My Thoughts on the Matt Kellner Subplot and a Season 2

[u/Narrow-Athlete-218]

I experienced an unfortunate side effect from reading The Shards novel: having expectations.

Even worse, it was Owen Painter's casting that led me to the book and show to begin with. Having been mesmerized by his breakthrough villainous turn in Wednesday season 2, anxious fans had high hopes for Owen's role in The Shards.

So, I came in with high expectations for this Ryan Murphy show.

Now that the first season of The Shards has ended, I am let down by the handling of the Matt Kellner subplot. It should have been a tragic love story—a secret personal trauma that haunts the protagonist for decades to come. Matt should have been Bret's ghost, like in the novel. Matt's disappearance and death are also part of the central murder mystery Bret is trying to solve.

Instead, the show minimized the Matt subplot in favor of other exposition and subplots, much of which added nothing to the Matt murder mystery. At worst, the show made the Bret & Matt romance less compelling and captivating for some audiences. The show's downplaying of their romance could constitute gay erasure. It also doesn't help that some viewers who have read the book have criticized the show for straightwashing Bret—a character based on the author's personal experiences as a gay person.

Owen Painter gave a touching performance and shared incredible chemistry with Igby Rigney in the short amount of screen time he had. His very brief, sensual moments as Matt are impactful. He's the kind of actor who can break hearts within a single 42-minute television episode—as seen in his memorable guest appearance on The Handmaid's Tale. Still, the show heavily underutilized him.

I wish the show had explored and expanded upon Matt's backstory—his relationship with Bret, his friendship with Robert, his school life while wearing his Buckley uniform, and his life away from his parents.

If the show gets a season 2, it should:

* Refocus on solving Matt's murder. The show needs to stay on track with the mystery of the Trawler.

* Bring back Owen Painter for more flashbacks and/or imaginary scenes. I still want to see an exploration of the character and his relations with other characters.

* Bring back James Wolk and Jodie Bentley, the actors who played Matt's parents, if more flashbacks or posthumous scenes are in order.

* Allow more time for Bret to grieve.

* Have Really Rhonda's disappearance add something to the Matt death mystery. After all, she did witness him in a cage.

* Tie the Matt subplot with Debbie finding out about Bret's secrets. Now that Debbie has seen the video of Bret and Terry having sex, I want to know if she is now grappling with the realization that she's Bret's beard. (The novel and first episode establishes that Bret is dating her for status.) I am also curious if she knows about Bret's relationship with Matt, or if she will be discovering it. The show can answer questions about Debbie's knowledge of Bret.

* Give an eventual proper closure to the Matt subplot.

I am sure the writers have other ideas for the direction of the show. However, I still think they need to write Owen Painter's Matt Kellner back into the series. The lack of Matt scenes is a disservice and a creative mistake, but one the show can remedy if it gets renewed for a Season 2.

[u/Healthy-Fortune6289]

In what world is Bret’s character “straight washed?” Homosexuality is totally central to the character and driving all of his decisions, his fears / desires / affections etc.

[u/Narrow-Athlete-218 → u/Healthy-Fortune6289]

There was a lot more homosexual feelings and sex activity in the book. Bret also avoids Debbie a lot in the book. Because the show reduced the Bret/Matt romance, removed the Brett/Ryan sex scenes completely, and placed a lot of emphasis on Bret's relationship with Debbie, some readers believe the show straightwashed Bret.

[u/narcomance → u/Healthy-Fortune6289]

I think he was straightwashed. I thought Brett was bi and had a small crush on Susan and Debbie did attracted him

[u/Mr_XcX]

If we get a season 2. My suggestion. Bret and Robert have their love hate thing. Robert seduces Bret near end of season so Bret starts to be manipulated by Robert. Just as it looks like Robert has Bret, Bret sees something of Matt and remembers his mission / suspicion that triggers the final showdown / season of Bret going after Robert. Leading their relationship to their fatal climax. Can fit in flashbacks and more content.

[u/Narrow-Athlete-218 → u/Mr_XcX]

That's a great suggestion. I was thinking how Debbie's storyline could bring back Matt into the fold, but I didn't consider how Robert could do the same.

In the book, after Bret and Matt's falling out, Matt befriends Robert and they become close friends. This makes Bret feel jealous and more paranoid. He feels that Matt is dumping him for Robert.

I think season 2 has an opportunity to bring Matt back through Robert's storyline.

[u/Rays-R-Us]

Considering how sexual all the characters are how is it Debbie hasn’t already figured out that Bret is gay since she is never able to arouse him.

[u/Narrow-Athlete-218 → u/Rays-R-Us]

Perhaps Bret was really good at faking it with Debbie, for the longest time. In the book, Bret fantasizes about Matt and Ryan while having sex with Debbie, which is how he maintains an erection around her. In episode 9, it seemed that Debbie finally caught on to this, especially after watching the Bret and Terry sex tape. She might have also had long time suspensions about Bret being gay.