Talk:Alex Shepherd (Innocent)/@comment-2227733-20120803095316/@comment-95561-20121001101512

I don't think it's a contradiction, really. Everything it shows indicates a loving older brother but an older brother nonetheless. Older siblings are very often known to tease younger siblings, and some even may feel obligated to do so, as if it's their "duty" of sorts (like I did).

I think the not letting go of the ring, which would be the primary source of thinking he was being out of character as I see it, is more him being afraid of letting go and making his brother fall off the boat. I've been in similar situations when I was a child where two people are pulling on something and neither side stops pulling because they don't want either to fall, as opposed to actually trying to wrest the object from the person, they're afraid that letting go could lead to accidentally harming the other. It's sort of similar to the old "seesaw syndrome" as I called it, where two people will be seesawing, but at the end both parties are too nervous about getting off first OR last because either they may hurt the other person or get hurt themselves (unless the person happens to be a jerk of course, in which case they get off as quick as possible when they're closest to the ground).

The video definitely shows that he's cares for his brother, and his taking Josh onto the lake is probably intended as a good brother-brother bonding experience, doing something that their parents don't want them to do. He is likely jealous over the ring, however.

It's also quite possible that his helping other people throughout Homecoming is a subconscious overcompensation for how he failed Josh — he couldn't help Josh and so he subconsciously needs to help others in order to try and make it right.

Either way, I feel that the fact that the teasing during the lake incident happens makes him more human in personality, more complex than a one-sided character.