October Road - October Road Discussion Thread #1 
Still Dirrty says: Please only discuss episodes that haven't aired yet and don't post any spoilers. You can speculate on what is going to happen, but no spoilers.
************ October Road Can you ever really go home again? That's the question that confronts acclaimed novelist Nick Garrett when he returns home after being away for ten years. Once back home on October Road, he quickly discovers that the circle of friends whose teenaged lives he wrote about have since settled into blue collar careers and started families. Nick became a New York literary success by writing about those early years, and he had Hollywood heavyweights lining up for roles. With his editor putting pressure on him for a follow-up, he finds himself at a crossroads... and with serious writer's block. Then comes an offer to teach a one-day course at Dufresne College, the small liberal arts school in his hometown of Knights Ridge, Massachusetts. Hoping to tap back into that which initially inspired him, he decides to head back. Nick has had no contact with his family or the close-knit group of friends he said goodbye to shortly after high school graduation. He burned that connection when he used them as characters in his successful novel and, in the process, cast their lives in a less than flattering light. Consequently, the hometown response to his return is less than festive. Nick's friends include best friend Eddie Latekka, who is disappointed that Nick abandoned their dream of starting a business together; there's also the good-hearted and straightforward Owen Rowan, whose family life appears the picture of perfection; the well-meaning but sometimes obnoxious Ikey; and Physical Phil, a lovable recluse since 9/11 who has adapted to living his life indoors. Before he left town, Nick told his high school girlfriend, Hannah Daniels, that he'd be back in six weeks. Now ten years later, the jilted but never-married Hannah has decided to forget Nick's unfulfilled promise and moved on with her life. She is a single mom raising her nine-year-old son, the bright and charming Sam. Hannah is involved with Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo, the former high school bully whose mission in life has been to bestow misery on the lives of Nick and his friends. Nick makes a new friend when he meets Aubrey, a pretty college student and fledgling writer whose Bohemian style intrigues him. While he sorts things out, he moves into his childhood home with his father, a widower affectionately referred to as The Commander. Nick realizes he has several reasons for staying in Knights Ridge. He wants to apologize to everyone for whatever broken promises he may have made, and to make up for how he portrayed them in his book. He also sees coincidences indicating that Hannah's son, Sam, might be his. Although Nick doesn't regret fulfilling his mother's dying wish of experiencing life outside of Knights Ridge, he finds himself oddly wanting to tie up loose ends at home, but realizes the path ahead of him is a rocky one. In spite of any love bruised or lost between his friends and family, Nick embraces the familiarity of his former life and struggles to be included again among those he let down. "October Road" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, Laura Prepon as Hannah Daniels, Tom Berenger as The Commander, Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo, Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan, Evan Jones as Ikey, Jay Paulson as Physical Phil, Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels, Geoff Stults as Eddie Latekka and Odette Yustman as Aubrey. The series is executive-produced by Gary Fleder, Scott Rosenberg, Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Peter Tortorici, and is a joint production between ABC Television Studio and GroupM Entertainment. **************** Cast: Bryan Greenberg as Nick Odette Yustman as Aubrey Laura Prepon as Hannah Tom Berenger as The Commander Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan Evan Jones as Ikey Jay Paulson as Physical Phil Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels Geoff Stults as Eddie Latekka ************* Synopsis for the first two episodes: 1.01 Pilot
A BESTSELLING AUTHOR RETURNS HOME AND MUST FACE THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS HE LEFT BEHIND TEN YEARS AGO, ON THE SERIES PREMIERE OF "OCTOBER ROAD," THURSDAY, MARCH 15 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK Popular author Nick Garrett hopes to get over his writer's block by going back to his small hometown in Knights Ridge, Massachusetts. Once back home on October Road, he must face the people he wrote about unfavorably in his successful novel and whom he has avoided for the past ten years. Those he hopes to re-connect with include his widowed father, the close-knit group of friends he said goodbye to shortly after high school graduation, and the ex-girlfriend who may have had his child, on "October Road," a new drama series premiering THURSDAY, MARCH 15 (10:01-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. In the premiere episode, "Pilot," Nick gets an offer to teach a one-day course at Dufresne College, the small liberal arts school in his hometown. He sees this as an opportunity to tap back into that which initially inspired him. However he burned his connection to his past when he used his friends and family as characters in his bestselling novel, in the process casting their lives in a less-than-flattering light. Consequently the hometown response to Nick's return is less than festive. "October Road" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, Laura Prepon as Hannah Daniels, Tom Berenger as The Commander, Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo, Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan, Evan Jones as Ikey, Jay Paulson as Physical Phil, Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels, Geoff Stults as Eddie Latekka and Odette Yustman as Aubrey. Guest starring in "Pilot" are Jonathan Murphy as Ronny, Lee Norris as Ian, Bill Nunn as Leslie Etwood, Rebecca Field as Janet "The Planet" Meadows, Nicholas Pryor as Bennett Goldman, Bill Bellamy as Stratton Lorb, Elizabeth Bogush as Alison Rowan, Desiree Marie Velez as Puerto Rican woman, Bo Mitchell as Doodie, Melissa Ponzio as young girl, Richard Reed as young cop and Mary-Charles Jones as Caitlin Rowan. "Pilot" was written by Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg and directed by Gary Fleder. *** 1.02 The Pros and Cons of Upsetting the Applecart
NICK DECIDES TO STAY IN TOWN TO SEE IF SAM IS INDEED HIS SON AND TRIES TO GET A JOB AT THE LOCAL COLLEGE, AND HANNAH CONFRONTS THE COMMANDER ABOUT HIS UNORTHODOX WAYS OF TRYING TO FIND OUT IF SAM IS HIS GRANDSON, ON ABC'S "OCTOBER ROAD" "The Pros and Cons of Upsetting the Applecart" -- The possibility that Sam might be Nick's son is just one of the reasons Nick decides to stay in Knights Ridge. An upset Hannah confronts Nick after The Commander uses unorthodox techniques to find out if Sam is indeed his grandson. Meanwhile, Nick must convince the reluctant dean to give him a job, Eddie pursues Aubrey, the coed Nick is friendly with, and seeing Owen and Alison on a date causes Ikey to react, on "October Road," THURSDAY, MARCH 22 (10:01-11:00 p.m. ET), on the ABC Television Network. "October Road" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, Laura Prepon as Hannah Daniels, Tom Berenger as The Commander, Warren Christie as Ray "Big Cat" Cataldo, Brad William Henke as Owen Rowan, Evan Jones as Ikey, Jay Paulson as Physical Phil, Slade Pearce as Sam Daniels, Geoff Stults as Eddie Latekka and Odette Yustman as Aubrey. Guest starring are Penny Johnson Jerald as Dean Leslie Etwood, Jonathan Murphy as Ronnie, Rebecca Field as Janet "The Planet" Meadows, Elizabeth Bogush as Alison Rowan, Bo Mitchell as Doodie, John Malloy as Mr. Pinella, Rachel Minier as Darcy, Jason Horgan as Fitzy, Phillip Devona as Ginzo and Sandra Lafferty as Mrs. Weiner. "The Pros and Cons of Upsetting the Applecart" was written by Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg, and directed by Gary Fleder. Original post: October Road Discussion Thread #1 |
