Rob Lowe is no stranger to a good razzing. We witnessed him graciously accept some decent burns during the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe in 2016. So when his sons started coming for him in the comments of his Instagram posts, it was surely, hopefully, nothing he couldn’t handle. All of these relentless quips weren’t without their rewards, this online banter inspired the new co-Lowe project on Netflix, Unstable. It is pretty clear that the facile chemistry that Rob and John Owen Lowe seem to share one-on-one translates very well to this scripted workplace comedy.
The Father and Son Relationship Takes Center Stage
Unstable centers around Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe) and his son, Jackson (John Owen Lowe) as they join forces after an extended time apart to save the family’s biotech company from being taken out from under them by disapproving board members. The board, however, has a right to be concerned. When we meet Ellis, he is reeling from losing his wife of 30 years only a few months prior. Diving back into work seems like the responsible and constructive thing to do, but his heart and mind simply won’t let him heal that quickly. Directionless and listless, he resorts to a number of wacky coping mechanisms hoping to tap into the inspiration to work and create. His CFO Anna (Sian Clifford) steps in when Ellis losing his position as CEO becomes an imminent threat. She sends for his son on the opposite coast to return home and ground his father just enough to keep him in his leadership role. Jackson is less than thrilled at the idea of spending time with his father but agrees to join the Red Lab team as they work to make progress on their latest and most important project.
When the two main characters are back in the same space, it feels as though the central conflict is pounded over the head just a little too incessantly. Ellis tries to change Jackson at every opportunity and Jackson is fed up with Ellis’ narcissism. Certain aspects of this dynamic do ring true despite its repetition, years of pent-up resentment have turned Jackson into someone that insufferably whines about his dad at every opportunity, thinking it will incite sympathy. He also turns every interaction with his father into an argument that stems from the same issues. We intentionally see this over and over again in the first episode, right down to the two men arguing about whether or not karaoke is fun. It signals to us right away that above all else, this show’s message is that repairing relationships can be a lot of work, but it is unequivocally worth it in the end. Because neither of these men have ever tried to resolve these issues or see them from another perspective, the resulting rifts have never been mended. Jackson fled the discomfort his dad caused him and Ellis chose to pay attention to his work instead of his failing relationships. Throughout the show, we see both of them realize what they’ve been missing out on by being too stubborn to try and change.
There Are Lessons to Be Learned From the Lowes
Though Unstable paints a very specific portrait of a father and son dynamic, there are truths buried in their silly misadventures that can be applied to anyone’s relationship with their parents. In the show, both are a little unrelenting with their criticisms at times, but as the series progresses we can see small victories between the two that give way to some significant changes. They do begin to let the little things slide when they’re working to solve a problem. When Ellis can’t get back into the lab without bursting into tears, Jackson tries to help him understand why the memory of his late wife is such a roadblock for his work. In this heart-to-heart, some snide or selfish remarks creep in, but each of the men lets it roll off their backs so they can just push through to resolve the dilemma at hand. Picking your battles is an important thing to learn in any relationship, especially with family.
They also come to terms with how losing the mother of the family has affected each of them while figuring out how to be there for each other. As Jackson gets reacquainted with Ellis, he struggles with the fine line between supporting his father in a time of grief versus indulging his every whim, enabling him in avoiding his feelings. Ellis accuses Jackson of not being in touch with his own sadness when in the very first opening sequence, we see Ellis looking at himself in the mirror while suppressing tears and forcing a smile instead. The show revolves around how drastically things change when a vital member of the family is lost. The duty to keep everyone together is left to those that remain, and as hard as it may be, they have to make it work. When faced with the option to go back to California to be there for his dad, Jackson says to his childhood friend-now-coworker, “At least with my mom around, she could run interference but without her, it’s exhausting.” Rob’s wife of 31 years, Sheryl Berkoff undoubtedly acts as that ever-loving person for their two sons. Rob refers to his wife as his “best friend” and that their marriage was a “miracle," it is very easy to imagine that both leads drew a lot from their deep love of their wife and mother to access the pain of suddenly having to go without her. Unstable serves as a reminder to not waste time in letting people know how much they mean to us. Ellis and Jackson’s relationship was only strained because they didn’t make the effort to do that for one another until extenuating circumstances forced them to.
The Lowes Have Shared the Screen Before 'Unstable'
Unstable isn’t the first show to utilize the chemistry of real-life fathers and sons to drive home the laughs, but it’s still successful despite the novelty of family on-screen having long worn off. The Lowes have a history of riffing off of each other to keep audiences engaged as well as incorporating some of their own unique family history in a project for the small screen. In 2017, Rob and both of his sons put together nine episodes of The Lowe Files for A&E. They set off to get some answers for unsolved mysteries, but it’s clear in the first episode that their primary interest is messing with each other and pulling pranks. There is an easy camaraderie that shines through in all of their adventures, but they’re not afraid to give each other a hard time either.
Unstable incorporates the same goofy energy that makes The Lowe Files so special. The Lowes don’t take themselves too seriously, and that’s all the more entertaining when Rob is taken down a notch by his own kin. John Owen is referred to as the “resident cynic” by his father a few times in this series as well as in interviews. This dynamic definitely works in their favor for their recent venture into comedy because they effortlessly balance each other out, it bridges the gap between their real relationship and their heightened onscreen personas.
Their experience sharing the screen has prepared them for Unstable by allowing them to tune into when to accentuate their character’s differences through humorous bits and what themes really need a touch of honesty in order to hit home. In the episode, “Roasting for Beginners," Ellis takes Jackson to work in a field where they could be considered equals in an attempt to make his son see him as a friend. To Ellis’ surprise, Jackson is much more comfortable in this setting and lets loose enough to give his old man a good ribbing in front of the other workers. This mid-season flip in the power dynamic is brought to life by the eccentric Rob Lowe going toe-to-toe and losing to his seemingly innocent son. Throughout the show we see instances like this time and time again; when their egos get in the way, they end up competing for the upper hand. It is only when they come together to work on a common goal that they actually start having fun. Interactions like this may be a touch lackluster with any other pair but are brought to life because these two understand each other on a deeper level. They know how to coax out the right reactions, whether it be a tender moment or trying to get under each other’s skin.
The whole cast of Unstable demonstrates how the unpredictability of other people is exciting, not scary. When we open our hearts and minds to others, there is much more to gain than when we shut them out. It challenges its audience to ask how well we know the people we are closest to, or whether we’ve given them a fair shot at being their best selves. Observing Ellis and Jackson Dragon undergo their own transformations invites us into a personal journey that many parents and children find themselves facing sooner or later. Perhaps even famous parents and kids like the Lowes.
