‘Rescue: HI-Surf’ Boss Reveals If [Spoiler] Will Return in Season 2

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 finale “Em.”]

A minimum of one character is saying goodbye to the North Shore by the top of Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1.

Em (Arielle Kebbel) is obtainable a candy job working for a social media platform, and when she suggests Will (Adam Demos) be a part of her, he turns her down — as a result of he’s heading dwelling to Australia for a bit. Different developments: Sonny (Robbie Magasiva) forces Vince (Moronai Kanekoa) to resign upon studying he’s been dealing medicine out of the tower and Laka (Kekoa Kekumano) is promoted to lieutenant. Beneath, creator Matt Kester breaks down the finale and teases what we may see in a second season (the present has but to be renewed).

When do you know you wished the primary season to finish with Will leaving? Why that ending for the finale?

Matt Kester: We introduced Em and Will on this wonderful journey. Once we begin out, they’re not estranged from one another, however they work collectively. They’re exes. There’s that sort of oddness. She nonetheless clearly has emotions for him, however he’s seemingly moved on, and we arrange early on that Will’s companion, Julie, was not the suitable individual for him, that he and Em nonetheless had these emotions collectively, and so they’re each dancing round it, after which we see them do one thing [their affair] that appears considerably inexplicable and slightly bit reckless and sort of hurtful, you’re like, “What are you guys doing? That is horrible. What are you pondering?” Then we take them to a spot the place we perceive slightly bit about who they’re as folks and possibly why that explains slightly little bit of that conduct.

We didn’t need to fully put them collectively on the finish as a result of we felt that was too neat of a package deal. We wished to permit them to stew in what they’ve achieved. We felt that Will particularly had a little bit of a comeuppance. He wanted to be punished for his dangerous conduct. However there’s nonetheless this particular love and affection between them that we are able to play in hopefully a Season 2. We’ve bought some nice plans, hopefully, upcoming to what’s going to occur with that romantic relationship. However we did need to go away it in a spot the place the viewers completely understood how a lot in love that they had been and dedicated to one another, however didn’t essentially get that “okay, now they’re going to be collectively” [ending] as a result of hopefully we’ve a protracted present and we get to discover this relationship from a bunch of various angles.

It looks like Will must determine issues out on his personal. It’s not sufficient to get away on this non permanent job with Em. They shouldn’t be going off collectively proper now.

Completely. And he will get that. He understands that’s what it’s. She’s extra like, “Oh, I lastly have my man. I lastly have what I need. Lastly, we’re again collectively.” The place she’s had this cathartic expertise along with her mother, she’s figured some issues out, he hasn’t had an opportunity to do this but. He wants a while to go away and get his head proper, and that’s what we had been attempting to arrange, that he’s ready to do this. The hope is that he comes again and they are often collectively. We’ll see what we are able to do about that in Season 2.

So he’ll positively be again in Season 2?

Yeah, so far as — I really like me some Adam Demos. I hope the viewers does, too. He’s unbelievable. He’s a extremely good actor. We love working with him. Yeah, we’ll positively be having Adam again.

What wouldn’t it take for them to make a relationship work at this level?

There must be a really sturdy dedication to 1 one other. The rationale that they broke up and that their relationship didn’t work — and we get hints of it — [is] neither of them had been fairly prepared. There have been quite a lot of arguments. Typically it’s robust to reside with someone all day lengthy after which sit in a tower with all of them day lengthy; there’s nearly an excessive amount of closeness there. It might be best sufficient to get their relationship going if certainly one of them didn’t work as a lifeguard, and that’s not going to occur. So we’re going to have to determine, what’s the particular sauce that makes this relationship that they clearly each need, that they clearly each would like to work, how’s that going to occur for them? What’s going to be the factor that forces them collectively and forces them and everybody else to say, “Okay, it is a couple, it is a partnership, and so they could make this work collectively each professionally and personally”?

Is Em taking that job alone?

Yeah. It’s an unbelievable alternative for her that’s like, “Oh, wow, I can really make some cash.” It’s a really actual factor that lifeguards are priced out of the housing market in Hawai’i. We reside in some of the costly housing markets within the nation, and we’ve these unbelievable first responders who hold us secure on the seaside, and most of them don’t make sufficient cash to purchase the median revenue dwelling on Oahu even at an important stage of their profession. I believe she’s going to do it and can have the ability to come again in a spot the place she’s feeling slightly bit remodeled, slightly bit empowered, and he or she’s had a while and a break from Will and time to settle herself slightly bit that I believe will put her in a brand new head house when she’s serious about her relationship with Will.

