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thecharlieholt-blog · 6 years

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Part 2 - Father & Son

Although it’s clear after episode 2 that Avocato truly loves his son and is willing to do everything in order to save him, I have this vibe that their relationship might have been strained in the past. I know Avocato and Little Cato’s past is not truly unveiled in the show as of yet, but I believe their relationship may have gone through tensions and hardships.

To support my argument, I will use contrasts. First, I want to make a contrast between Little Cato and kid Gary. In my opinion both of them are of similar age. When we see Gary’s flashback of his past, we see him as a normal kid – lives with his dad (and possibly his mom) in a family house, enjoys a bowl of chips while watching TV, has his own tree house, and takes interest in his hobbies which revolve around bugs. It’s clear that, until witnessing his father’s death, kid Gary enjoys a happy, carefree childhood. Shooting lasers, escaping dreadnoughts and facing space killers is something he does much later, when he’s already an adult.

At this point kid Gary vastly differs from Little Cato. Throughout the story we learn that the Ventrexian boy is quite capable of many things. He’s skilled in hand-to-hand combat, which we can see when he throws a guard from a catwalk with a parkour-like back flip, as well as when he’s fighting his own father. He’s quite efficient when it comes to using guns, capable of landing clean headshots and performing acrobatics. He also knows how to pilot a ship (at the beginning of the show Gary is not capable of doing that). And he’s very smart when it comes to using technology.

If Little Cato is capable of all that at his young age, I imagine his time was not filled with fun and games but discipline and harsh training. And something tells me that Avocato is responsible for that. Perhaps the reason why Little Cato is so skilled is because he used to look up to his father. The reason for that might’ve been because Little Cato wanted to be as skilled as Avocato, or perhaps he wanted to be acknowledged by his father. And it also may be possible that Avocato was responsible for training Little Cato personally. Whatever the reason, I am certain Little Cato didn’t have it easy. So when comparing these two, Gary seemed like he had a normal childhood, while Little Cato did not.

Who Avocato used to be before meeting Gary also plays an important role. Once again, I will contrast two characters, this time John Goodspeed, Gary’s father, and Avocato during his time as Lord Commander’s second in command.

Throughout the first season, we learn that John Goodspeed was a very respected member of the Infinity Guard and is signed in history as a hero. His son, Gary, not only loved him and loved spending time with him as a child, but also admired him to the point where he hoped that one day he’ll be able to follow in his father’s footsteps. A dream which Gary wasn’t able to fulfill (at least not yet, as that’s starting to change).

On the other hand, when we learn about Avocato’s past in episode 6, he himself tells that he used to be Lord Commander’s second in command. A “master of death” who fulfilled every order of his superior without batting an eye. Contrary to the heroic John Goodspeed, Avocato appears as a man who in the past used to be a villain. A mass murderer.

The reason why I’m comparing these two is because who these men were and what actions they took may have an impact on their sons. In case of Gary, that is clearly obvious. John appears as caring and loving father, and Gary has fond memories of him. I cannot say the same about Little Cato, since his relationship with his father hasn’t been fully shown yet. We only have glimpses during episode 7 when Little Cato states that although he loved his father’s “short tempered and angry grouch” side, he also adds with sadness that Avocato never said he loves him. I can only assume, basing on who the Ventrexian used to be, that Avocato, contrary to John, might have acted cold and harsh towards Little Cato, and there may not have been love and care in the past. Or the love and care was buried very deeply within Avocato, only to resurface at the last second during the firstborn massacre.

Avocato’s position as Lord Commander’s second in command and the fact he helped to decimate fleets and (potentially) conquer planets may have consequences for Little Cato in the future. While John Goodspeed is remembered as a hero, the crew may find themselves in places touched by the “master of death”. And seeing the pain and suffering caused by his own father may have an impact on Little Cato. Of course it all depends on the creators of the show wether they decide to follow this path or not. But there’s a potential in delving into this.

But how the father-son relationship may have looked like before the events of the show is actually hinted by Avocato himself. In episode 2, when facing Little Cato, he says he “messed up bad” while slamming his hand against the glass. In episode 6, when he sees Little Cato floating, he doesn’t notice his son is possessed. Rather, he says to Gary that the reason why he’s in such state is because Little Cato “is angry with [him]”. This is further emphasized during the fistfight between father and son. When Little Cato is chocking his father to death, Avocato admits that he’s been a “terrible father”, and he “lost him” due to being Lord Commander’s servant.

