Call Netflix sustainable because they seem to be recycling the same old stories for every new teen show on their platform, and My Life With The Walter Boys seems no different. Maybe it’s the fact that this is an adaptation of a Wattpad novel from way back in 2014, or maybe they’re just getting lazy? Anyway, My Life With The Walter Boys follows high school student Jackie Howards, whose life is turned upside down when her entire family (parents and an older sister) are killed in a car accident. Instead of moving in with her uncle, who lives in New York, the same as her, her mother’s wishes were for her to move to Colorado and join the Walters household. This is where Jackie’s new story unfolds (a not-so-interesting one).
Spoilers Ahead
How Is Life In Colorado?
Maybe it’s normal today for people to say a girl whose entire family has died in a terrifying accident has just landed in “boy heaven.” This is one of the first things Jackie hears on her first day of school after a terrifying introduction to Katherine and George’s six boys, one girl, and two nephews (yikes). She’s doing just fine with schoolwork despite her situation, and the big city girl has some massive plans for her future that she thinks will be unfulfilled in this small town. While Jackie wants to be focused solely on getting into Princeton, the Walter boys have other plans for her. Jackie seems to be looking out for herself just fine without any help (not sure how) until the boys decide to have some fun. It’s almost as if she hasn’t just gone through the most traumatic life-altering incident at all. Jackie learns the hard way that she’s not meant to snitch on the boys, even if they put bleach in her shampoo. She’s comforted by Cole, who is ironically the ring leader, while Alex, the guy who has already fallen in love with her, panics.
Who Are The Walters?
Katherine and George are great parents who look out for their kids and Jackie equally. It takes her some time to warm up to them, but Katherine is trying her best to be there for her as a motherly figure. In the meantime, Jackie takes her time to get to know all the Walter kids, realizing they’re not half bad. There’s Will, the oldest, who is engaged and lives away from the big ranch the rest of the family lives on. Cole and Danny are twins and next in line. Cole has been a rebel without a cause ever since he hurt his leg and can’t play football anymore. Then there’s Alex, who is the bookish, sweet boy who is nice to everyone. Nathan, the gay kid (no, really, there isn’t enough time for personality traits here); Benny is the youngest and then there’s the only girl Parker. Then there are Isaac and Lee, the nephews, who seem to be quite the mischievous duo, only because they have to live away from their dad, whom they miss dearly. Through the series, it becomes rather evident that the Walters are having financial trouble, and Jackie is an additional mouth to feed. Even with Katherine being a fantastic vet and winning an award, due to the pests, the crops on the ranch aren’t yielding, leaving them no choice but to give up on them by the end of the season.
Cole Or Alex?
The real big question. Jackie and Alex are in the same classes, and he’s always taking her side, basically being a shoulder for her to lean on. On the other hand, Cole is the more rebellious kid who is sort of a bad influence on the innocent big-city girl Jackie (make it make sense). Supposedly, Cole also has the “Cole effect” on his side, which means that anyone and everyone is interested in being with this dude (I really don’t see it, but sure), Jackie included. Throughout the series, there’s a tug of war-between these two, but it’s more than just Jackie that’s causing this big fight. It looks like these two have had it out for each other for a really long time. After Cole’s injury, he went to rehab and had his knee fixed, while Alex fell in love with a girl named Paige. Of course, when Cole came back, he ended up making out with Paige, leaving Alex absolutely devastated. As teen boys like to have it, nobody is willing to talk about it, and this issue has stretched on for a year now. At the same time, Cole is so disappointed with the way his life has turned out that he wants to hurt everyone in his way.
What’s Happening With Hayley And Will?
Will and Hayley are 25 and want to be married, but Hayley’s parents think it’s too early. At the same time, they’re not quite financially ready for a big, fat wedding like they’ve dreamed of. Because of the financial issues, Will and Hayley keep drifting apart throughout the series. They lie to each other about small things, make decisions on their own, and then apologize, claiming they didn’t want to hurt each other. When Will gets the chance to prove himself by finally doing something he loves—working at the same cafe as Hayley—things get worse because he starts to prioritize work over their relationship. While Will wants to be successful specifically for Hayley and his sake, this all ends up getting too complicated, leading to them getting separated. Tara, the school counselor, is Hayley’s dear friend and confidante. She herself is having a whirlwind romance with the English teacher at the school, Nikhil. Unfortunately, just as things are getting steady between them, Nikhil gets a job opportunity in London, which he really wants to take. Poor Tara is left feeling like she is the only one with feelings, and she confesses that she may have even gone with him if he had cared to ask.