I believe these two wanted a break. They’ve been circling one another and so they’ve bought collectively after which they fought and so they’ve gone backwards and forwards and Will’s sort of gone down this darkish path, practically misplaced his job, and so they want a while aside to acknowledge and understand what they love about one another and do they actually need to make this work?

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It feels just like the others sort of want a break from that as effectively.

Yeah. They’re like, “Go get your factor achieved.”

Now we have Kainalu [Alex Aiono] and Hina, too. That’s been an unbelievable journey. They began off as rivals, then they actually didn’t like one another, after which they ended up shifting in collectively. She confesses her love and will get sort of rejected. One of many issues I really like a lot concerning the season finale is you get to see these rookies, in any case that they’ve gone collectively personally and professionally, main a rescue — from after they first begin within the tower and so they know nothing and so they’re simply sort of like, “Oh my gosh, what is that this job?” and so they’re being skilled by the extra senior lifeguards, by Laka, Will, and Em, and so they’re sort of seeing all of it, and now we get to a spot the place, 19 episodes later, they’re operating level on a extremely sort of harrowing rescue that takes them method offshore, and so they succeed.

They’re each actually good lifeguards, and so they each actually work collectively effectively. So all of the playing cards are out on the desk. They understand that they each have emotions for one another and so the place’s that going to go? However I believe essentially the most satisfying journey for me was seeing our characters go from actually graduating within the academy to being full-fledged lifeguards on the North Shore and being assured of their talents to save lots of lives.

Talking of them, I really feel like when it’s clear to your girlfriend that your consideration is elsewhere, the times are numbered in your relationship. So is that relationship going to be over by the point Season 2 picks up?

I believe it’s a type of conditions the place we are able to play that slightly bit longer. I believe Rosie [Taylor Cooper] has actual emotions for Kainalu, and he has actual emotions for her. He’s like, “I take pleasure in this relationship. That is one thing that feels good, that feels wholesome,” though generally the connection that feels the most effective to us will not be the most effective factor for us. I believe that she’ll stick round for slightly bit longer as a result of she likes him and desires it to work, and Kainalu has discovered someone in Rosie that he looks like, “Oh, she accepts me for precisely who I’m and I don’t need to attempt to be another person.” However yeah, there’s no method she will be able to’t see that take a look at the celebration and understand that that’s what’s occurring.

What made Laka’s journey to lieutenant the suitable one for him? He needs the duty now.

All of us come to that place in our life. Once we discover Laka, he’s simply having an excellent time, and he’s a lifeguard who’s having fun with his job greater than everybody. He loves saving lives, however he loves assembly ladies, he loves going out, he loves simply sort of partying and having an excellent time. And we see the dangerous facet of that — what occurs to him when he will get robbed by the women on the bar, we’ve seen it value him a relationship that he was into with Jenn [Sea Shimooka], our EMS. Then I believe he’s gone to a spot the place he’s like, “Okay, I’m rising up. I’m getting older. I’ve been given duty over these younger recruits and achieved some coaching there. I’ve seen them develop.” The journey of Laka from playboy lifeguard having an excellent time to, “Okay, I have to get critical and save lives,” I believe is the sort of skilled journey that we wish to see for somebody like him.

However he’s by no means going to be our straight, critical character. That’s not in his nature. He likes to have enjoyable, he likes to take pleasure in himself. I don’t assume it’s going anyplace, however the concept that he takes on some extra duties at work — a part of it’s that Sonny noticed in Laka a continuation of his legacy. And I wish to assume although we’ve solely hinted at it on display screen, that each one of those lifeguards, Sonny had his sort of younger and wild [time] and he’s doing all these things and he sees like, “Hey, man, that’s all bought to finish someday. Sooner or later in time, it’s a must to put away these infantile issues and it’s a must to grow to be a person and it’s a must to work out what that is and what this job is.”

