When one of many largest stars of a franchise dies, clearly that franchise is not going to be the identical. Such is the case for the Fast and Furious franchise which, 10 years in the past final week, misplaced one in all its unique stars, Paul Walker. Since Walker’s demise, a number of movies have been made persevering with the Quick story, and with every subsequent entry Walker’s character has been handled with an odd disregard and rising disrespect that feels at odds with the series’ universal message of family.
This story started 22 years in the past when the original The Fast and the Furious was launched in theaters. The Level Break-inspired racing movie was a success for a lot of causes, among the many largest being the adversarial relationship between Walker’s character, undercover cop Brian O’Conner, and avenue racer Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel. The mortal enemies turned pals gave the movie a fancy beating coronary heart and when Diesel didn’t return for the second movie, the filmmakers launched a really related foil for Brian, Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson), to present the movie that very same feeling.
Walker and Diesel wouldn’t reunite till the fourth movie, 2009’s Quick and Livid, and it’s not a coincidence that’s when the franchise shot into the stratosphere. By this level, the characters had every been by way of a lot they wanted one another and that notion of “household” which has since change into a Quick and Livid staple was born. It continued into the franchise’s fifth, sixth, and seventh movies, which is when tragedy struck.
Walker died November 30, 2013, proper in the course of manufacturing of Livid 7. After a interval of grieving, drastic modifications had been made to the movie, with Walker’s brothers agreeing to face in for him so it could possibly be accomplished. The film ends with Brian and Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) welcoming their first little one and the group acknowledging that they’d each be leaving the gang. Brian drives off into the sundown, alive, nicely, and pleased together with his selection of household over crime. Director James Wan then ends the movie on a magical, heartfelt montage paying tribute to Walker. Watch it right here:
What audiences didn’t notice is that that montage marked the tip of the Quick and Livid saga as we as soon as knew it. Since then, the movies in the primary saga have acknowledged that Brian could be very a lot nonetheless alive—and have continued to present excuses for why he by no means exhibits as much as help his finest family and friends with their harmful, world-saving exploits. And it’s been lots.
Right here’s the way it’s performed out. In 2017’s The Destiny of the Livid, Dom is blackmailed into betraying his household. In a dialogue of why he would do such a factor, Roman means that Brian may have the ability to determine it out. “No,” Letty (Dom’s then-love curiosity, performed by Michelle Rodriguez) rapidly snaps again. “We will’t convey Brian and Mia into this. We agreed on that.” Roman lets it go and the film strikes on.
That seemingly throwaway scene set a precedent for the longer term. Brian and Mia are performed. They determined to go away and, as a result of everyone seems to be household, the on-screen characters select to abide by that. The movie then provides a bizarre bow to that sentiment as we study Dom has a son and he names that son “Brian” after his finest buddy and brother-in-law. Once more, Brian is alive, simply not in attendance at this occasion the place his finest buddy names his child after him as if he’s handed away. The scene is rather more of a wink on the viewers and tribute to Walker than a logical second within the story. It’s high-quality.
It’s slightly bizarre… however it’s high-quality. Sadly, issues would then get weirder in 2021’s F9 when Dom is compelled to face a villain he by no means anticipated, his brother Jakob (John Cena). After the group is compelled into hiding, somebody joins them of their battle: Mia. We had been informed she and Brian had been out of the sport however that rule is immediately damaged within the very subsequent film as a result of her brother is now the villain and she or he felt compelled to assist. That’s not nice however that logic tracks nicely sufficient so we’re okay with it. What doesn’t monitor is what occurs subsequent.
“For those who become involved right here, you place the whole lot in danger,” Dom tells his sister. “Your youngsters, the world you constructed.” “My youngsters and yours are within the most secure fingers doable,” Mia retorts. Yup. You guessed it: Brian is again dwelling together with his little one, and little Brian, watching over them whereas his spouse dangers her life on this journey. Is Mia succesful and badass similar to Brian? Completely. Is it important that we all know the place the youngsters are? One-hundred p.c. Does it make Brian look rather less than heroic that he’s dwelling babysitting whereas members of his fast household are risking their lives? Unquestionably.
However don’t fear! After Dom, Mia, and the remainder of the group save the day, Brian’s automobile exhibits as much as the household barbecue late, ending the film and reminding us that he’s nonetheless a part of this group. At this level, three motion pictures in a row have ended with some kind of Walker nod.
And but, the occasions of F9 don’t do Brian any favors. He’s caught at dwelling doing the vital, however very a lot overqualified job, of watching the youngsters. Let’s go together with that although. Babysitting is his factor now. He watches the youngsters. Cool. Bought it. Enter 2023’s Fast X, which takes this gradual degradation of Brian to much more baffling new depths.
