"Sometimes his methods are questionable, and even his morals are questionable, but his intention is always to protect Sydney. So in that way I think he's a good parent"
About this Quote
“Questionable” is doing a lot of diplomatic heavy lifting here. Garber, speaking as an actor and character interpreter, is performing the very move the line describes: laundering bad behavior through the warm glow of parental intent. It’s not a courtroom defense; it’s an emotional plea. The syntax keeps pivoting away from the ugly parts. Methods? Questionable. Morals? Also questionable. But intention? Always. That “but” is the hinge that lets audiences keep loving a character whose actions, on paper, should make them recoil.
The subtext is a familiar cultural bargain: we will tolerate ethically dubious conduct if it can be framed as protection, especially protection of a child. In thrillers and prestige TV alike, “protector” has become a permission slip for surveillance, coercion, even violence. Garber’s phrasing mirrors how fandom and even real-life families talk themselves into complicity: yes, he’s messy, but look at the motive. “So in that way” is the quiet admission that this is a narrow, negotiated definition of “good parent,” not a robust one.
Context matters because Garber isn’t issuing a moral philosophy; he’s explaining why a character remains playable and relatable. Actors often defend characters by locating a core want that’s legible to viewers. Here, the core want is devotion to Sydney, and it’s positioned as the trump card over ethics. The line works because it captures how modern storytelling seduces us into confusing love with righteousness, and protection with virtue, even when the protector is the threat.
The subtext is a familiar cultural bargain: we will tolerate ethically dubious conduct if it can be framed as protection, especially protection of a child. In thrillers and prestige TV alike, “protector” has become a permission slip for surveillance, coercion, even violence. Garber’s phrasing mirrors how fandom and even real-life families talk themselves into complicity: yes, he’s messy, but look at the motive. “So in that way” is the quiet admission that this is a narrow, negotiated definition of “good parent,” not a robust one.
Context matters because Garber isn’t issuing a moral philosophy; he’s explaining why a character remains playable and relatable. Actors often defend characters by locating a core want that’s legible to viewers. Here, the core want is devotion to Sydney, and it’s positioned as the trump card over ethics. The line works because it captures how modern storytelling seduces us into confusing love with righteousness, and protection with virtue, even when the protector is the threat.
Quote Details
| Topic | Parenting |
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