Seasons of Love/Characters

For convenience, students (i.e., the majority of the cast) are listed with their graduation year.

Kent Thomas
Class of 2010.
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 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Claire, until they get to know each other better and it stops.
 * Berserk Button: Don't call him "Birdman."
 * Blue Eyes
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Frequently, to little effect.
 * He Cleans Up Nicely
 * The Hero: Becomes this as the story progresses.
 * I Am Not My Father
 * I Am Not Handsome
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Before he met Tom.
 * Momma's Boy: Given what his father is like, you can't exactly blame Kent for being emotionally closer to his mother.
 * The Movie Buff: Hence his skills in comparing peoples' appearance to famous (and not-so-famous) actors.
 * Non-Idle Rich: Doesn't actually have a job yet, but is genuinely uninterested in his father's wealth.
 * Rule-Abiding Rebel: Following the rules is his rebellion, against his corrupt parents.
 * Secretly Wealthy: He tries to hide this from Holly so she'll like him as a person, until Claire finds out (leading to bad results for her relationship with Jimmy) and Kent decides it's better to just not worry about it anymore.
 * Sixth Ranger: A late addition (fall 2006, when he met Tom) to Rick's clique.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy
 * White Sheep
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?
 * Why Couldn't You Be Different?

Holly Snow
Half-Australian (from her father's side), half-American (from her estranged mother's). Class of 2010. ""It's getting old. We can stop mentioning who I look like now.""
 * Australian Accent
 * Berserk Button: Don't mention her mother. Just don't.
 * Blue Eyes
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Catch Phrase: Not exactly, but she has the occasional soft-spoken "Ew."
 * Daddy's Girl
 * Girl Next Door
 * Important Haircut: Trims her hair between seasons 2 and 3.
 * Meaningful Name: Quite possibly the most Christmas-y name ever, appropriate for a girl born two days after. Lampshaded, of course.
 * Missing Mom: Who went back to her hometown of San Diego after the divorce.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue oni to Claire's red.
 * Smitten Teenage Girl: In "The Crush," this is how she is when she first notices Kent.
 * Daughter Of A Whore: Though Pam wasn't a prostitute (just an unfaithful wife), this is just the same a Berserk Button for Holly, and the quickest way to insult her is to make a comparison between them.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Claire's tomboy.
 * What Beautiful Eyes!: Kent compares her eyes to those of Alexis Bledel, his celebrity crush, and subsequently the rest of her body before the comparison starts getting old and becomes a point of annoyance among them.
 * What Beautiful Eyes!: Kent compares her eyes to those of Alexis Bledel, his celebrity crush, and subsequently the rest of her body before the comparison starts getting old and becomes a point of annoyance among them.


 * Why Did It Have To Be Bunnies?

Claire Zielinski
Holly's best friend, also from a broken home. Class of 2010.
 * Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Rusty, and later with Kent.
 * Daddy's Girl
 * Disappeared Dad: Though he still sees her during the holidays and some summers.
 * Everything Is Big in Texas: Originally born in Houston before her parents divorced and she moved to L.A. with her mother.
 * Green Eyes
 * Lady in Red: In "The Charm," at the winter formal.
 * Love Martyr: Becomes one as her relationship with Jimmy slowly disintegrates.
 * Pirate Girl: For Halloween in "The Sin", anyway.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red oni to Holly's blue.
 * Secret Keeper: Briefly in "The Twist." When told she can only reveal Kent's secret to one other person, she tells Jimmy, not Rusty as Kent had been hoping, and the rest is history.
 * She's Got Legs: So says Jimmy in "The Cross," but this was mainly an attempt to get on her good side (she's a ZZ Top fan).
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Holly's girly girl.
 * Tsundere: Type B.

