#Council of Dads Season 1 Episode 10 Review: Fight or Flight

That’s a wrap on Council of Dads.

The season finale served as the series finale after NBC announced the show’s premature cancellation.

On Council of Dads Season 1 Episode 10, we say goodbye to the Perry family way too soon.

It’s possible the writers had a feeling they might not be renewed for another season, considering the way most of the storylines received closure. 

But, that cliffhanger! It’s now even more disappointing NBC chose to leave us hanging on that note.

Based on what we’ve learned about these characters, I’m pretty certain Larry chose not to drink after getting a text from Robin. But, we’ll never know for sure.

He spent the entire season working through his guilt towards his daughter and how he treated her in the past. He made a conscious effort to change and show up for the Perry family.

Of course, he feels bad that he’s the one who encouraged Robin to sell the Crab Shack to Gladwell, but he has to know she’ll forgive him.

He can’t give up all the progress he’s made because of one mistake. He’s stronger than that.

Robin’s text couldn’t have come at a better time for him. It’s a reminder that even though he has people in his past who can’t forgive him, he has a new family to be there for now. And they’re there for him, too.

The Perrys would be more upset that he started drinking than they would be about Gladwell screwing them over. Larry doesn’t want to disappoint anyone else, but he has to know that as long as he’s trying his best, the Perrys will forgive him. 

It really isn’t even his fault.

He’s been there for Robin and the kids during the hardest time of their lives. It’ll blow over. 

It’s a sad note on which to end Larry’s journey. The last we see of him is one of his darkest moments. Once again, I want to praise Michael O’Neill’s performance, not only in this episode but the series.

He successfully conveys the plethora of emotions Larry is dealing with in a very subtle way that is a joy to watch. Hopefully, we’ll get to see him back on our screens sometime soon.

J. August Richards and Kevin Daniels also gave very compelling performances in their scenes together. Oliver and Peter’s struggle with whether or not they wanted to adopt a child that could potentially have health issues was very insightful to their characters. 

While I’m heartbroken we won’t get to see them together again (especially considering the groundbreaking representation they provide), their storyline wrapped up really well.

They’re actively working on the way they communicate with each other and welcomed a new addition to their family. 

Hampton will be very lucky to grow up with them. I’m glad that Peter decided that he wanted to adopt Hampton before knowing the results. It would’ve felt ingenuine otherwise.

If the show got another season, it would’ve been really interesting to explore how Sage would fit into their family dynamic, but unfortunately, we can only have fan theories.

We’re going to raise Hampton to be a strong black man. And that means sometimes he won’t always be strong. He’ll be scared and weak sometimes, too. And that’s okay.
Peter

The end of Anthony’s character arc was less exciting than Oliver’s, but it still felt like the perfect wrap-up. I don’t know how he’ll open a cooking school without Gladwell, but I’m sure he’ll find a way.

It’ll be really great for Theo to have him around. They need each other.

It’s sad that Jules broke up with Theo, but we knew that was never going to work. She was a great support system for him during a traumatic time in his life, but they weren’t meant to last forever. 

Theo and Anthony’s scene together was a lot more touching than anticipated. The big confrontation that most worried met was between Anthony and Luly, but it seems like the relationship between him and Theo is almost harder to navigate. 

He feels like everyone leaves him, and I want to be someone who doesn’t leave.
Anthony

This is probably because Theo’s an angsty teenager, and Luly’s a grown woman, but it was surprising to see.

Another shocking moment of the finale was Sam telling Robin he loves her. That was fast!

Council of Dads jumps forward in time a lot, so it’s probably been a normal amount of time for him to fall in love with her. It just felt abrupt in the show. The kids don’t even know about him yet. 

Robin didn’t say it back, but the conversation she had with Scott was very telling. Sam has become very important to her in a short amount of time. Scott may always be the love of her life, but that doesn’t change the fact that she loves someone else now. 

You know you’re the love of my life, right? And that’s never gonna change.
Robin

They’re a very sweet couple, and Sam’s a great guy, so I’m assuming that he’ll fit right in with the family. 

It sucks that we don’t get to see any more of the Perrys’ lives. There was a lot left to be explored in further seasons. 

How was Evan’s business going to do?

Is Luly’s writing career going to take off?

Were Robin and Anthony ever going to capitalize on the chemistry between them?

Let us know what you think would’ve happened in another season of the show in the comments below. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Charlotte and JJ were two very important characters for LGBTQ youth and will be greatly missed. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a wrap-up for either of their storylines.

• Luly coming across Scott’s jacket in the donation pile was adorable.

• How did Anthony get to Savannah in the middle of a hurricane? Was that ever explained?

You can watch Council of Dads online here at TV Fanatic anytime.

Jillian Pugliese is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.