Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Stick season 1, episode 3.Apple TV+‘sStickbriefly mentioned Pryce Cahill’s (Owen Wilson) son, but it didn’t outright explain what happened to the pro-golfer’s child. Owen Wilson leads thecast ofStickas Pryce Cahill, a former golf pro who turns into a coach for the up-and-coming teenager Santi (Peter Dager). As theending ofStickepisode 3revealed, Pryce’s past is full of regrets and darkness. His marriage to Amber-Linn (Judy Greer) fell apart after his golf career did, and he never truly moved on from either tragedy until he met Santi. It sets up a heartwarming story for the show to follow, but it also raises questions about what exactly happened.
Shortly before heading out for the first tournament, Pryce watched some home footage of his marriage to Amber-Linn and his relationship with his son, Jett. He had a clear emotional reaction to the home video, but he didn’t actually say what happened to Jett. Mitts (Marc Maron) and Amber-Linn also both mentioned that coaching Santi wouldn’t heal whatever wound Pryce had about Jett. Unfortunately, it looks like Jett had a tragic fate long beforeStickstarted, but that could also set the Apple TV+ show up to become one ofOwen Wilson’s best shows.
Stick Reveals That Pryce & Amber-Linn’s Son, Jett, Died At A Young Age
Jett Cahill Seems To Have Died At Age 4, Long Before Stick Begins
The first three episodes ofStickseason 1 kind of dance around the question of Jett, but they also imply that he died at a young age. Amber-Linn said that Santi wouldn’t “bring him back” in a clear reference to their son, which indicates that he died.The home video Pryce watched only went up to Jett’s fourth birthday, and while he did pause it prematurely, his teary reaction indicates that it was one of the last videos of his son. Mitts also mentioned that Pryce and Amber-Linn had been separated for seven years by the present day, and they likely didn’t get divorced until Jett’s death.
Stick Hints That Jett’s Death Influenced His “Breakdown” At Sawgrass In 2009
Jett’s Death Likely Happened Right Before Sawgrass & The Grief Was Too Much For Pryce To Bear
As with the death of any child, Jett Cahill’s death had a huge effect on Pryce. It likely led to his and Amber-Linn’s divorce in some capacity, and it may have also ended his golf career.Stickimplies that Jett’s death had something to do with the breakdown Pryce had at the Sawgrass tournament in 2009. As Mitts mentioned during their hustle, Pryce threw a tantrum and ended up punching his playing partner, Clark Ross (Timothy Olyphant), in the face. The timeline also works, given how the footage of Jett’s childhood seemed to be filmed on an early 2000s-era camera.
Pryce’s breakdown at the Sawgrass tournament effectively ended his golf career, and he clearly loved being a professional golfer with all his heart.It would have taken an extraordinary amount of stress and pressure to get Pryce to have such an explosive emotional outburst, and Jett’s death is exactly the right type of stress to cause it. Pryce was probably struggling to deal with the grief of Jett’s death, and shanking his shot into the lake was likely the straw that broke the camel’s back. Ross may have even said something to Pryce, which would explain their fight.
Santi Is Essentially Becoming Pryce’s Surrogate Son In Stick
Stick Is Clearly Leaning Into The Found Family Trope With Santi & Pryce
Stickhas clearly set up some unresolved trauma that Pryce is failing to deal with in regard to Jett’s death, but it has also set up a way for him to work through it. We already know that Santi stopped playing golf after his father walked out on his life, so Santi has his own father issues to deal with.Stickis clearly setting up a situation where Santi and Pryce help each other heal from each other’s old relationship wounds. Pryce has a chance to be a mentor and a father figure again, while Santi has another chance to have a positive male role model in his life.
Déjà vu All Over Again
July 23
Stickhas also been described as a story about a found family. Pryce, Santi, Elena, and Mitts are already making strides in learning to live with and love one another, and they all have their own baggage to work through.Elena can learn to not be so protective of Santi, Mitts can learn to continue his life after his wife’s death, Pryce can get a chance to be a father again, and Santi can get a chance to have a father again. Amber-Linn is right, Santi won’t bring Jett back inStick, but he can help Pryce move on from his son’s death.
