#ak analysis

I do. Very clearly. Which is why I don’t understand why people romanticize the two as a couple/ship. I’ve never liked them together. Regardless of whatever “boyhood memories” they share their relationship as we the audience began it with was an abusive one.

Regardless of the beat down in the bathroom being suggested to have been the one and only time, this doesn’t account for other men Deran has been with or the emotional strain he put on Adrian for all the years the two were messing around and even before. Honestly, I use to feel bad for Adrian.

I like to think that Deran has grown beyond all that since season 1. However, I’m not blind to the possibility that he could do it again for different reasons in future relationships.

And yet, Adrian as a character has still never made sense to me. His “arc” or purpose should have ended after the beat down at the beach. Maybe after the rental pick up for Deran to see and reflect on what he did so he had a reason to grow beyond it.

Now Deran’s obsession with clinging to Adrian and trying to appeal to his every want and demand (because he thinks he owes Adrian something and Adrain knows this!) as his only “chance” of a real and meaningful relationship has become just as mentally exhausting (at least for me as a viewer) and unhealthy. It’s safe to assume that Deran has never had a healthy romantic, or otherwise, relationship (just as the rest of the boys haven’t as demonstrated by Pope very beautifully by the actor). Linc could have made that difference. It would have been someone outside of “the life”, but I guess we’ll never know.

And now that I have a tangible reason to despise the dude, aka mulling, its only another reason for Deran to break things off and never see Adrian again. All I want for Deran at the end of the day/series is to go legit. To be safe from his abusive and troubled past at the hands of the Cody’s and their “family curse” as I’ve started to address it as. Being with a mule would prevent that from becoming a reality.

It would be one thing if Adrian told Deran I suppose. Then they could be “outlaw couple goals” (yay! Shipping!). And technically we don’t know how long he’s been doing it. Guess I’d have to go back and watch the show to see when he starts running off on these “surf trips” that are actually jobs, but I’d wager it was in or even before season one (maybe after he “broke up” with Deran the first time and he had “nothing left to lose”). But as of right now he’s spent the entire series belittling Deran’s way of life, judging his mother and his family’s source of income, and taking Deran’s money (even if he says no the first time, Deran is still paying for stuff and just bought them a damn house) while pretending to be an angel who just wants to surf some “killer waves” while in reality what he’s been doing is just as illegal and perhaps more morally corrupt (as drugs have the direct effect of hurting people).

Ever since Adrian, “came back around” to be okay with being with Deran (even casually, which this obviously isn’t anymore) he’s been using Deran for his own benefit and prevented Deran from moving on. Adrian has taken Deran’s opportunity to grow as a person away from him. So, yeah, until Adrian is locked up or dead for good, we will never know if Deran is capable of maintaining a healthy romantic relationship or not.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. And genuinely, thank you for the question! I love answering them. Even if my opinions (on AK specifically) are the very opposite of the rest of the Fandom.

Of course, these are just speculations and opinions I hold as I’ve viewed the show for the last 3 years. Things could change in time.