Who Are Erin And Paige?
Erin is Cole’s on-and-off girlfriend who puts up with him being with other girls (for what, nobody knows). Just like all mean girls, she’s blonde, beautiful, ambitious, and near perfect, except for the fact that she is, well, mean. As soon as she realizes Jackie might have something going on with Cole, she becomes cold towards her, even claiming that she doesn’t buy the whole “traumatized by the loss of her family” act (this is really a bit much). When Erin and Jackie get to spend some alone time together, though, it’s revealed that Erin lost her father when she was 10, so she actually understands Jackie’s position (this really comes out of nowhere). Jackie tells Erin that she shouldn’t be bothered about Cole when she would have lines of boys wanting to be with her in New York (this is the most 2014 this show could get). Erin later finds out that one of the girls Cole has been sneaking around with is her best friend, leaving her a bigger mess.
Paige, on the other hand, is Alex’s ex-girlfriend. It seems she’s the real “mean girl” who wanted to climb up the social ladder with the help of the Walter boys after miraculously glowing up one summer. We find out near the end of the series that she’s actually the one who came on to Cole and not the other way around. He didn’t even know she and Alex were a thing, or he would’ve never done anything to hurt him (or so he claims).
Do Cole And Alex Set Things Straight?
It’s only in episode 9 of My Life With The Walter Boys, that Cole and Alex finally work things out between them. Even though Cole is the older of the two, he’s been acting stupid because he’s jealous of “perfect Alex,” who is smart, does well in school, and makes his parents proud. Alex feels terrible for treating Cole badly, and they both apologize for misunderstanding each other. Just kidding.
Are Jackie And Alex Okay?
Now, somewhere in the middle of season 1 of My Life With The Walter Boys, Jackie and Alex start dating. She claims to be happy with him (it really doesn’t seem like it), but every time Cole is around, she’s mesmerized by his blue eyes and blonde hair (whoops). In the last episode, Jackie organizes a simple yet beautiful wedding for Hayley and Will (yes, they decide to take the big step). Will asks Jackie’s uncle Richard, the rich guy, to invest in his new business idea, which would help the family save the ranch (if it works out). On the other hand, since Cole and Alex are buddies now, Jackie feels more inclined to be nice to Cole, who previously told her he’d wished she hadn’t moved in with them (who cares, right?). Alex tells Jackie he loves her on the dance floor after the first dance, and she doesn’t say it back. He’s terribly drunk on champagne, which he claims is like drinking sunshine. Kylie, his best friend, is the one who helps him out and takes him home to rest, where he calls her “practically a dude” (of course, he had to deliver this punch to make Cole look good), and she walks away hurt because the childhood best friend is most definitely in love with Alex.
This leaves room for Cole and Jackie to get some alone time after she discovers that he (very generously) fixed her sister’s teapot that was accidentally broken. She’s then overwhelmed with emotions, and they kiss! Jackie is the luckiest girl, for real, blah. Jackie probably realizes she’s made a mistake, and when Alex wakes up and tries to bring her breakfast in bed, she’s already gone and on a plane back to New York with Richard. What’s crazier is that Richard and Katherine fought over Jackie before, but they realized she’s better off with the Walters. Now, is this only a summer thing or not? We’ll know in season 2 of My Life With The Walter Boys (no, bring back the shadow fighting crew).
What’s The Drama That Will Unfold In Season 2?
First things first, Nikhil decides to stay back, but Tara’s already seeing sparks with Richard (what?), considering they’re at a wedding and all. His little surprise obviously comes as a surprise to her, so we’ll have to wait to see what’s going to happen there. Then there’s Hayley, who might’ve cheated on Will or has some other big surprise hiding in her pocket (a very nice way to start a marriage). While Jackie finally found parental figures in both Katherine and George, she’s back to square one since she’s left them behind, with what looks like just a note that says sorry on it. There’s the obvious question of who she will end up with as she flies off with Danny and Richard.
