Tom Swift can’t control his anger in “…And the 4b Curl”

Now that Tom Swift has landed at the CW, we are starting to get a bigger picture of who this brilliant young man is. He is both a gay man and an inventor. He is as much a product of his environment as he is someone trying to make a name for himself. But the problem with Tom is that he can’t seem to control himself and his anger.

Do we blame Tom Swift for going off on people? Absolutely not! It seems like his being gay has been thrown in his face, making him not good enough or “man enough” for long enough that I would be surprised if he didn’t have anger issues. The problem is that he falls into stereotypes, and we hate seeing it.

It also doesn’t help that, on top of the anger, he is also a brat. He doesn’t seem willing to listen to anyone, including those there to help and support him. The people who know what he is doing and dealing with and trying to be there for him in any way they can. And that makes him unlikeable.

Had he listened to Isaac for even a second, things might have been a bit different in this episode. Or maybe, it wouldn’t have changed a thing, but at least he would have listened. And that is an issue with Tom – he doesn’t listen!

Tom Swift is giving us a lot of anger and pain in episode 2

At the dinner party that he asked his mother to help him plan and host, after assuring her that he will be on his best behavior, things quickly devolved as things from the past were thrown in his face. And while there may have been an instigator at the table, the fact is that Tom simply could not find a way to handle what was being thrown at him. (Again, I do not blame Tom for this, so much as it was a cringeworthy moment that had me wishing for better.)

I get that Tom Swift is meant to be this over-smart character who thinks he knows it all, but at some point, he needs to learn some true balance. It’s almost like the show wants us to dislike Tom, while also rooting for him to solve all the mysteries.

If Tom can’t figure out a better sense of balance with his anger, pain, resentment, and even his sense of entitlement, people might start walking away from him. And we don’t just mean the people in his life. We also mean his viewers.

But what do you think of Tom Swift? Are you enjoying this character and his story? Do you agree that he is struggling with his attitude with the people he is supposed to be working with?