Avocato himself confesses that he’s been a terrible father to Little Cato, and all the suffering his son endured is due to who he was in the past and his own actions. And that truly pains him. At this point, Avocato not only is trying to get his son back throughout the show just for the sake of freeing him and claiming him back. By doing so, Avocato seeks retribution in his son’s eyes for all the harm he inflicted upon him. By getting him back, he hopes he will get a second chance to be a father again. One that is good and loving to his son. His hope seems almost real when, after finally freeing his son and getting him to safety, tells Little Cato that “as excited as I am about today” (finally having him back), “I’m even more excited for tomorrow” (making up for mistakes and the time they lost). That hope, however, is brutally taken away once Avocato realizes there’s a bomb attached to Little Cato’s back. How much it hurt him to know he’ll never fulfill what he sought for three years, moments before his death, can be seen through his facial expression – when he holds the bomb in his palms and bites his lip.

But there’s one thing I find intriguing. Despite Avocato being a horrible father to his son, and being responsible for his son’s solitary confinement for 3 years, it seems that Little Cato never lost faith in his own father. As I have mentioned in my last installment, when Avocato is trying to free his son for the first time, Little Cato is very concerned for his father’s safety rather than his own, telling him to flee. When confronting Bhero, Little Cato still believes that his father will free him. And he’s dedicated to break out and send him a message. As spacecaptaingary points out in his essay, there is “a long history between the two, leaving the viewer wondering just what happened between them in the past, and who was the cause” (spacecaptaingary). I believe there must be some motivation behind Little Cato’s faith in his father. Perhaps Little Cato, due to some circumstances, could see the true Avocato beneath the callous skin.

And it might be possible that Little Cato also held hope that once he reunites with his father, everything will turn out for the better. That this time Avocato will truly be a father to him and will provide him with a sense of family.

It seems that Avocato and Little Cato’s father-son relationship may have been rocky due to circumstances I have mentioned above. But there’s no denying that Avocato truly loved his son, and Little Cato truly loved his father (to the point where it pushed Little Cato towards lust for revenge after loosing him). In the end, it was love of a father that saved his son from death twice. And the same love also saved the father himself from completely succumbing to evil by choosing his son’s life over power.

All of this begs for further exploration in next seasons. It would certainly be exciting to see the creator delving into Little Cato’s past, through which we could learn about his past relationship with his father. Perhaps that will be shown through memories, dreams, or manifestations of some sort.

#final space #little cato #avocato #gary goodspeed #john goodspeed #theories #predictions #character analysis

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thecharlieholt-blog · 6 years

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Little Cato - My Thoughts On Him

Some time ago I wrote a long character analysis on Little Cato where I discussed potential, theories and predictions revolving around this character. It appeared first on subreddit, but I’ve learned it wasn’t a good place to post it. I was also too impulsive and I haven’t thought out everything thorough. After some discussion with Screamio we came to a conclusion that it will be better to post my work somewhere else, like tumblr, and separate it into smaller units to make it more comfortable to read.

The work is divided into 7 parts and each part will be posted in intervals of 3-4 days. Part 1 serves as a general introduction and explanation as to why I chose Little Cato as a scope of my analysis. Part 2 focuses on Little Cato’s relationship with his father, Avocato. Part 3 deals with the theme of revenge and potential consequences to Little Cato. Part 4 includes Gary Goodspeed and discusses his role of a Guardian over Little Cato. Part 5 is dedicated to Avocato’s death and the discussion of where she should or not be resurrected for the show. Part 6 focuses on things that I didn’t like and revolved around Little Cato. Part 7 serves as a summary.

I hope you’ll find my work enjoyable. So fasten your seat belts and get ready for a ride.

1. Why Little Cato has a lot of potential as a character?

Little Cato caught my interest during episode 2 when he’s shown in a prison cell. However, it’s not the sole fact that he’s imprisoned that caught my attention. It’s how the creators of the show, through background, art and character interaction, expose his ordeal.

First, he’s a kid. It’s a cruel thing to separate a child from his parent and keep him in solitary confinement. I kept asking myself what kind of thing this child has done to find himself imprisoned. It also shows how deeply Lord Commander’s vileness reaches – he will do everything possible to reach his goals, even if it’s holding a kid hostage to manipulate its parent (execution of firstborns in episode 6 only put a huge emphasis on that).

