Just when it looked like Jackie and Cole had finally got their happy ending, Netflix’s My Life with the Walter Boys season three completely pulled the rug out from under us. The couple spend the start of season three happier than ever, but everything falls apart when Cole suddenly breaks up with Jackie, leaving everyone wondering what on earth happened. You might think that Cole has simply changed his mind. But according to creator Melanie Halsall, that’s actually the furthest thing from the truth. So, why did Cole push Jackie away? Credit: Netflix Throughout season three, both Uncle Richard and Jackie’s childhood friend Eliot repeatedly plant the idea in Cole’s head that he can’t give Jackie the future she deserves. And because Cole has never really believed he’s good enough for her anyway, he starts to believe them. Speaking to Deadline, Halsall explained, “Cole’s always been quite insecure. He had his whole identity ripped away from him when he could no longer play football, and we’ve seen him before. He goes off the rails when things don’t quite go his way. And he doesn’t quite know how to articulate his emotions or his feelings or his worries or his concerns.” She added, “Being with Jackie at the beginning of this season allows him to become more vulnerable. It allows him to strip away some of that shell that he’s built around himself because the whole bad boy thing is a complete act. I’ve said this before: Cole is one of our most honourable characters, and it really is a self-preservation thing. It really is a defence mechanism.” Richard and Eliot only made Cole’s fears worse Credit: Netflix While Richard and Eliot both question whether Cole is really right for Jackie, Halsall says they aren’t the reason the relationship falls apart. Instead, they simply reinforce what Cole already believes about himself. She explained, “Without that, and with him being so open and vulnerable now that he’s with Jackie, he’s absolutely ripe for Richard and Eliot and other people to kind of get under his skin and make him feel not worthy. Because deep down, he actually believes that.” In fact, Halsall revealed Cole has “never really believed he’s been worthy of Jackie”. She continued, “I think there’s probably an element of, he stepped back and let Alex take first position. As it were, he let them have that relationship because he didn’t think he was ever going to be good enough for Jackie.” Cole thought pushing Jackie away was the only option Credit: Netflix Halsall explained, “So when they say the things that they say to him, he believes them. He genuinely believes them. And he knows he can’t, he doesn’t want to break up with her really. So, the only way he can do it is by pushing her away.” She added, “By pretending to her that he’s become the boy that she thought he was when she first met him, it’s not just to save Jackie. I think it’s also to save him.” She continued that Cole is terrified Jackie will eventually leave him for someone like Eliot. Halsall said, “I know he genuinely cares about that. He doesn’t think he can ever provide her the life that someone like an Elliot or someone from her old world would do. And so he’s letting her go.” Noah LaLonde also admitted he was just as frustrated with Cole’s decision while reading the scripts. He said, “Reading the scripts, I was like, ‘Just tell her why you’re doing this.’ But in Cole’s head, it just feels too far gone. He’s decided that he’s not right for her, he’s not good enough for her.” Of course, by the time Cole finally realises he made a mistake and races to tell Jackie the truth, it’s already too late. Before he can reach her, Danvers deliberately rams his car. That leaves Cole’s fate hanging in the balance ahead of season four. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured images credit: Netflix Post navigation Next story
