#There's a post about Boromir that I'd like to reference as well but I'd have to go back and find it?

[lumoshyperion]

One thing that doesn't get mentioned nearly enough but I really liked how the CC sort of dived into how even those who are considered "good" can be very narrowed minded and prejudiced as well.

Oh my gosh, yes! Particularly true in terms of Harry and how he handled everything? He's the first thing people mention when they complain about the play, and that was something I agreed upon when I first read the script, but then I saw the production and... almost completely changed my tune? Because I realised how negatively Harry's childhood would have blighted his adulthood.

People always point out his relationships with Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore, etc, to try and show reasons why he wouldn't be a "bad" father. Even without his parents, there was still no lack of love in his life. But all of these men, except Remus, never had children. He had people like Arthur and Molly Weasley in his life, but they were more traditional types of parental figures, and Harry was never drawn to that like he was with people like Sirius.

But Sirius is irresponsible and reckless, treating Harry like a substitute for James and forgetting how young he was. Dumbledore is a whole can of worms we're not even going to bother opening, because Harry does that himself within the play ("And I have proved as bad a father to him, as you were to me. Leaving him in places he felt unloved - growing in him resentments he'll take years to understand-" "If you're referring to Privet Drive, then-" "Years! Years I spent there, alone, not knowing what I was, or why I was there - without knowing that anybody cared!")

And even Remus wants to go on the run with the Golden Trio in Deathly Hallows, and Harry calls him out on not taking responsibility for his growing family. It's a devastating bit of foreshadowing, when we know that Remus never gets to raise his child. I think a part of Harry rages against the unfairness of it and is almost angry at Remus for being at the Battle of Hogwarts and for leaving Teddy alone, just like Harry was left - alone - when his parents died. It's a part of him that he buries, but that is still there, all these years later.

And the way Harry explodes in the first AU in HPCC is always something I found almost as painful to watch as the blanket scene. Because the latter was something he didn't mean, something he took back almost as soon as he said it. It "concealed other things", as Ginny said. But what he does in the first AU - tearing Albus and Scorpius apart, and forcing McGonagall to spy on them, threatening her with the full force of the Ministry if she doesn't comply? (There's an excellent bit of staging in the play for that scene, where Scorpius sinks down at the top of the staircase and stays there for the whole scene - in the background, unaware of the conversation happening centre stage about him and how "dangerous" he is to Albus.) This is Harry's anger and Harry's prejudice. He's always been reactionary. Taking things and blowing them out of proportion. His experiences have given him an almost black and white view of the world, and a sense of distrust which I'm sure is only exacerbated by working as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Harry has always been internal, too, which is something I think Albus struggles with a lot as well. The Harry who is so focused on Voldemort that he forgets Ginny's experience with the diary ("I didn’t want anyone to talk to me,” said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled. “Well, that was a bit stupid of you,” said Ginny angrily, “seeing as you don’t know anyone but me who’s been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels.” Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he wheeled around. “I forgot,” he said. “Lucky you,” said Ginny coolly.) is the same as the Albus who becomes so focused on saving Cedric and pushing Scorpius away that he doesn't see how much Scorpius is suffering, until he explodes in the library scene.

Albus sees Harry for who he is, and that's why there's so much friction between them. Because he sees that Harry is flawed and that he doesn't know how to be a parent. There was a post going around recently that talked about a different way to interpret the blanket scene. It isn't Harry saying he wishes Albus weren't his son. It's Harry saying he wishes he weren't Albus's dad. Because he knows he's inadequate and he feels like he failed Albus - on a subconscious level, because it isn't something he really admits until the final scene.

However much people complain about this aspect of the play, and how it's changed their perception of Harry, it's always something that has really interested me. Nuanced, flawed characters are more interesting than characters who are fundamentally good and never make mistakes. We're not really holding "the mirror up to nature" if every character is wholly good or wholly bad, with no in between 😂