A bit tired of people speculating about why Chris is so distant with Adrian. Hello? He’s distant with Adrian because Chris never chose Adrian as his best friend. The fact that Adrian is a dumbass who goes around killing graffiti artists and has weapons in his car to play with explosions used to work for Chris in the past. But when Chris is going through an identity crisis and wants to change, the last thing he needs is someone so disconnected from their own actions that they don’t give a damn about killing people, because Chris does care about killing people.
His relationship with Leota illustrates this perfectly: Chris chooses Leota as his friend, and he does it at the moment she shows herself to be understanding, assertive, and empathetic toward him. Chris literally tells her in the first season that he’s never felt what it’s like to have someone who has his back and no, he’s not talking about a comrade-in-arms, but a friend. Someone who listens to him, understands him, and, even knowing he can be an idiot and an asshole, still chooses to be there because she sees beyond the persona, beyond the criminal record, beyond his “white straight man douchebag” comments.
And Leota gives him that. That’s why Chris develops such an emotional attachment to her so quickly, why he considers her his best friend, and why he opens up to her about everything. Because Leota understands emotions and doesn’t judge people for them, she’s a humanist who sees the best in everyone, even if that person is kind of a mess. She’s the most human and emotionally stable person in a world full of broken people and he knows that and likes her for that.
But above all, it’s because Leota has traits and qualities Chris wishes he had, and therefore her opinion matters to him. Whether she agrees or disagrees with him on moral or emotional issues carries real weight. Comparing that to his relationship with Adrian — who’s basically just a fanboy worshipping the Peacemaker persona that Chris himself struggles with — is absurd. And I say this as someone who loves Adrian as a character, but he’s not the kind of person whose relationship someone like Chris is going to value deeply, at least not while Adrian keeps seeing him as an idol rather than a human being.
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