‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ Showrunner on Where Love Triangle Goes After That Big Finale Confession

[This story contains spoilers from the season two finale of Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys.]

Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys is ready to come to grips with the past and embrace the present — but not without some drama along the way.

Last season, Nikki Rodriguez’s Jackie Howard moved to Silver Falls in rural Colorado after being taken in by the Walters, a family of seven sons and one daughter, after tragically losing her family in an accident in New York. Left to find her place, Jackie found herself developing feelings for Alex Walter (Ashby Gentry), a kind bookish nerd, and Cole Walter (Noah LaLonde), the former quarterback at Silver Falls High School who suffered a career-ending injury.

After spending that first season juggling feelings for both brothers, the finale saw Jackie and Cole kissing for the first time despite Jackie already dating Alex, who had also confessed to loving her. Jackie returned to New York to escape but season two, which began streaming Aug. 28, saw Jackie returning to Silver Falls and to the Walter family determined to make things right.

But now she has another dilemma, says showrunner Melanie Halsall.

The second season of the Netflix hit ended on a cliffhanger with Jackie finally confessing her feelings to Cole, but Alex hearing the confession. “Jackie’s dilemma is that she genuinely loves both brothers,” Halsall told The Hollywood Reporter over email while in production on season three. With Alex, Jackie has a “safe space,” but with Cole there’s an attraction given their understanding of each other after both facing “huge upheavals and losses that have changed the course of their lives.”

As for where the love triangle goes from here, Halsall teased that heartbreak is bound to happen. “At the heart of our show is a love triangle and I don’t know if those can ever really be truly resolved, as someone is always going to get their heart broken,” Halsall added. Below, the showrunner chats from the set of My Life with the Walter Boys season three about Alex’s “glow up,” why Jackie and Alex rekindled, and Jackie’s dilemma with Alex and Cole going forward.

***

Jackie may have returned to Silver Falls but she is now more than ever trying to figure out who she is and her place within the family, Alex/Cole and school. What did you hope to explore as she returns to Silver Falls?

This season, Jackie is struggling with her identity. She has decided to cement her place in the world of Silver Falls and the Walter Family, but still maintain who she is as a Howard. In season one, she was trying to avoid and jump over this difficult phase in her life by focusing on her future: getting out of Silver Falls and into Princeton as a way to outrun her grief. But her time in NYC and conversations with Katherine have made her realize that this is where she needs to be, so her goal is to be a part of this family and community. We explore what that means in terms of coming to grips with her past and embracing her present.

We also see Jackie and Cole try to confront and heal from their past tragedies, with Jackie still grieving her family and Cole his football career. Can you talk about the parallels of their stories where they’re both trying to let go of their pasts to sort out their futures?

Part of the attraction between the two of them is that they understand each other because they have both had huge upheavals and losses that have changed the course of their lives — and they are uniquely positioned to help each other come to terms with what has happened to them and how they will move forward.

Then with Alex, this season he’s told that he has changed. What did you want to explore with this Alex 2.0 we see in season two?

Alex has had a “glow up.” He went to rodeo school and came back both physically and emotionally changed, and more mature. Yes, he’s hiding his hurt, and at first this manifests by him seeming to have also become a different person. But of course he hasn’t; inside, he is still the same sweet and sensitive Alex we know and love. I wanted to explore what it was like to be a teenager who has changed physically and is trying on a different personality, but who is still the same person inside and who eventually realizes who they really are.

We also see Alex and Kiley (Mya Lowe) seemingly not as close as they once were, and Alex still seems to be oblivious to her feelings towards him. Do you see Alex ever seeing Kiley as anything more than friends like she once did? Or do you ever see him exploring a connection with his rodeo mentor Blake (Natalie Sharp)?

Alex and Kiley have been friends forever and Kiley has been in love with Alex for almost as long as that. I think Alex has some growing up to do before he will be able to see that. As for Blake, they have great chemistry and they share a love of horses, so who knows what might happen there?

This season also followed the ups and downs of the relationships between Nathan (Corey Fogelmanis) and Skylar (Jaylan Evans), Danny (Connor Stanhope), and Erin (Alisha Newton) and Kiley and Nathan. What was it like getting to explore those love stories?

I loved being able to delve more deeply into the lives of these characters and hopefully the audience will enjoy seeing different types of romance and different aspects of relationships in the show.

As in season one, the love triangle between Jackie, Cole and Alex continues. It’s clear Jackie is still dealing with feelings for both Alex and Cole. Why have Jackie and Alex give it another go?

Alex is safe space for Jackie. She knows that on paper he should be the perfect boyfriend for her. He forgives her and is sweet to her when she’s at her most vulnerable which makes her — and us — love him even more. Of course, there’s no denying they are really attracted to each other, especially this season after Alex’s glow up.

When Jackie tells Alex about what happened with Cole, it still doesn’t stop him from wanting to pursue things with Jackie again. Why was he so forgiving this time?

Because, as he says, he can’t get over her. I think many of us have been in a relationship, or have had a crush, where we forgive someone for something, or give a relationship another try (even if the smart thing to do would be to walk away) because we really like that person and want it to work out.

Alex and Cole seem cordial despite there being the elephant in the room of their feelings towards Jackie. Can you reflect on their dynamic this season? Will there ever be any bond there if one of them is bound to have their heart broken again?

Yes, we wanted to acknowledge that, though they buried the hatchet at the end of season one and are now (in theory) friends again, Alex has always suspected that something might have happened between Cole and Jackie. But also, he doesn’t really want to know, so there is an unease hanging in the air between them. Ultimately, they are brothers and although they are often at loggerheads or have a hard time with each other, they have an unbreakable bond and love for each other even when they are fighting.

We also see Jackie reveal her love for Cole, only for Alex to hear that confession as well. What can you tease of where we see the three of them go from here?

Jackie’s dilemma is that she genuinely loves both brothers. In terms of where they go from here, I think they all have some work to do emotionally in order to come back from the repercussions of that night.

For season three, will Jackie decide on where her heart truly lies or do you envision it continuing to be a struggle for her?

At the heart of our show is a love triangle and I don’t know if those can ever really be truly resolved, as someone is always going to get their heart broken!

The season also ended with a medical scare that’s sure to strongly impact the family. What can you tease of what is in store for the Walter family in season three?

Obviously, this is a huge thing for our characters to deal with, and the fallout from this will continue to affect the whole family for some time.

***

My Life with the Walter Boys is now streaming on Netflix. Read THR’s previous interviews on season two.