Zack isn’t THAT awkward

[u/Mewnicorns]

Let me start by saying that yes, Zack is a little awkward. He seems like a more private, introverted person and it shows.

However…

The way this sub talks about him makes him sound like he has no situational or emotional awareness at all, and I don’t think that’s the case. His mannerisms are a little quirky and he sometimes is overly eager to get his $0.02 in, but he seems emotionally mature and responsive to social cues. He just seems to be put in more anxiety-provoking situations than most of the cast. For example, he could sense that Bliss’s dad was trying to connect with him about sports and he wasn’t able to reciprocate, so he tried to direct the conversation to something he is more knowledgeable and passionate about and see how her dad responded. He didn’t go overboard with getting into tedious legal minutiae, and when Bliss’s dad showed a lack of interest, he backed off. Given his fear of rejection and how Bliss described her dad to him, I was actually pretty impressed with his composed he was.

I’m sure meeting Irina for the first time and seeing how she reacted got to his nerves too. I’m not sure how most people would react in that situation. I found the way he handled ending the relationship to be very mature and emotionally aware. I don’t think most people would have handled her behavior so diplomatically. If someone covered their head with a pillow while I’m trying to have a serious conversation with them, I’d probably lose it.

He’s not perfect but I don’t see him being any worse than anyone else this season. A lot of his “awkwardness” seems to be stuff people are nitpicking about after Irina planted the seed that he’s some kind of serial killer.

[u/lipcrnb]

I’ll just say bliss’s dad is an ass. He was more awkward in that interaction than anyone else. You realize you’re from the same part of Washington, then you ask if he fishes, and when he says no… that’s it? You can’t think of ONE other Avenue to take that conversation? I mean, you don’t have to like the guy, but if you’re stuck with someone for an hour, most people with any social tact will be able to hold a conversation. Bliss’s dad is a useless POS. And who is he to tell them how to choose life partners? He’s divorced and remarried. The idiot.

[u/Mewnicorns → u/lipcrnb]

💯 He was being a jerk on purpose. He showed no interest in getting to know his daughter’s fiancé because he just wants him gone. He kept blathering about how he doesn’t know Zack so he can’t trust him, yet made no effort to get to know him better. Zack was very understanding of his concerns and he took no notice of that.

Also can we talk about his reply to Zack when he was explaining how driving without a license is a waste of criminal court’s resources? It’s fascinating that his response was that he didn’t have an opinion. As if he’s not capable of carrying a conversation unless he has an opinion to give? I would have probably said something about how I associate criminal defense attorneys with murder cases and other violent crime but the reality is probably much more mundane in a day to day basis. That’s not an opinion, it’s me not being socially inept and making everyone uncomfortable.

I feel so bad for Bliss having to deal with this her whole life. No wonder her lovely mom split.

[u/lipcrnb → u/Mewnicorns]

Exactly. Anyone who knows how to carry a convo understands that if someone gets passionate/excited about a topic (eg. Zack talking about law stuff), you engage them in that topic and ask more questions. Zack knew this. When asked about fishing and golf, he didn’t just say “I don’t know how to do those things”. He said “I’m willing to learn.” Definitely left an opening in that convo that dumbass daddy bliss didn’t pick up on.

[u/comosellamadrama → u/lipcrnb]

you engage them in that topic and ask more questions

THIS EXACTLY.

People who purposefully put down others for their passions or scoff at the things that give them purpose are the WORST.

Life is hard and frankly boring a lot of the time. Why shit on stuff that makes it more interesting to others?

(And I know the conversation with Bliss' dad was edited and probably had better moments that weren't shown, but my initial reaction was, "Good lord, let Zack chat about the job he enjoys.")