10 Storylines From My Life With The Walter Boys Season 1 That Season 2 Needs To Fix

Netflix’s My Life with the Water Boys is an entertaining teen show, but it has some storylines that could improve in season 2. The series is adapted from Ali Novak’s novel of the same name, and it premiered on Netflix in early December, quickly becoming a hit show for the streaming service, which rushed to renew it for season 2. My Life with the Walter Boys does a fair job portraying teenage romance, and, although love triangles are overdone tropes, the romance between Jackie, Alex, and Cole has the potential to become one of the most popular love triangles on TV.

Series developer Melanie Halsall’s adaptation of My Life with the Walter Boys strayed from the book in some instances, and some choices didn’t appear to work and didn’t add anything to the plot. The young adult series follows Jackie Howard, who, after her family died in an accident, moves in with her custodian, Katherine, her mom’s friend, who has a house filled with boys. The show has a missing Walter brother, but it still doesn’t focus enough on all the boys, and, although My Life with the Walter Boys was adapted to a broader audience, it often didn’t seem to find a good balance between the teens and older characters.

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10 Olivia’s Plot In My Life With The Walter Boys Season 1 Almost Ruined Erin’s Development

Olivia didn’t deserve forgiveness this fast

My Life with the Walter Boys season 1 depicted Cole as a charming bad boy who didn’t commit, and Olivia was one of his romantic liaisons. The issue was that Cole had an on-and-off romance with Erin, Olivia’s best friend. Although Olivia knew how invested Erin was in her situation with Cole, Olivia slept with him nevertheless. Despite looking shocked at Cole’s interest in Jackie, Olivia had no issues going behind Erin’s back, which proved she knew what she was doing was wrong. Erin got upset when she found out, but the two patched things up in episode 9, “Revolutions.”

Erin had an amazing character development in season 1, and Olivia’s plot could’ve ruined it. Erin went from a stereotypical mean girl to a layered character, and that didn’t have to do with her romantic interests. She started following her instincts, put the track team in second place to try out for theater, and proved her complexity when speaking about her dead father. Having Olivia sneak behind her back and then ask for forgiveness was a disservice to Erin, and season 2 needs to create a better story for Olivia, the same way they did for Erin, and prove she deserved Erin’s forgiveness.

9 Will and Hayley’s Issues Ended Up Forgotten In My Life With The Walter Boys Finale

Season 1 set them up to fail

Will and Hayley had many issues throughout season 1 that seemed forgotten during My Life with the Walter Boys season 1 finale. The show focused more on the couple than it did in the book, and it never found a good way to do that. The two wanted to get married, although the timing and finances didn’t help. Will worked too much and wanted to be financially secure, while Hayley wanted to act like a 20-something-year-old and relax and enjoy life.

They reached an understanding before their wedding, but his last scene focusing on turning the ranch into a luxury getaway proved he was still focused on business. Despite being his wedding day, he made a business proposal to Uncle Richard, and that is what he wanted to talk about during his wedding night. On top of that, Hayley having a mysterious caller is also one of the questions season 2 needs to answer. Because of Will and Hayley’s wedding in the finale, season 2 needs to get to the root of the problem, fix their issues, and get them on the same page.

8 Alex Became A “Nice Guy” In My Life With The Walter Boys

Alex should’ve been a more endearing character

Alex was very insecure and he also turned into a “nice guy.” He often compared himself to the golden boy of the family, and didn’t focus on his strengths. Alex is supposed to be the good, safe choice for Jackie, which is why they started dating. Yet, the show made him look more obsessive and competitive and had fewer cute moments than intense ones, despite getting some of Cole’s best scenes from the book. Season 1 made it seem like he only dated Jackie to win in front of Cole, which is not what the love triangle was about.

Teenagers are deeply flawed and Alex seemed to start on his growth path by the end of the season. He had an honest conversation with Cole, which was one of his best moments in the series, and also confronted Paige, his ex, who cheated on him. In the book, he and Jackie had a lot in common, and he genuinely liked her. Since Alex is one of the main characters and a love interest for Jackie, he should’ve had a better plot that made him more likable and have people root for him, and season 2 needs to make him a priority.

