Unstable provokes sympathy for the nepo-baby

The 2023 Netflix show stars father-son duo Rob and John Owen Lowe.

By Alina Jaffer

I never expected to feel genuinely sorry for the likes of Brooklyn Beckham, North West, or Jaden Smith. In fact, it’s hard to imagine these children of the ultra-elite needing my consolation in the first place. What problems could they possibly have – Twitter sleuths exposing their private jet emission stats? Trouble deciding on their Met Gala look? Or, in the infamous case of Bella Hadid, not receiving their first pair of Louboutins until after graduation?

Netflix’s 2023 sitcom Unstable follows Ellis Dragon – a beloved biotech genius reeling from his wife’s death – joining his employees and son in saving their failing research company. The eight-episode series, written by Victor Fresco and its stars — father-son duo Rob and John Owen Lowe — is not the pair’s first joint venture, but it is the one that best reflects their real-life relationship. Throughout the show, Jackson Dragon (John Owen Lowe) must navigate his journey as a twenty-something stuck in his famous dad’s shadow. The portrayal of this predicament and its parallels to John Owen’s reality manage to make nepo babies relatable – a feat I didn’t think was possible.

One thing is obvious from episode one: everyone in Jackson’s life reveres his father. Ellis’ scientific stature and self-assuredness and Chris Traeger-esque positivity prevent most people from commenting on his erratic behavior. When Ellis kidnaps his company-ordered therapist, the hostage ends up praising his hospitality and brilliance. Supporting characters are simply horrified at the idea of questioning a man whose genius created the bruiseless avocado.

Only Jackson refuses to entertain Ellis’ antics, which include taking off work to hang out with his gardeners and putting an infrared sauna in the office. The sheer exhaustion on Jackson’s face when his father appears on screen reminds viewers that parenting your parents is a trying task. Jackson’s criticism of Ellis’ vanity and zaniness echoes John Owen’s comments on his relationship with Rob. “I spent a good deal of my youth keeping him humble,” he quips in a promo video. “It was a significantly large task.”

Jackson’s frustration, mostly expressed through eye rolls and detached deadpanning, also comes from not knowing who to trust. In episode six, “The Ballad of Eduardo,” an esteemed former professor reaches out to Jackson under the guise of wanting to get back in touch. When the professor’s ulterior motive of booking Ellis for a commencement speech is revealed, Jackson is dispirited but not surprised. Jackson being used as a pawn by people vying for Ellis’ time is an unrelatable problem. But we’ve all questioned the trustworthiness of a new friend or partner. We can relate to and empathize with the idea of Jackson feeling jaded, and we can do so easily thanks to John Owen’s effectively nuanced performance. Despite his time as a Stanford science technology student, John Owen is more convincing as the disappointed son than the lab tech whiz. (Though even if he was believable as a scientist, the jargon-heavy lab scenes would probably remain the show’s low point.) 

John Owen’s character continues to pull my vision of the nepo baby down to earth by reminding us that while ultra-rich kids don’t struggle with making rent, they do struggle with some normal-people problems. Jackson’s trouble deciding on a career path – flute teacher or scientist – is a pretty accessible issue for young viewers, for instance. So is his irritation with Ellis who recognizes Jackson’s musical inclination as, “A gift. A very, very, very niche, potentially useless gift.” 

Again, we see a real-world connection. According to Men’s Health, Rob used to actively discourage his son from going into show business. That discouragement was one reason John Owen flip-flopped between stem cell research and finance before finally pursuing television writing. Now, as an actor, John Owen channels that journey into that of his character. Seeing Jackson's attempt to pick a profession without cracking under the pressure of being Ellis’ son actually makes me feel guilty for rolling my eyes every time Brooklyn Beckham declares himself the master of a new craft. 

Jackson’s most obvious normal-people problem is dealing with the grief of losing his mother, Katie. The grief storyline falls flat throughout the series – it’s used mostly as a tool to throw in a quick joke or to explain Ellis’ inanity. “Katie would’ve wanted me to keep going,” he says when it’s suggested he take a sabbatical. “Of course, I wanted her to keep going.” At the very least, though, Katie’s death is a reminder that there are some problems money can’t solve. The wake of Katie’s death also makes it clear that Jackson is more emotionally mature than his father. The son attempts to distance himself from Ellis while also becoming more and more similar to him, putting yet another normal-people problem – the fear of turning into our parents – on display. 

In episode one, Jackson begins to trauma-dump his issues with Ellis onto an unsuspecting child. “They (dads) always want to make you a certain way even if that’s not who you want to be,” he says. “And you hope that one day that dynamic will change but when you realize it won’t, you come to terms with the fact that no matter how much you love them, you gotta take a break.” This rant comes moments after Ellis springs his own insecurities onto a little girl in the office. The father and son don’t realize their similarities, of course, but viewers are able to resonate with the universal concern about inheriting your parents’ less favourable qualities.  

As Ellis becomes weirder, Jackson becomes more relatable. This combination, along with the Lowe’s undeniable charm, allows the audience to feel sorry for Jackson despite his many privileges.