Russell "Rusty" Guitierrez
Holly and Claire's friend. Class of 2010.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Chivalrous Pervert
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Dogged Nice Guy: The patient type.
 * Meta Guy
 * Parental Obliviousness: Remarkably unaware that he's a drug dealer.
 * Phrase Catcher: "Thank you, Rusty."
 * Plucky Comic Relief
 * Stoners Are Funny
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: In love with Claire since they first met in kindergarten.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: In love with Claire since they first met in kindergarten.

Thomas "Tom" Fraser
Kent's best friend before he met Holly. In a relationship with Oriel Richards, and in a band with her and Kristen, in which he alternates (with Oriel) between guitarist and keyboardist. The oldest of the original circle led by Rick, and the one who introduced Kent to them. Class of 2011.
 * Beware the Nice Ones: If you mention his deceased mother in the wrong light, prepare for a unnerving change in Tom's behavior.
 * The Big Guy: Of Rick's clique.
 * The Confidant
 * Gray Eyes
 * Long-Distance Relationship: His girlfriend lives an hour away in Long Beach.
 * Missing Mom: She was killed by a Stalker with a Crush from her high school days when Tom was three.
 * One Head Taller: Than Oriel.
 * The Quiet One
 * The Stoic
 * Stoic Spectacles
 * Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Or girlfriend, as it were.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend

Samara Pearse
Class of 2010.
 * Alpha Bitch
 * Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better: Has this attitude towards Claire, and to a lesser extent everyone else as well.
 * Berserk Button: If you insinuate anything bad about her dead sister or any of the rest of her family, she will make you regret it. Also, Aerosmith.
 * Blondes Are Evil: Or bitchy, anyway.
 * Dead Big Sister: Hannah was crushed by the elevator Samara was riding at the time. An allusion to events of another (unpublished) story by the same author.
 * Brooklyn Rage
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Green Eyes
 * Hates Everyone Equally
 * Hey, You: With few exceptions, refers to everyone by a nickname, a la Dr. Cox. (Kent = Bruce Wayne/Batman, Holly = Ozzie, Claire = Tex, Rusty = Cheech, Tom = Lucky, etc.)
 * I Just Want to Have Friends: Type B.
 * Informed Judaism
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Jerkass Has a Point: Frequently.
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * Large Ham
 * The Nicknamer
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After Cameron breaks up with her, except that by "good" she means "perfect."
 * The Rival: To Claire, although only Samara sees it that way.

James "Jimmy" Allen
Claire's boyfriend at the beginning of the series. Class of 2010.
 * Batman Gambit: Pretending to be The Matchmaker in order to manipulate his way into Samara and then Sloane's pants.
 * Big Bad
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: Believes Claire to be in love with Kent. Not that he doesn't have any evidence.
 * Domestic Abuser: Slowly becomes one as his relationship with Claire falls apart.
 * Face Heel Turn: Can be pinpointed to "The Twist," when his jealousy of Claire and Kent combined with her unwisely telling him Kent's secret makes him pull a Scarpia Ultimatum to end the couple's longstanding celibacy, lest he tell everyone what Kent doesn't want them to know.
 * For the Evulz: Usually everything fits into his grand plans somehow, but occasionally he'll do this; for example, making Stacey go Off the Wagon in "The Charm."
 * The Friend Nobody Likes: Guess why.
 * From Nobody to Nightmare
 * The Generic Guy: He starts out this way before...
 * Jumping Off the Slippery Slope
 * Love Makes You Evil: If you could call his feelings for Claire "love."
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * The Matchmaker: Subverted, when he uses this guise to sleep with Samara and then Sloane after claiming to help the former get back together with Cameron and to improve the latter's relationship with Scott.
 * Moral Event Horizon: Oh, boy, lots to choose from. Was it tricking Claire into having sex with him? Was it bedding three other women while they were still together? If not that, then it was almost certainly
 * Mr. Fanservice
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Becomes one as part of his descent into villainy.
 * Rape Is Love: Says he loves Claire, but as everyone is quick to point out, that ain't love.
 * Sixth Ranger Traitor
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome: And often described as such, where it serves more as a synonym for "bland" than as much of a compliment.
 * Would Hit a Girl
 * Your Cheating Heart: At first, frequently suspected of this despite the lack of any proof. Eventually turns into reality, with Faith, Samara, and Sloane.
 * Your Cheating Heart: At first, frequently suspected of this despite the lack of any proof. Eventually turns into reality, with Faith, Samara, and Sloane.

