And so Fur Will Fly’s mysterious Jacob is finally revealed. You do have to feel badly for him, at least a little. Here’s a guy who knows he’s a screwup. He’s working a job that he hates, and stays in only because of the money (and how many people are in that boat?). He screws up his relationships (and is wise enough to realize his own stupidity is the blame, not the other person). And as for his past with Tammy…. When Tammy was pregnant, some seven years earlier, Jacob was in his early 20s. He was probably even more shallow then, and a bit of an idiot, and saw a baby as a deathknell. It was forcing him to become a dad, to become a husband, and he wasn’t ready for that. He panicked. He fled. In doing so, he alienated Tammy, Page, and Stewart (though I think Stewart hated him already as he was in love with Tammy back then – Page probably hated him too as she saw through his looks and saw a jerk).

Naturally when he tried returning into his daughter’s life, beginning with a sense of responsibility, perhaps, they spurned him. And he didn’t bother intruding. Back then it probably was a sense of “I need to be a dad to this child. I’m responsible for her being here. She should know her dad.” Once Tammy and her friends said to go bugger off, he probably just shrugged and turned away, continuing to send child support checks to do the “right” thing… and it started to fester. Violet is the one good thing that’s happened in his life. It’s the one worthwhile thing he’s done. And he’s being kept out of her life. It isn’t fair.

I hope that this continues. I don’t want Jacob to be another 2-dimensional character. I want him to be something better than that, to be a character, not just an antagonist. Yes, he’s going to make mistakes. Tammy’s made mistakes while raising Violet. Stewart has made mistakes in being a dad to her. We all make mistakes. And children need both parents in their lives. Even if the parents are divorced or never even got together. Sometimes it’s not possible. And sometimes the biological parents are unavailable or unsuitable… but this doesn’t seem to be the case here. I hope Brian does the unexpected and lets Jacob into the cast of characters… as a person, not a caricature or nemesis. All dads, divorced, adoptive, or otherwise… deserve this.