Season 1 Declan would've hated Season 2 Declan
I didn't want to come here and talk about Rivals again. I swear I didn't. But I just ate three slices of pizza, drank a glass of wine, and I'm very upset because I've been holding back from talking about this for weeks.
So, since I don't have dominic treadwell-collins' personal phone number to cry into his ear, I'm going to leave my rant here instead. And this is about Declan.
I don't want to talk about the other things in the writing that bothered me or the other characters anymore, because I can barely see my keyboard through the alcohol and the tears.
maybe if the season hadn't been split into two parts,
maybe if I already had access to the next six episodes,
I wouldn't feel like Declan's writing has become so lazy.
But since they split it into two parts, there's no other way to put it: I can only judge what I've actually been given. (Yes, Disney, I will curse you until the end of my days for this criminal release schedule.)
Declan O'Hara was never a saint.
In the first season, he was a neglectful husband, an absent father on many occasions, drank too much when under pressure, and frequently put his work above his own family. Therefore, the problem is not that season two is showing his flaws. Those flaws have always existed.
What bothers me is that Declan's flaws now seem different from the ones that were previously established, and the series does not develop that change.
In season one, surprisingly, it wasn't Aidan's handsome face that made me root for him (although, of course, I fully acknowledge the effect). He was an outsider in Rutshire. He frequently placed himself in a position of moral superiority, with his hero complex, wanting to drag the "bad guys" before the court of public opinion. He was not a present husband or father, but he was still a "good person" trying to do the right thing.
when Paul Stratton is homophobic, Declan calls him out and points out his hypocrisy.
when Deirdre puts a misogynistic note on Cameron's office door, he is the one who reminds Cameron that she is excellent.
when Tony refuses to let him conduct the interview with Thatcher, he tries to resign because he would never compromise his professional integrity.
when he discovers what happened to Daysee, unlike Tony, he chooses to sacrifice the institution rather than the victim. He is disgusted by what goes on there.
and when Rupert shows up with the proposal he stole from Cameron after seducing her, Declan throws it into the fire because he considers it dirty and disgusting.
It's easy to root for this guy, isn't it?
He's nowhere near perfect, but he has clearly defined moral principles and follows them in a way that makes sense within the character's established portrayal.
He repeatedly chose the harder path when he believed it was the right thing to do, even when that meant ending the day drunk, drowning in debt, and unemployed.
So far, that isn't happening in season two. The only good thing he does in season two is take his clothes off and I'm not complaining, far from it. my smartwatch kept going off every single time he appeared naked. watching that was better for my heart than going to the gym, and that is the fault of inconsistent and superficial writing.
And it shows up even in the smaller things.
In season one, Declan's cruelty was generally directed only at people he considered corrupt, hypocritical, or morally reprehensible. He frequently put himself on a pedestal because of it.
That's why it surprised me to see him being deliberately cruel to Maud before an important performance. Yes, he apologizes in the latest episode. Yes, their marriage has been failing for a very long time. But even so, it was one of those moments where I felt like I was looking at a version of him that I didn't immediately recognize. And I refuse to talk about that failed marriage. Because both of them are responsible for that disastrous marriage, and if you're being honest, you know it. I'm tired of the competition over who's worse.
In season one, he has no problem sacrificing the institution for the sake of an individual (Daysee), because that means doing the right thing.
In season two, he throws Rupert out of Venturer without the series spending more than two minutes on his decision. All the show gives us is a frustrated expression and somehow expects that to be enough for him to discard a friend for the sake of an institution in a way that feels coherent.
You see, Rupert is not just a friend.
Rupert is not just a colleague. Rupert started Venturer, financed the project, and bought half of Declan's property to help him with his debts. When no one else was offering a solution, Rupert bet on him. (And Declan is aware of that โ at least that "Thank you, Rupert" at the end of season one certainly leads me to believe so.)
Rupert also represents one of the biggest lessons Declan learned in season one. At the beginning, Declan judged Rupert by his reputation. Later, he learns that Rupert is more complex than his public image suggests. That's why, when season two seems to push Declan back toward making judgments based on scandal and public perception, it feels like a step backward.
"but don't you see the look on Declan's face when Rupert wins the election? It's obvious Declan doesn't like Rupert!"
Disagreeing with Rupert does not mean Declan doesn't like Rupert. They have always disagreed. Rupert comes from a privileged conservative background; Declan is an Irish socialist. And apparently the series has forgotten what it means to be Irish under a Tory government, because Declan has every reason to dislike a Tory victory regardless of who wins.
But the fact remains that Declan knew Rupert's reputation. He knew about the scandals. He knew his history. Even so, he became his friend, chose to trust him, founded Venturer alongside him, and accepted his help when Rupert bought part of his property.
Season one Declan establishes a very specific moral pattern:
He does not care about personal consequences when he believes he is right.
He sacrifices money, status, and security for his principles.