Michael "Mike" Anderson
Class of 2012.
 * The Lancer: Among Rick's particular clique.
 * Military Brat

Michael Trent Bowman
Roger and Diane's son. Class of 2012.
 * All Gays Love Theater: Justified, given his upbringing.
 * Dead Big Sister: His older sister Ellie died the same day as Samara's older sister during the same string of horrific accidents surrounding the 2006 musical.

Rosalyn Burns
Kent's childhood friend, the daughter of another rich family. Class of 2008.
 * The Ghost
 * Spoiled Sweet

Richard "Rick" Candler
The de facto leader of his own circle of friends. Class of 2012.
 * The Friend Nobody Likes
 * Handsome Lech
 * Hero of Another Story: Though he has a pretty substantial role in this one. The Hero of his own clique.
 * Heroes Want Redheads: At first, anyway.
 * I Call Him "Mister Happy": Little Richard.
 * Jerkass
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold
 * Ladykiller in Love:
 * Lovable Sex Maniac
 * Kavorka Man: Straddles the fine line between this (due to his repellent personality) and The Casanova.
 * Messy Hair: "An adventurous man needs adventurous hair," as he says to justify it.
 * Pet the Dog
 * Really Gets Around: Eventually.
 * Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist
 * What the Hell, Hero?:
 * Your Cheating Heart:
 * Your Cheating Heart:

Emily Candler
Rick's little sister. Class of 2015.
 * Fan Girl: Of Justin Bieber and Disney Channel KidComs, and not subtle about it.
 * Girl Next Door: For Nathan.
 * Tagalong Kid: Along with Nathan.

Jack Dawson
No, not that one. Class of 2009. "Kent: "Your name is Jack Dawson?" Jack: "I know. I've been getting shit for that for years." Kent: "Doesn't help that you kind of look like Leo DiCaprio."
 * Bishonen
 * Chick Magnet
 * The Movie Buff
 * Unfortunate Names

Jack: "No, it doesn't.""

Joshua "Josh" Goldsworthy
One of Holly's closer friends from outside the main circle; in a band with her, where he plays the guitar and drum and she sings and plays the keyboards. Class of 2009.
 * All Guys Want Cheerleaders: When he was dating Stacey.
 * Big Brother Instinct: With Holly and Mila.
 * Big Brother Mentor
 * Chick Magnet
 * Just Friends: With Holly, despite rumors to the contrary.
 * My Sister Is Off-Limits
 * Sharp-Dressed Man: He's great at this.

Mila Goldsworthy
Josh's little sister. Class of 2012.
 * Annoying Younger Sibling
 * Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The brunette among Rick's love interests.
 * Fan Girl: A Twilight fan, but she thankfully manages to keep some restraint. Ships Jacob/Bella, and hates Breaking Dawn.
 * Shiny Midnight Black

John Gomez-Cavanaugh
A transfer student from Santa Marta, Colombia to the neighborhood in the winter of 2007. Class of 2010.
 * Badass Long Hair
 * Badass Spaniard: Establishes himself as this in his very first appearance in "The Renewal," when he decks Andrew.
 * Expansion Pack Past
 * Gratuitous Spanish: Lampshaded, most notably by Samara, who nicknames him Dora.
 * Latin Lover

Iris Greene
Rick's girlfriend. Class of 2012.
 * Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The redhead among Rick's love interests.
 * The Chick: Among Rick's clique.
 * Cool Big Sis
 * Girl Next Door: Literally, for Rick.
 * Redheaded Hero

