‘My Life with the Walter Boys’ 1×01 Review: “Welcome to Colorado”

(Warning: Spoilers for My Life with the Walter Boys 1×01 ahead.)

At times, My Life with the Walter Boys 1×01 feels really just…beyond chaotic. There are so many characters to meet, both in the Walter household and at school. And then, there’s the not-exactly-small matter of the unfathomable loss that brings Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez) to Colorado in the first place. That constant feeling of everything being way too much might make some viewers decide this show’s not for them — or, at least, that this premiere is on the rough side.

But one thing to keep in mind before writing “Welcome to Colorado” off is just how much this is Jackie’s story, and we’re experiencing the world through her point of view. Looked at in that way, that sense of the world throwing way too much in our path way too quickly is exactly what this premiere needed to deliver. We don’t get a clear picture of what Uncle Richard says to Jackie about her parents and sister because it’s almost certainly not something she fully processes in the moment. And we basically blink and suddenly see her arriving in Colorado months later because that’s…kind of how life works. Nobody gets to really slow down and sit in or experience their grief — Instead, life just keeps happening.

The same goes for suddenly being tossed into the middle of the chaos that is the Walter family. And for starting over at a new school. These aren’t experiences that ever really feel comfortable. In fact, for someone like Jackie, the only thing that makes sense, that feels normal in all this newness, is to just…keep going. And her character, who she is at her core, isn’t something we need to guess at to draw that conclusion either. It’s all there, in wardrobe, in sequences of Jackie meticulously organizing, and even in the particular way Rodriguez carries herself. She has to keep pushing, keep working toward her goals no matter what.

And that’s what watching the episode is like — essentially, we’re all just pushing through, together. That’s why we see what we see when and how we see it. Because we’re with Jackie, and the world’s coming at her. And she’s coming for the world. Gotta try to get into those more difficult classes, keep it together, eye on the Princeton prize. If some new friends, a new mean girl, and two brothers who both spark something in her also happen to fall into her lap in the process, so be it.

Some emotional highlights

Despite all that, we’re not saying My Life with the Walter Boys 1×01 couldn’t at all benefit from just a little bit more breathing room. Because, quite frankly, we’re suckers for that sort of thing and also really like what we see in this episode…when we get to see it. Whenever Rodriguez gets to layer in those emotional reactions, it’s plainly obvious why she’s the star here. Even just the way her smile doesn’t quite meet her eyes when Jackie tries — fails — to be cheery and polite at the airport is great. Whether it’s portraying those loaded moments with Alex (Ashby Gentry) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) — both equally intense, both equally deserving of the “great chemistry” descriptor, yet somehow both so very, very different — or just showing how frustrated and overwhelmed Jackie is with the house full of boys’ antics, Rodriguez brings a very real, relatable heart to every moment.

Admittedly, we’re biased here, but sorry not sorry on this next part: Jackie and Katherine’s moment in her bedroom (Katherine’s former art studio) is an easy favorite. As always, Sarah Rafferty is absolutely fantastic. This time, it’s in the way she just…mothers and frets, as well as how she puts so much emotion behind every single line. But even if she could easily act opposite nothing more than an AI assistant that mimics her most iconic character — and has done so. If you know, you know — she very much doesn’t have to. The dynamic between Rafferty and Rodriguez feels entirely genuine, and it provides some much-needed heart and just…real humanity in the midst of all the information being thrown at us. An entire 10 hours of just these two doing…whatever that was….wouldn’t exactly be an unwelcome sight. Just saying.

Fittingly, another great part of My Life with the Walter Boys 1×01 comes from…the boys. We can’t help but swoon a little bit when Cole takes Jackie to meet the horses. Like, the scene immediately before that sees the two kind of…sniping or bickering (or whatever) back and forth, and then all of a sudden, there’s this much quieter, gentler side to Cole that LaLonde portrays really well. It’s as if being around Custard calms him and opens him up. And it’s very, very clear off Rodriguez that this…works. But then, Alex shows up…and that also works, yet in a totally different way. Gentry’s played him as quiet and sweet this whole episode but then, suddenly, gets a bit brighter and friendlier around the animals…

Yeah, ok. We’re in trouble. So is Jackie. Help.

My Life with the Walter Boys is now streaming on Netflix.

List of episode reviews are below –

Lee Walden says:

October 5, 2024 at 8:20 pm

My first impression, as being a female born and raised in Manhattan, is that a real Jackie would never fall for the unctuous Cole so quickly. He’s a dime a dozen in NYC no matter is cute little country ways. And she would assess her situation a little quicker. This character seems too naive to the games the boys are playing in episode one. I’ll watch it through because I, like this character, lost one of my parents. I was 15 at the time and remember every bit of my feelings then. Even 40 years later.

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