Zach Dugan / FOX

Actually, Em’s achieved it, proper? She is a pure chief and he or she’s taken that management function, and he or she’s upset at Laka for not doing it to start with of the season. And so to see him say, “Okay, I’m going to tackle this mantle of management as a result of Sonny sees this in me,” I believe there’s additionally one thing when you will have someone, a mentor, you look as much as, and that individual tells you the tough reality of, you’re not residing as much as your full potential, it’s one thing that sticks with you. And I’ve loved seeing him reside as much as that potential when he has to and grow to be the lifeguard that he is aware of he will be.

Vince did signal that letter of resignation, however it additionally looks like that storyline might not be fully over, whether or not it instantly entails Vince or what Sonny did to make that occur. Is that one thing that Sonny must be nervous about?

What we see in that’s this trace that Sonny needed to name in a favor from an unsavory character, someone that he knew from his previous. It will get to this factor of all people on the North Shore is aware of each other, and there’s all these connections that we’ve and we by no means actually can sort of escape our previous as a result of, I do know you from 25 years in the past, and although that is who you at the moment are, I keep in mind who you had been earlier than. Sonny has to dip his toe again into that world to eliminate Vince and to maintain it so there’s not some huge scandal and so it retains the identify of the Division of Ocean Security and the lifeguards in good stead. I believe there’ll positively need to be some sort of, not comeuppance for him, however that’s going to come back again. He referred to as in a favor to someone that you just don’t need to owe one thing to. And in order that’ll be one thing that in Season 2 probably comes again to chew him not directly.

How are you feeling concerning the possibilities of a second season?

I really feel good. I’m at all times optimistic, and we’ve a ton extra tales to inform. I believe persons are discovering the present. I’m actually heartened {that a} ton of individuals watch the present with their household. That makes me actually joyful. That was certainly one of my targets, that individuals can watch the present and revel in it as an grownup, they will take pleasure in it with their 10-year-old, with their 6-year-old, with their teenager, and there’s sort of one thing for everyone. There’s not quite a lot of programming like that. And I actually really feel grateful to Fox, Hulu, [and] Warner Brothers for permitting us to create that sort of present. I believe persons are nonetheless discovering it and the individuals who do discover it find it irresistible. So hopefully we’ll get an opportunity to maintain occurring it.

What are you able to tease about what we may see in a second season?

I believe within the second season of any tv present, you’re going to introduce some new characters. I don’t need to tease an excessive amount of as a result of I don’t need to spoil the dynamic that we’re going to see essentially in our North Shore rescue staff, however I believe we are able to look ahead to some new characters in Season 2 that won’t solely spherical out the dynamic that we’ve however complicate it in a method that’s fascinating and provides some challenges for our characters.

Would these new characters be fully new to the present characters or simply new to the viewers?

Each. I believe these characters might be fully new to our present characters. We need to introduce someone that they don’t know, that they need to cope with who enters our world in a method that we discover fascinating. Simply throwing a wrench within the dynamic as one usually finds in a office  — Rescue: HI-Surf is a office drama. I believe any good office drama can also be a household drama as a result of if you work collectively in such a high-stakes job with folks, you get shut, they grow to be your loved ones.

And once I was pitching this, and naturally I’m pitching this with John Wells, I used to be like, “Hey, if you watch ER, the entry level into the present is someone walks by the doorways of the ER, someone walks as much as the entrance desk and says, ‘I’m harm. I’ve this, I’ve this, I’ve this.’” The place in our present, the entry level is that tower. Folks cross that seaside and so they stroll as much as that tower and also you see precisely, okay, that is what’s going to occur right here. And so that can proceed to be that sort of dynamic. Oahu’s the gathering place and there’s individuals who come from all around the world, throughout the seaside, whether or not they’re the best surfers on earth or someone who’s by no means seen the ocean earlier than. The lifeguards need to cope with all of it, so we’ll proceed to see them doing that.

With the small neighborhood, there could possibly be somebody coming in who’s new to the viewers however has a robust relationship with one of many characters, after which to see that individual slot in could possibly be actually fascinating….

Yep, completely. And the wonderful thing about doing it in a small city like that’s there’s a ton of characters. There’s a ton of those that our lifeguards know, however the viewers hasn’t met. After which additionally when someone enters into that small city world like that, you get to look at how they match into all of it. It’s a enjoyable dynamic to discover.