Nathan Greene
Iris's little brother. Class of 2015.
 * Tagalong Kid: Along with Emily.
 * Redheaded Hero

Rowan Harvey
Class of 2010.
 * Catch Phrase: "You Bastard."
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Hazel Eyes

Alexander "Alex" Hayes
Would be class of 2013, but high test scores push the date a little earlier.
 * Embarrassing Middle Name:
 * Mr. Fixit
 * The Short Guy with Glasses: Albeit without the glasses.
 * Teen Genius
 * The Smart Guy: Within Rick's clique.
 * The Smart Guy: Within Rick's clique.

Alexis "Lex" Hummel
Class of 2009.
 * Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The beauty of Holly's dance classmate trio.
 * Middle Child Syndrome

Brooke Hummel
Class of 2007. Lex's older sister.
 * Cool Big Sis
 * Everybody Remembers the Stripper: In-universe example: all anyone outside the Hummel family seems to care about is the fact that she works as a stripper in Vegas.

Tyler Hummel
Class of 2012. Brooke and Lex's younger brother.

Cassie Jaeger
Class of 2012.
 * Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The blonde among Rick's first three love interests.
 * Hair of Gold

Scott Kimble
Class of 2010.
 * Break the Cutie
 * The Loins Sleep Tonight
 * Shipper on Deck: Ships Kent/Claire. Part of the reason Jimmy comes to hate him.
 * Shipper on Deck: Ships Kent/Claire. Part of the reason Jimmy comes to hate him.
 * Shipper on Deck: Ships Kent/Claire. Part of the reason Jimmy comes to hate him.
 * Shipper on Deck: Ships Kent/Claire. Part of the reason Jimmy comes to hate him.

Cameron McCarthy
Samara's boyfriend, for about two months in the fall of her sophomore/his senior year. Class of 2008.
 * Am I Just a Toy to You?: His reasoning for breaking up with Samara, after she treats him this way in her quest to be the best.
 * Beard of Sorrow: Grows one after the breakup, despite his antagonism towards Samara.
 * Stout Strength
 * What the Hell, Hero?: After the breakup with Samara, he wants revenge - by means of hijacking the school news feed. This never happens, though, because instead Jimmy comes to him with other ideas, which are again subverted when he chooses to help Cameron get back together with Samara - which turns out to be part of Jimmy's plan to sleep with her, so that doesn't work out either.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: After the breakup with Samara, he wants revenge - by means of hijacking the school news feed. This never happens, though, because instead Jimmy comes to him with other ideas, which are again subverted when he chooses to help Cameron get back together with Samara - which turns out to be part of Jimmy's plan to sleep with her, so that doesn't work out either.

Stacey Milano
Class of 2009.
 * The Alcoholic
 * Bottle Fairy
 * The Cheerleader
 * Life of the Party: The reason Josh broke up with her.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Off the Wagon: She is turned to the drink again after several weeks of sobriety when Jimmy demeans her For the Evulz in "The Charm."

Kristen Quigley
Oriel's "best" friend, and the bassist of their band. Class of 2011.
 * Anything That Moves
 * The Friend Nobody Likes: She and Oriel have known each other since childhood, and Kristen's father, as a musician himself, has a nice in-home studio that's perfect for the band to practice. Really, she didn't become a problem until her first time.
 * Nobody Loves the Bassist
 * Really Gets Around
 * The Vamp

Oriel Richards
Tom's girlfriend, who lives in Long Beach. With him and Kristen, the core of a rock band, for which she is the singer and alternates (with Tom) between guitarist and keyboardist. Class of 2011.
 * Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette
 * Eternally Pearly-White Teeth: Justified, given that her mother is a dental hygenist.
 * Face of the Band: In-universe.
 * The Ghost: For a long while. Makes her first appearance in "The Charm" as Tom's date at the Winter Formal.
 * Little Black Dress: In "The Charm," her introduction, at the winter formal.
 * Long-Distance Relationship: With Tom.