He refuses to participate in something he considers unethical.
He judges actions based on what is morally right, not on what is convenient for a public image.
He did not abandon people to protect institutions. On the contrary, he abandoned institutions to protect what he believed in. That's why it's difficult not to feel a contradiction when he suddenly seems willing to push Rupert out of the very company Rupert helped build.
Even so, in theory, it could make sense for Declan to decide that Rupert should leave Venturer. With responsibility comes pragmatism, and it makes sense that he would be more concerned about Venturer's survival than the purity of his principles. Venturer is no longer just a job. It is the livelihood and investment of a lot of people who believed in him. It is his professional dream, something he is building from the ground up. That could have been a genuinely interesting character arc.
For this to work dramatically, the series would need to show Declan struggling with this decision. There would need to be scenes where he:
acknowledges the debt he owes Rupert;
questions whether he is putting the company's image above loyalty;
debates whether he is repeating Corinium's mistakes;
has an honest conversation with Rupert about what is at stake.
The problem is that the series doesn't even try to convince me of this direction. As a result, the decision doesn't feel like the next logical step in his character arc, but rather an abrupt change in behaviour.
I'm not saying Declan couldn't make this decision. I'm saying the series didn't do the homework necessary to convince me that this decision makes sense for who he is.
When you omit the reasoning of such a central character, the audience fills in the gaps with the worst possible interpretation.
In Declan's case, the gap was filled with: "he's an ungrateful hypocrite." And the situation with Cameron in Ireland only escalates the problem.
I refuse to talk about his relationship with Cameron here, alright? The actors have more chemistry than the periodic table, and their dance scene is the hottest scene in the entire series. The problem is that the show seems to have decided that chemistry can replace development. It can't. Declan just comes across as a terrible friend and father, since he's practically devouring his friend's girlfriend with his eyes (the same friend he pushed out of the company, who is going through the lowest point of his personal and professional life) while his own son is in love with her.
Very little character development. Just a checklist you need to tick off before rushing on to the next item.
"cause scandal and drama with this storyline?" check.
"move pieces into place for the next plot event?" check.
The problem is not what he does; it's how the series shows it (or doesn't).
His actions could have made sense if the series had devoted time to exploring and developing them. The rushed pacing murders character and logic, and makes it very difficult for me to root for him.
And I wish I could say that at least he's still excellent at his job and obsessively devoted to it. But then Tony gets his hands on those tapes with all the difficulty of stealing candy from a child. LOL.
Declan knows exactly who Tony is. We know who Tony is. Declan himself constantly reminds us who Tony is. So why did he make it so easy for him?
am I ever going to see season one Declan again?
or maybe in part two they'll finally give him enough time to develop, so he doesn't come across as contradictory and superficial?
can I still hope that part two will redeem him?
or is this the end of the road for us after this disastrous sequence of scenes?
(I got a little hopeful in episode 6 when I found out he didn't sleep with Cameron, because that gives us time to develop them properly without trampling over the character traits that define him.)
and I don't want you to reach the end of this ridiculously long post thinking that I stopped rooting for Declan because he isn't perfect.
for God's sake, I spent two weeks (episodes 4 and 5) rooting for the bloody Tony Baddingham! Look, I have many issues, but I have no problem rooting for someone who is morally corrupt.
I'm not asking for a perfect Declan. I'm asking for a Declan who makes sense. If the series doesn't show me his development and internal reasoning, then when he makes questionable decisions, that's not a "complex character." That's lazy writing.
Declan's development has been very poor, or practically nonexistent, and that hurts more than anything he has actually done on screen. So here's the question: is it really worth assassinating character development just to serve plotlines and reach the events you want to get to?
I also don't want you to reach the end of this post thinking that I hated the series, because that's not true! It's still my favourite show. It's a huge and incredible season.
the cinematography is gorgeous.
the costumes are gorgeous.
the soundtrack is gorgeous.
i would like to personally shake hands with everyone responsible for those departments.
possibly kiss the camera operator. respectfully.
Having issues with a character arc does not mean i hated the show. It does not mean i think i could write it better. I absolutely could not. I possess approximately 10% of the talent required to create something this ambitious.
It simply means there are parts of Declan's development that aren't working for me right now. The overall balance is still overwhelmingly positive. They could keep making seasons for the next ten years and i'd still be sat here watching this cast every single time.
Also, if this post sounds combative, please know that there is currently more sugar and wine than common sense in my bloodstream. And if anyone from disney or happy prince somehow reads this and decides to sue me, i would respectfully like to remind the court that i was emotionally compromised. there is so much alcohol and glucose in my blood that the probability of them seeing this or caring about it is zero.
anyway if you've reached the end of this post, congratulations! you've shown more commitment to declan's character arc than the show currently has.
having said all that, a big kiss to everyone at happy prince, disney and hulu.
the season is beautiful, I love it.
