Nikki Rodriguez and Ashby Gentry who played Jackie Howard and Alex Walter looked several years younger than him. As a character, he looked great but unfortunately, besides those two he looked more like a guardian than a love interest. This threw the balance between the characters completely off, making the dynamic look strange and awkward instead of passionate and intense.
Because Cole looked out of place age-wise his relationship with Jackie also took a massive hit. Instead of being sucked in by the connection between the characters I often found myself being side-tracked by how weird and unsuitable they looked on screen. This affected his persona changing him from an alluring troubled kid to an old creepy delinquent fast, which made it difficult to invest in his relationship with Jackie.
Jackie’s Grief and Trauma from Losing Her Family
The TV adaptation of Jackie Howard was painfully one-dimensional. Even if you wanted to connect with her, you couldn’t because there was nothing deep, relatable, or even realistic about her. Strange for a main character I know, especially since she’s gone through one of the most tragic events imaginable.
Having your entire immediate family die in a car crash is not something you can just brush over. it changes and alters you in ways you can’t control, grief and trauma are some of the most difficult things a human can go through let alone a hormonal teenage girl. I felt that Ali Novak understood this, which is why I found it to be better portrayed in the book than it was in the show. Although I always felt that the author could have dived a bit deeper into Jackie Howard’s grief, the book’s portrayal was hands down a better depiction of how emotionally searing it is to lose loved ones.
One of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the book is when Jackie explains her bond with her family and why she is the way she is. She reveals that her mother being a fashion designer and her sister being a model meant that they were more alike which always made her feel left out, because of this she believed that “if I could be as successful as my dad, my mom would start to love me the way she did Lucy.” She also goes on to admit that “That was the start of my obsession with being perfect.” This is a clear insight into Jackie’s character and the root of her insecurities. She truly believed that to be loved by her mother she had to become what she thought was lovable in her mother’s eyes. Reading this was emotional and deeply saddening, especially since her parents aren’t there to heal her warped perception of herself. For me, this is when I emotionally bonded with the character and became heavily invested in her journey.
These precious gems of insight into the character’s way of being is what Netflix was missing. Instead of capitalizing on the character’s uncomfortable truths about her family dynamic, they chose to water down the darker aspects of her life by presenting her leaning into her perfectionism as just purely a coping mechanism for her grief. Having practically no vulnerable revelations about the character meant that we as the audience lost a key gateway to getting to know Jackie on a deeper level. As a result, her bland and plain Jane ways took over her character, turning her into an unbearably boring protagonist with no real likability.
Positive Changes That I Enjoyed
The diversity in the show goes without saying, However, two main subplots caught my eye more than the rest.
Erin Character Development
I thoroughly enjoyed the way the show chose to take a deeper look into the character of Erin. The character was much more complex here than it was in the book which was a nice surprise. Her character develops from a typical cold bitchy mean girl to a sensitive girl who’s learning to love herself. Throughout the show, she starts to take control of her life, instead of living for her mum she chooses to live for herself. In doing so she becomes more confident in her decisions and realises she deserves better than being treated as Cole’s comfort blanket.
Seeing her evolve into a more authentic version of herself was so satisfying to watch. To me, she wasn’t the villain in the story but a complex and true depiction of the coming-of-age transition that occurs in your teenage years. In this regard, Erin was way more captivating than Jackie, she had so many layers that were being slowly revealed with each episode. I could easily watch a spinoff staring her as the lead.
Also, the subtle connection between her and Danny was beautiful to watch. They are way more suited for each other than she and Cole who were just toxic from the start. I am 1000% rooting for them!
Kiley’s Unrequited Love for Alex
This is the typical friends-to-lovers trope. More specifically the painfully unrequited and unnoticed love of a childhood best friend who falls in love alone, but I loved how it was done in the series. Kiley wasn’t mean, bitter, or insecure and never made it awkward between her and Jackie. Despite having feelings for Alex, she supported him and gave him advice, highlighting what a great friend she was, but also how selfless her love is.
You would think she would want to put herself in a better position with Alex by discouraging him but instead, she puts him first which is kind of amazing in a pitiful way. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She truly deserved better. She and Alex would have made the perfect couple if he could learn to appreciate what’s in front of him. Because of her feelings, she was able to understand Cole’s predicament which made for an unlikely pair of friends toward the end.
Here you get an honest portrayal of the heart-breaking trials and tribulations of unrequited love. The slow revelation of her feelings throughout built up the tension which made the last scene between the two even more impactful.
Comparison with Other Similar Book Adaptations
Taken in all the points made by the character analysis of Alex, Cole and Jackie. I think it’s safe to say that any attempt at a juicy love triangle was doomed from the start. Instead of exploring the complexities of each character’s feelings and motivations, Netflix focused on a more Hallmark-movie-type surface-level approach, diminishing the impact of a potentially engaging love triangle.
Unfortunately, this meant that the show couldn’t hold a candle to its more successful counterparts with the same tropes like The Vampire Diaries or even The Summer I Turned Pretty. These shows made the necessary tweaks for visual storytelling. They managed to retain the original charm of the characters and plot, which “My Life with the Walter Boys,” unfortunately, did not.
Love triangles are supposed to be exciting, making you feel all the ‘feels’ at once. Both TV adaptations, The Vampire Diaries‘ Salvatore Brothers and the Fisher Boys from The Summer I Turned Pretty, are great at showcasing the full complexities of each character. They weren’t afraid to expose their unlikeable qualities and raw truths which made the audience drawn to their storylines and therefore the love triangle itself. Everyone has their favourite brother but because of the willingness to show the character’s authentic selves you can’t help but appreciate the other brother in the dynamic as well.
It’s clear that Alex and Cole both have deep feelings for Jackie, but instead of delving into their emotions and exploring the dynamics of their relationships, the show opted for a shallow and predictable love triangle. This left the audience feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled. Ultimately the love triangle was stale and fell flat due to poor execution and lack of depth. A real shame.
Final Thoughts
All things considered; I would rate “My Life with the Walter Boys” as a 3-star TV show. While it makes for a cliché a sub-par binge-watch, it fails to honour the engaging qualities of the original narrative. If you’re a fan of the book, prepare to brace yourself for some surprises. If you’re new to the story, the show might just charm its way into your Netflix list.
For me, I was left feeling unsatisfied, but I do encourage everyone to make their own judgements. Remember what might be disappointing for me might be fantastic for you. So give it a watch and let me know what you think!
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