#I'm not tagging the show because I don't want hate notes from d*xtons

[awesomechocolatesauce]

I kind of talked about this in my tags, but I also think that Darren's casting may not have taken acting skill into account that much. Which, honestly, always a bad move.

I don't think Paxton was initially supposed to be a super major, well-developed character. He wasn't actually developed at all in season 1, and it feels like they decided to develop him (imo unsuccessfully) in season 2. So, on some level, they probably were just looking for someone "hot."

He had no role in season 1 besides "Devi's supposedly-hot crush."

This is in stark contrast to Ben, who was conceived independently of Devi/created as a mirror to her. He was initially not set to be in a ship with her (though the possibility was always there), and Jaren's screen test was the dermatology office scene in 1x6 (showing that he always had a PoV episode before Benvi was a thing). I think that this is why they may have prioritized finding someone more talented for Ben, though I think they probably didn't know they were winning the fuckin lottery with Jaren lol. And this is also why Ben is objectively a better-rounded, better-developed character. He exists in his own right while Paxton was literally nothing but a dream for Devi.

I like Paxton fine, especially as a friend for Ben. I have nothing against him and think he's a nice guy. I'm glad his storyline got a good ending. But I cannot connect with him. And this is on the show's team: they really needed to do more with him early on if they wanted most of the audience to connect with him on a personal level as well as a horny one.

I honestly don't have much to add because this is so well worded and I agree with all of it. 💕

I like Paxton, too! I think he's a genuinely good person, especially after season three when he was allowed to do his own thing apart from being Devi's love interest, but I can't bring myself to root for him, not only because I find Ben far more compelling as a character, but Paxton, for the most part, is kinda boring, especially on his own. I like his connection with his sister and his grandpa, but that's mostly because I find them more interesting as characters than Paxton himself.

Also, we can't forget Trent, that bromance has far more chemistry than Paxton/Devi by a long shot, but again, Trent has far more personality than Paxton does for most of the show, and adds on to the "I like Paxton's connections to other people more than the character himself" thing.

Sidenote: I'm friends with a girl at work with whom I've briefly discussed the show with and the only reason she was ever on Paxton's side was because she found him attractive and he's nice, but nothing else really stands out for him as a character. (She finds Ben pretty funny, so she's good. 😂)