u/RattyRooo

When do you think Garrett realises this? Is it something he has always known and believed or only with Hannah? Did he think this when he was with Kendall, seeing as he seemed to view it very casually then? Curious on people’s thoughts!! 🤔

I’m not very good at articulating myself and have never posted anywhere before so this might be a bit rambly but I love reading everyone’s thoughts on this show and wanted to share one of my own!!

In episode 5, we see Garrett accept the invitation to Thanksgiving from his dad, very cautiously optimistic that he might have changed from the man of his childhood. I think part of this is from witnessing the love from Hannah’s parents in the phone call just before. But for me, the key switch that puts hope in Garrett that his dad could be different now is actually his relationship and love.
For the first time, Garrett has a girlfriend and is experiencing being fundamentally changed by that person in your life. When his dad speaks to him at the rink, he mentions that he doesn’t expect Garrett to understand but “Cindy has chosen to trust me.” And he wants to be someone worthy of that trust. Whilst this is narcissistic bullshit from Phil, it would resonate so strongly with Garrett. He has that with Hannah.
She chose to trust him with The Orgasm, and in his conversation with Dean we could tell he felt unworthy of that trust and “not the kind of person” for that task. But he rose to the challenge to be worthy of the trust she gave him.

In part, I think he is projecting the new parts of himself that he is learning to share and develop onto Phil. Episode 1 Garrett is aware of Cindy but extremely closed off to his dad - he has no capacity to believe that his dad is or could be anything other than the abusive man he knows. Then, he falls in love and begins to grow.
We see him apologise to Kendall from his actions in Ep1 and move more selflessly, and he also acknowledges that Hannah centres him and can calm him. She changes him for the better, supporting him through the parts he hates most about himself. And through experiencing that, it shows him the opportunity that Phil could be changed in the same way by Cindy.

We know Garrett is simultaneously terrified about becoming like his dad and convinced that he is already exactly like him. At the ice rink, he recognises Phil in himself and his feelings but it’s actually in a good way, which is new. He desperately wants Phil to be the person he is saying he is, because it gives hope to Garrett. If he is like his dad, and he has changed, it means that an abusive monster isn’t all that he could be in his future. It also makes it so much more devastating when he sees Cindy’s wrist and realises that it is all a facade and that hope shatters.

This might all be really stating the obvious lol but I thought I’d put it out there anyway. Garrett’s hope that he might be like his dad but finally in a good way is exactly the reason why he is nothing like him.