Council of Dads Season Finale Review: Fight or Flight (Season 1 Episode 10)

It’s always hard when a show finishes filming a season with the hopes that it will get renewed, and then they don’t. It’s especially hard when finale episodes like Council of Dads Season 1 Episode 10, “Fight or Flight,” leave a few things unanswered.

It leaves an otherwise good episode feeling a bit jilted and unfinished. We want to know if Larry is going to take that drink or if he will answer Robin’s text instead. We want to know how the family will cope with the loss of The Crab Shack. 

However, these unanswered moments are not what really drives this episode toward a finale feel. Instead, it is the elements that have been throughout this show from the very beginning — the feeling of family, love, and recovery. 

The storm the family endures on Council of Dads Season 1 Episode 9, “Stormy Weather,” is a backdrop for the stories being explored on “Fight or Flight.” The characters now face the harsh light of day and have to deal with their decisions before and during the storm. 

Luly has to face the fallout from her column being published. While the way her siblings find out about Anthony being her father isn’t ideal, it is a great thing that she has something she is finally passionate about.

This whole season, we have watched as Luly struggles with who she is and where she belongs. This letter to her father is the start of her really diving in and finding that career path and place she’s been searching for. 

Luly is finally her own person, and it’s frustrating to see her mother shoot that down on principle. Yes, it’s hard to see your family put on display through the writing of someone you love, but isn’t it better to come from a loved one than a stranger?

Robin needs that wake-up call from her conversation with Scott to really help her see that Luly is becoming her own person and will never treat the family wrong with her writing. This conversation is like Robin’s final goodbye to her husband of many years.

Throughout the season, Council of Dads has used the spirit of Scott to direct emotional conversations among family members and help them find the answers they seek. It’s a plot device that is used sparingly and appropriately, which allows Scott to have his intended effect.

Seeing Scott during these small moments gives us a window into his character and how his legacy lives on through his wife and children. Robin telling him about her new love gives her the closure that she needs to allow herself to dive full force into the relationship with Sam. 

It’s a unique way to convey that ending while also celebrating all that she has at a time he’s still alive. Robin knows how to continue to love because Scott taught her that everyday and she continues to learn it through her children. 

This revelation opens her up to what is needed in all areas of her life. It allows her to forgive Anthony for his mistakes and allow the family they’ve built through the council to continue. 

Forgiving Anthony is a big deal, as he hasn’t really stepped up in the ways that the other council members have, and he walks away when things get hard. Personally, I feel they all could’ve let him sweat it out a little bit longer before forgiving, but I can understand why they did.

After all, Theo sees Anthony step up and not only comforts him and encourages him when his girlfriend breaks up with him, but also promise to teach him how to be a cook like his dad. These are all major markers for Theo ever since Scott died. 

Theo has wanted someone to see him and encourage him instead of constantly telling him no. So when Anthony does that, it makes sense Theo would be one of the first to forgive him. 

It all just seems a bit too easy. I wish we could get more episodes of this show to see how Anthony’s relationship with the family really plays out over time.

Maybe the forgiveness is only just words and the family ends up taking more time to actually mend their fences with Anthony. Maybe Anthony really has put his old ways behind him and is willing to step up more and more. It is up to us now to make the final decision.

While everyone seems to be moving forward on “Fight or Flight,” we fail to see Larry floundering until it is too late. This man has been the ultimate dad this whole season — always there when everyone needs him to be.

However, being rejected by his daughter in big ways during the storm seems to be really taking its toll on him and when he finds out the man he convinced the council to sell the shack to is going to turn the shack into condominiums, we see his cracks for the first time. 

Larry cries and while the council is there to tell him everything is fine, they are failing to actually listen to him. It means the difference between him sticking around and rebuilding with everyone else, and sneaking off to a bar. 

It is sad to think that this undertaking Larry has been on for a year is part of what drives him to his old habit. Hopefully, after the screen fades to black, he pushes the shot of vodka away and goes back to his new family, because they are there to be strong for him when he can’t be strong himself.

As Robin says, the council is a two-way street now. They are there for each other, not just the council there for the Perry’s. 

As we close the book on Council of Dads, we are left with the continuing legacy of love, communication, community, and redemption. That is quite a legacy to behold.

 

What did you think of this episode of Council of Dads? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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