Sloane Rivers
Scott's girlfriend. Class of 2010.
 * Corrupt the Cutie
 * Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: After Jimmy has converted her to his side.
 * Fallen Princess
 * Your Cheating Heart: Cheats on Scott with Jimmy.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Cheats on Scott with Jimmy.
 * Your Cheating Heart: Cheats on Scott with Jimmy.

Melanie Smith
Class of 2010.
 * Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The brawn of Holly's dance classmate trio.
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Hot Amazon
 * Statuesque Stunner
 * Team Chef
 * Team Chef
 * Team Chef

Nicole Sullivan.
No, not that one. Class of 2010.
 * Shipper on Deck: Like Scott, ships Kent/Claire.

Terra Verbinski
Class of 2010.
 * Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: The brains of Holly's dance classmate trio.
 * Brainy Brunette
 * Closet Geek: Secretly a Star Trek fan, until the 2009 film makes it cool to be open about it.
 * Nerds Are Sexy: See above.

Faith Wilson
Jimmy's childhood friend from Lincoln, Nebraska. Class of 2008.
 * All Love Is Unrequited: With Jimmy, until the two of them take the opportunity to fix that.
 * Ethical Slut: Though we never find out exactly what her ethical excuse was.
 * Really Gets Around: Until Jimmy
 * Sex Face Turn: Of a sort: following her encounter with Jimmy, she renounces her promiscuous ways.

Roger Bowman
The high school drama teacher.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Team Dad

Diane Bowman
Roger's wife, and an English teacher at the high school.
 * Embarrassing Maiden Name:.
 * Stage Mom

Robert Fraser
Tom's father, an English professor.
 * Badass Bookworm: Teaches William Shakespeare to college kids, stopped a murderous Stalker with a Crush from harming his family.
 * Papa Wolf

Samuel "Sam" Greene
Iris and Nathan's father, a police officer for the Glendale Police Department.
 * Black Sheep: Married into a family of redheads, where he is the only one with brown hair.
 * Fair Cop
 * Heroes Want Redheads: As mentioned above.

Marcus Gutierrez
Rusty's father.
 * Hot Dad

Sandra Gutierrez
Rusty's mother.
 * Hello, Attorney!
 * Hot Mom
 * Hot Chick in a Badass Suit

Mark Snow
Holly's father, a veterinarian.
 * Australian Accent: Well, yeah.
 * Awesome Aussie
 * My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: A literal case, when, after his daughter is insulted at Thanksgiving dinner by Rod, he takes the discussion outside - and loses.
 * Kindly Vet
 * Land Down Under: Originally from Melbourne.

Roderick "Rod" Thomas
Kent's father, CEO of clothing franchise Roderick & Company.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Dirty Old Man
 * Even Evil Has Standards
 * Hot Dad
 * Jerkass
 * Overprotective Dad: See below.
 * Papa Wolf: Even if his reasoning is misplaced.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Sexist and homophobic.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Sexist and homophobic.
 * Screw the Rules, I Have Money

Gina Thomas
Kent's mother.
 * Blonde Republican Sex Kitten
 * Evil Parents Want Good Kids: She does more than her husband does, anyway.
 * Gold Digger
 * Hot Mom
 * Mama Bear
 * Sexy Secretary: To her own husband. Not a point of pride.

Lisa Zielinski
Claire's mother, a real estate agent.
 * Hot Mom
 * Mama Bear

Walter Zielinski
Claire's father, an astronaut. Lives in Houston, Texas.
 * Badass: He is an astronaut.
 * Disappeared Dad: But gets to see Claire on holidays and some summers when one visits the other.
 * Hot Dad
 * Your Cheating Heart: The reason Lisa divorced him, and still a sore spot for Claire, even if she loves him.