“Unstable” follows the once-estranged relationship between eccentric biotech entrepreneur Alice Dragon and her introverted son, Jackson, played by real-life father-son duo Rob and John Owen Lowe. As Jackson struggles to find his footing in a world centered around his beloved and well-known father, the Netflix series depicts a dynamic that is all too familiar from John Owen’s real life.
“It’s wildly similar [me and my dad’s] dynamic,” Jon Owen told TheWrap. “I don’t find it ironic that we’re literally starring in a show about a son trying to escape his father’s shadow because I want to escape my own father’s shadow. Trying, and going deeper into it.”
The comedy series, which debuts Thursday (March 30) on Netflix, focuses on Jackson’s return home to his father after losing his mother and Alice’s wife, a tragedy that affected the pair’s relationship. Jackson also returned to his father’s tech giant’s lab after putting aside his passion for science for fear of being overshadowed by his father, instead being a flute player across the country.
“It is difficult to step out of that shadow of a father who is not only a larger-than-life figure but also a significant presence in society, and it is even more difficult when you are entering the field in which your father excelled.” And he got all the praise,” said John Owen. “As an act of desperation, he turned his back on something he really loved and tried to find something that was as close as possible to his father What was less was his music and his flute.”
Despite his initial hesitation, Jackson returns to the lab “fresh”, as he listens to his gut feeling. John Owen said, “It’s in their DNA, but it’s also a place where they feel the need to prove themselves.”
John Owen said, “It’s a very unique perspective, I think, on a very relatable topic, which is children trying to separate themselves from their parents or coming back to them, and Trying to get their approval and recognition.” ,
Jackson’s decision to come – and stay – home is the first step in healing the father-son duo after the death of their mother, who previously served as the emotional buffer and even “translator” between Jackson and Alice. I used to work too.
John Owen said, “With her gone, Jackson is not only dealing with the grief of losing a mother, but he is also dealing, in some sense, with the grief of losing, the remnants of that relationship with his father.” “Ultimately what brings them back together, even though neither of them wants to admit it, is that they miss that connection and after mom is gone, they never need each other again.” Is.”
When John Owen decides to continue working at the lab, Alice throws a lavish welcome party at the office for her son, complete with streamers, balloons and cake, against his wishes. While John Owen says his father makes a big deal out of things that aren’t a big deal in the son’s eyes “all the time,” he recalls his father’s over-enthusiastic reaction when John Owen was 16. Passed his driver’s test at the age of 15.
“He felt like I got the Nobel Peace Prize or something, it was a huge celebration,” said John Owen, who was rewarded by his father by taking him down the highway. “He has a flair for being dramatic and larger than life, and this manifests in making small things seem larger than they need to be.”
Although John Owen does not view Jackson as a “full blown introvert”, it is clear “he is not easily outgoing or eager to be social” as Ellis, John Owen notes in his real life. Reflecting the relationship of “I’m the one” in a similar way, and my dad is very lively and boisterous and out there. “So when we go out together we’re socially awkward,” he added.
As John Owen, who began his career as a writer on “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which featured his father, grapples with his character’s struggles that hit too close to home, he admitted that although he and his father
“Some dialogue,” he confided at most to his therapist about the show’s striking resemblance.
“The truth is, it’s all getting too much for me when I’m really feeling like, she’s not the right person to go to because it’s about her, so I have to find other resources,” John Owen said. “He does his best, he makes it look easier than it is, that’s all I’ll say.”
