More #1 Dads!

We might have forgotten to mention these dads in our Father's Day episode, but that doesn't mean they aren't important. Have one you think needs to be mentioned, let us know in the comments or send us some feedback!

Richard Castle

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World Famous author, yet very much the doting dad.Rick did not know who his father was until very recently in season 5, and I think this plays a big roll as to why Rick’s as hands on a dad as he is. Rick’s pretty much raised Castle from day one. His wife, and Alexis’s mother really didn’t play too much of a role in Alexis’s life. Even though at times it seems like Alexis is playing the role of the parent. Rick trusts Alexis enough to make her own decisions and treats her as an adult and trusts her judgement even though if it may mean that Alexis is not making what he thinks is the right choice in a situation. He’s proud of how mature she is and at times he’s almost a little worried that she’s not taking the time out to be a kid. He’ll do anything for his daughter. He’ll get Ryan to get his tech friend to get rid of pictures on the internet that may hurt  his daughter’s feelings and do anything to get her back when she’s been captured and taken to another country.

Tenzin (from The Legend of Korra)

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Tenzin is the youngest son of Avatar Aang and Katara and the head of the Air Nomads as The Legend of Korra spinoff series begins. Tenzin is a unique character in that he has a lot to live up to living in his father’s legacy, but he also works to instill a sense of heritage in his own children - Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan. This is especially important in their culture, since they are the last Airbenders left in their world. Also, Tenzin has the added responsibility of being part of the Republic City Council, which is another one of Avatar Aang’s legacies of peace between the Four Nations. In addition to all that, Tenzin is the only person qualified to teach the newest Avatar, Korra, Airbending - which means that he becomes a rather important mentor/father figure in her life. Which, Korra is especially bad at something that requires so much spirituality and introspection (she doesn’t have a problem with the more physical bending areas, like Waterbending, Firebending, and Earthbending). So, you’d think that Tenzin would be really stuffy and all about “Follow The Rules or Else!”

But no - while Tenzin can be really formal and high-brow at times, that doesn’t stop him from showing a more playful and loving side. One of my favorite Tenzin scenes is when he’s gone to stop Korra from participating in a Pro-Bending Tournament (which he sees as a mockery of the ancient arts of bending), but Tenzin gets so involved in watching the match that he starts shouting at the referees for making poor calls against Korra’s team. He even admits that Pro-Bending turned out to be an excellent way for Korra to learn what she needs to know to become the Avatar. Another fantastic Dad-Moment for Tenzin is when his oldest daughter, Jinora, learns to walk in the Spirit World. Walking the Spirit World is a dangerous prospect, but it’s an important skill for a bender of any stripe to accomplish - none moreso than Airbenders, since the Air Nomads are known for their spirituality. Tenzin reluctantly agrees to let Jinora walk the Spirit World to help guide Korra to her final destiny, even in spite of all the dangers that entails (especially the dangers present in the Spirit World at this stage of the story - some pretty bad stuff was happening with the Spirits at that time).

Tenzin is a wonderful character that helps bridge the gap between Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. But more than that, he’s a fantastic example of a man trying to live up to the legacy of his father while also being a good example to his own children and a leader for his city.

Jack Bauer (from 24)

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When you think of Jack Bauer, fatherhood isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes into your mind. But it’s worth noting that Jack’s first Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day came partly because his daughter, Kim, went missing and eventually kidnapped along with his wife, Teri. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Jack’s instinct for saving people stems from his trademark Papa Wolf Mode, especially in the first three seasons. He even got Kim a job at CTU so he could keep an eye on her - which kind of backfired on him when it turned out she was the best candidate for a dangerous undercover operation and Jack was none too pleased about that development. But she stood her ground and insisted that it was her duty as a CTU agent to take on this assignment (Jack, you were a little too good in setting the example for your little girl).

And if you think Jack is tough on bad guys who are threatening people in a general sense - wait until one of those villains threatens his daughter. Nope, scratch that - wait until Kim’s being chased by a killer and she calls Jack while he’s in the middle of a terrorist situation, but he takes the time to instruct his daugher over the phone how to shoot her attacker!

Now, while Jack’s core seems to be all foiling terrorist plots and ferreting out traitors and shooting the bad guys - watch any scene between Jack and Kim and tell me that Jack doesn’t genuinely care about his daughter (or anyone else that Jack’s close to, but since we’re talking dads here…) In fact, what makes Jack Bauer such a great action hero is not just that he can go up against bad guys for 24 hours without stopping for drive-thru - it’s that he truly believes in protecting innocent lives and he knows he’s good at it and he won’t stop until everyone he cares about is safe and sound. It’s not all action for the sake of action - there’s a reason behind what he does. He can certainly be a big softie when the occasion calls for it (my heart totally melted at the beginning of Season 8 when Kim and her husband were visiting and Jack was playing with his granddaughter. Grandpa Jack - yup, had a nice ring to it).

Bottom Line: Don’t mess with Jack Bauer’s family - it may well be the last thing you ever do.

Eddard Stark (from Game of Thrones)

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Now, this is all going from the books, since I (Chrissy) haven’t seen all of the TV show (and probably won’t for reasons I’ll explain later). I adored Ned Stark as a character, mostly from the point of what kind of a husband and father he is. Of all the authority figures in A Game of Thrones, Ned is far and away one of the the best examples of What All Good Men Should Be (which isn’t very hard to do in this series, let’s be honest). From his very first appearance, most everything Ned does is to teach his sons and daughters what honor and goodness is. He teaches his son and heir Robb that punishments should be dealt by the one who gave the sentence. He dotes on his daughters Arya and Sansa and takes them to King’s Landing so they can have the best possible chance in society (that ends up become a not-so-good thing in the end, but we’re trying to focus on positives here). He’s torn about leaving Winterfell after Bran’s run-in with the Lannisters because he fears not being there if the worst should happen. He even shows his love for his bastard son Jon Snow, even though his wife isn’t terribly pleased about Jon’s continued presence in their lives. 

But I think my favorite Ned moment is when Arya is accused of setting her direwolf on Joffrey and it’s basically a “He-Said-She-Said” situation and Ned raises his voice at the king and queen in anger because his daughter was not brought to him straightaway after the incident. Now, Ned’s sense of honor and decency is ultimately his downfall, but even after his death (spoilers…) his children often think on him with respect and reverence. Robb wants to defeat the Lannisters for killing his father. Arya seeks revenge as best she can. Even ladylike Sansa uses her courtesies as a rather ingenious weapon against her enemies. Now, I’m only about halfway through A Storm of Swords, but the consequences of Ned’s death is still felt in the narrative and I imagine it will continue to be so in future books (yes, I know about some of the bigger spoilers from people talking about the TV show, so don’t worry about spoiling me in comments and such - thanks a lot BuzzFeed).