That scene in Rebirth where Slade is about to beat Grant because he killed the battery on the truck, and Joey is hiding behind his big brother, lives rent free in my head.
“Abusive dad“ isn’t hyperbole on this blog and I need to make it clear it’s not something that will be taken lightly. Grant developed rage issues and died because of trying to become Slade. Joey became delusional and refuses to see the truth of his parents actions.
And I say parents, as in both, because Adeline wasn’t much better. She wasn’t physically abusive, but at best she was neglectful and at worst she was negligent. She left Joey alone, enabling the abduction that lead to his mutilation and afterward took a mutilated twelve year old into the field to teach him to be a spy, and because she simply didn’t want to be stuck at home caring for him.
She’d prefer he be in active danger than have to stay home and be a dedicated mother.
Joey is so good in spite of impossible circumstances. He’s a kind, compassionate, young man who wants to heal his parents and be a good brother to his sister. He is a miraculous child. A shining beacon of light in the unbearable mire he grew up in, unbroken and unbowed.