Second is the interaction between Avocato and Little Cato that occurs when Avocato finally reaches his son’s cell in episode 2. As spacecaptaingary from Tumblr and avocatotoast from Tumblr point out in their respective works, the short interaction that occurs between father and son is the key to understand their relationship. Although they are separated by thick glass and cannot communicate verbally, the moment when they touch the glass show how they physically long for each other. The scene is short, but very emotional. Avocato, who previously gave an impression of someone cold and merciless, shows his softer, vulnerable side in this particular scene. He places his forehead on the glass, and when he is captured, he still tries to reach for Little Cato with his hand. That shows how much he wants to free his son and hold him in his arms, and his turmoil because there’s a glass wall preventing that from happening. Little Cato is also in pain. When Avocato jumps into the room, the viewer can see for a brief moment that the kid sits on a bench, resignation visible on his face. Only later when the viewer learns that this was all a trap to lure Avocato, he/she understands that the reason for why Little Cato looked like that is because he knew what will happen and he felt powerless to prevent it. Despite that, he still bangs his fists at the glass and yells to warn his father. This shows that despite being imprisoned, he still cares for his father’s safety first rather than his own.

Although Avocato and Little Cato are shown to be very close to each other, the glass generates the wide gap between them. Little Cato is at the hand’s reach, but it’s physically impossible for Avocato to reunite with his son.

Third thing is when Avocato says he’s been trying to rescue his son for 3 years. Lord Commander has been keeping Little Cato locked away and hidden from his father for 3 long years. The realization of how long this child has spent his time in solitary confinement, away from everyone, is gut wrenching to me. And I can only imagine how a parent must feel not seeing his son for that long.

But what truly got me is the credit scene, when Little Cato is shown boarding the prison transport. How he looks sad when he looks at his heavy cuffs. And how, before the door closes, he looks behind his shoulder, as if expecting to see his dad running towards the transport in an attempt to rescue him. But hope seems lost once the door closes. It’s a dramatic scene and with all that transpired during the episode, it made me genuinely sorry for Little Cato.

This left me on constant edge because when I was watching next episodes, up until episode 6 I always knew that Little Cato is there somewhere, imprisoned by Lord Commander, and I kept wondering what may happen to him. It was also painful to watch Avocato searching for any clue of his son’s whereabout after his failed attempt, and seeing him grieving. It was the first time in 3 years he had seen him and it was his closest opportunity to bust him out, yet he failed. And there was a sense of dread that he might not get another chance like that, considering Lord Commander himself said he’s sending Little Cato to the place where his father will never find him. It only made me wonder when both of them will attempt to reunite once again and if that will actually happen.

But despite the hopeless circumstances, Little Cato never gives up. He’s still determined to reunite with his father. When he sees the opportunity, he seizes it.

Despite his young age, Little Cato is brave. Although Lord Commander is powerful, and he’s the reason for Little Cato’s suffering, the boy is not afraid to talk back at him, making fun of him. He’s also not afraid to threaten Bhero and charge at him. Considering how frightening Bhero is presented in episode 2 (the scene where he is ordered to devour the deceased victim), Little Cato’s action at this point is a bold one. But at the same time, Little Cato is shown to be reckless. Both aforementioned actions have bad consequences. For his insults, Lord Commander orders Bhero to shove the tray with food right into his face, reminding him that he’s still just a prisoner who still can be humiliated. Little Cato did not think through when charging at Bhero with bare fists, who’s clearly bigger and more powerful. It’s possible that at this point Little Cato would have been killed, if not for the fact that Lord Commander needed him alive.

Nonetheless, Little Cato does not give up. Despite being imprisoned for 3 years and suffering constant pain and humiliation, he’s still determined to reunite with his father. That determination is the embodiment of hope that cannot be easily distinguished. And it’s that determination that made me want to follow Little Cato on his jounrney and root for him to succeed.

But Little Cato’s real journey starts at the end of episode 6. His determination pays off when he’s finally being rescued. When Little Cato is being in his father’s embrace, it symbolizes the familial longing that is finally being achieved. Hope, which Little Cato was clinging to during his imprisonment, pays off. The father and son are finally reunited. Fate, however, can be cruel. The same hope lasts only seconds. It’s being torn out of Little Cato’s hands the moment when Avocato brakes the embrace, takes the bomb off Little Cato’s back, rushes towards the other end of the ship and is engulfed in flames. The hope that sustained Little Cato during his imprisonment and kept him motivated to reunite with his father, is gone. Little Cato loses his father, who was his purpose of life. He’s gone forever.

But at the same time Avocato’s death opens a path of possibilities in Little Cato’s story and character development. It seems as if his purpose of life went gone forever with his dad. That leaves a question – what road Little Cato will choose from now on. Will he fall on the path of revenge, or he will find a new purpose? As someone who enjoys Little Cato’s story arc, I’m very curious to find that out. And it truly gets me hyped for season 2 for that particular reason.

#final space #fs #little cato #avocato #character analysis #theories

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