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7 Tara’s Extended Romantic Plot In Season 1 Wasn’t Necessary

She was a new character

Tara wasn’t a character in the book, and she got a lot of screen time in season 1. She was a guidance counselor and Hayley’s best friend. However, her romance with Nik and subsequent chemistry with Richard got too much screen time. She could continue to be a supporting character in season 2, but she doesn’t need a big plot, especially with so many Walter brothers, who needed more screen time and better stories.

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6 Katherine And George’s 2 Nephews, Isaac And Lee Need Backstories

They were easily the funniest characters

Katherine and George have eight children, and their nephews, Isaac and Lee, live with them. Isaac and Lee are some of the most interesting characters, as they’re funny and charming. Yet season 1 made it seem like people should already know their characters, instead of explicitly explaining them. The audience found out their father was supposedly in the military, but they needed some backstories. There was no indication of why Isaac and Lee were specifically waiting for his call on Thanksgiving, why they were living with the Walters, and where their mom was, and season 2 could fix that.

5 Jackie Didn’t Have Time To Grieve After Her Family Died

She jumped headfirst into work and romance

Ali Novak was only 15 when she first wrote My Life with the Walter Boys and published it on Wattpad. Although she did a great job portraying teenagers, since she was one herself, the Netflix series didn’t delve into Jackie’s trauma. The main plot was Jackie moving to Colorado to stay with the Walters because her family died, yet she didn’t have any time to grieve. No one suggested a therapist, she repressed her feelings and threw herself into work and her goal of getting into Princeton before getting caught in a love triangle. Season 2 needs to hit the brakes on the romance, and give her time to heal.

4 The Walter Parents Weren’t Too Involved In Parenting Their Children Or Jackie

They needed to step in many times

The Walter parents, Katherine and George, were clearly in over their heads. They had a house filled with many children, many debts, jobs, and the problem with the ranch, but they also didn’t take enough time to parent the children. Katherine and George never took a clear stand on setting boundaries when Jackie arrived, which led to the bleach prank. On top of that, they never insisted on or even suggested Jackie see a therapist, given her immense trauma, or suggested one for Cole, who was struggling after thinking he had lost his future after his injury and rehab, and season 2 needs them to focus more on the kids.

3 Alex Rushing When Telling Jackie He Loved Her In My Life With The Walter Boys Finale

Alex and Jackie made sense on paper, but not in reality. They were more compatible in the book, but season 1 made them feel like both were checking some boxes if they dated. The two had been together for roughly six months, and Alex blurted that he loved her in the finale at Will and Hayley’s wedding. Although that hardly seemed rushed, it didn’t ring true for any of the characters. That means he might’ve rushed to tell her he loved her to prevent her from considering Cole, which had the opposite effect. Season 2 needs to have Alex genuinely interested in Jackie if their relationship continues.

2 Nathan And Skylar’s Relationship Start Was Too Forced In Season 1

Their beginning was by far the least romantic

Pursuing someone is good, but Nathan and Skylar’s relationship start was too forced in season 1. They had a meet cute moment, but that led to Nathan stalking Skylar, and even writing him a song, although Skylar didn’t seem interested. He was too intense and Skylar didn’t appreciate that, but all his friends somehow persuaded him to believe that it was romantic. Their relationship start was quite problematic, and it felt very forced. The two also had little chemistry to prove why this was worth it, although their romance became more balanced and season 2 needs to find a way to continue their story in a less problematic way.

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1 Jackie Kissing Cole Before Breaking Up With Alex

The book handled it differently

There are many differences between My Life with the Walter Boys season 1 and the source material, and some of them work. However, My Life with the Walter Boys season 1 finale changes proved to be quite problematic and unfair to Alex, as Jackie killed Cole before breaking up with him. Showrunner Halsall wanted to keep Alex as an option, but Jackie kissing Cole before breaking up with Alex is the most questionable storyline from season 1.

Cheating is wrong, but it was especially bad given Alex’s expressed insecurity due to his past romantic experience. He was just starting to grow as a character and make peace with Cole, and the last minutes of season 1 could undo all his progress. Because of that, My Life with the Walter Boys season 2 needs to have Alex step out of the love triangle before he finds out about Jackie and Cole’s kiss, have him focus on himself, and leave a clear way for Jackie and Cole to be together.