For starters, Brian (and his little one) don’t present up at a Toretto household barbecue. A barbecue that features, for the primary time ever, Dom and Mia’s grandma, aka their little one’s great-grandma. Mia’s there although. In actual fact, she introduced grandma to the celebration. Did she not suppose her father’s mom would need to meet her little one? Was Brian busy doing one thing else? Are they in a struggle? It’s not addressed.
Later, Dom and Letty study they’re being focused by a person named Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) who needs revenge on everybody who aided within the demise of his father, primarily Dom and his household. Dom particularly states that Mia and Brian have been contacted and are protected, checking that field.
Dom and Letty then flee to Rome to avoid wasting of their pals, leaving little Brian again at their home in Los Angeles. Who’s there watching him? It must be Brian, proper? He’s the one the franchise has established because the babysitter/protector and if everybody within the household is in danger, Brian is the one individual for the job. Convey the child to his home. On the very least don’t depart him at his dad and mom’ home, which would appear just like the worst doable place to be.
As you’ll be able to most likely guess at this level, it’s not Brian watching his nephew—it’s Mia. And they’re at Dom’s home, not Brian’s. A reminder that nobody is aware of the place Brian and Mia reside however everybody is aware of the place Dom and Letty reside. Their home was actually blown up in a earlier film. The place’s the logic in Mia alone staying there? Dom and Letty’s is the primary place anybody on the lookout for the kid would arrive to get him. Which, wouldn’t you realize it, is strictly what occurs. Armed and armored troopers come after Mia and little Brian. Mia is a good fighter and does her finest, however she wants assist defeating the dangerous guys. Enter… no, not Brian. Jakob, her brother, despatched by Dom to retrieve little Brian.
In Jakob, who’s redeemed on the finish of the earlier movie earlier than dying on this one (spoiler alert), we’ve the member of the family who goes out of his strategy to save his household. To struggle for his household. And the implication by comparability is that Brian just isn’t that. He’s so disconnected from all this, he’s okay with Mia staying at floor zero for this terror, all by herself. As soon as Jakob and Mia defeat the troopers, Jakob takes little Brian and Mia says she has to warn massive Brian and the youngsters that now they’re being focused on a number of fronts. Mia doesn’t reappear within the movie.
What Quick X is saying with out even realizing it’s that Brian, as soon as a frontrunner of this group, as soon as a police officer, and presumably nonetheless a really expert and succesful driver, is at dwelling watching his youngsters whereas his spouse babysits their nephew who’s clearly in peril. There’s no point out of perhaps the nephew going to stick with his superb uncle and cousins. Of Auntie Mia taking him again to her place. Of Brian suggesting a greater plan. As a substitute, Brian is okay together with his spouse Mia (who, once more, is actually succesful—however two are higher than one) being alone and a transparent goal within the worst place possible.
Plus, as Dante continues to focus on all of Dom’s closest pals and allies (including a post-credit scene including Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs to the record), he by no means targets or mentions Brian, Dom’s finest buddy. Which, we guess, is forgivable since clearly Walker isn’t within the movie. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to’t assist however marvel why Dom’s closest buddy in the whole world is completely high-quality with all of those folks he is aware of and loves dying as he sits dwelling and does nothing about it. We should always not really feel that manner concerning the second-most vital character in a franchise, it doesn’t matter what real-life tragedies occurred. It’s a nasty look.
Now, to be honest, issues might have been a complete lot worse. If any of the films killed Brian in an unbefitting manner, followers would’ve been upset. If, god forbid, he saved showing as a CGI creation, that too would have been upsetting. And there’s a sure consolation understanding Brian continues to be on the market, able to assist in case of an emergency. The selection to maintain him alive however absent nonetheless appears, at face worth, to have been the proper strategy to deal with a horrible state of affairs. However the specifics of it have been an absolute catastrophe, frequently displaying disrespect towards the character Walker crafted.
Lastly, right here we should acknowledge that the Quick and Livid isn’t over but. There’s nonetheless at the least an eleventh movie on the way in which, one which has loads of breadcrumbs main towards a payoff of Brian’s story. Diesel himself recently said that he “couldn’t think about this saga ending with out really saying goodbye to Brian O’Conner.” We hope so. Possibly within the group’s last, dire second of want, a former cop, turned avenue racer, turned off-screen babysitter will return, swoop in, and save the day.
In any other case, because it presently stands, every time the collection makes it some extent that Brian continues to be alive, he’s additionally implied to be completely okay with everybody he loves being in mortal hazard. That’s a stain on the legacy of the franchise. A franchise that Vin Diesel might carry, however Paul Walker helped construct. Dom famously mentioned, “You by no means flip your again on household.” Possibly he ought to flip the mirror on himself as a result of he’d been doing simply that.
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