Amazon Prime’s The Runarounds is about a young rock band from Wilmington, North Carolina, trying to make it big in the mainstream music industry. Most people around them thought the band was aiming for the impossible. They were told that one day they would regret wasting the most crucial time in their lives chasing an unattainable dream. But nothing really demotivated Charlie Cooper. His enthusiasm was unmatched, and he always believed that one day he and the boys would prove everyone wrong. He knew they were extremely talented, and the positive reaction of the crowd at every gig made him feel that they were getting closer to their dream. Before summer came to an end and his friends left for college or got busy making a living, he hoped that they would be noticed by a record label. So, did Charlie and the boys’ dream come true? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Why did Bez decline Danny Mace’s offer?
Danny Mace had watched The Runarounds perform at a wedding. The only reason the band had agreed to play at the event was because of Mace; she was one of the most prominent music label owners, and they hoped to impress her. But their performance got a little messed up because of Wyatt. He was nervous about going on stage and ended up accepting drugs from a stranger to calm himself. While they thought their overall performance wasn’t all that bad, it was not good enough to blow Danny’s mind. After the event, when Bez walked up to her to discuss the band, she responded that she thought he was the most talented member of the group and she had plans for him. Danny later contacted Bez and asked him to audition for Lost Teen. Since their drummer was in rehab, they were on the lookout for a replacement, and she’d suggested Bez. While the opportunity was tempting, Bez wondered if it was worth abandoning his friends. He enjoyed their company, and they’d become an integral part of his life. He decided to discuss the opportunity with his father, who was also a musician. He advised his son to prioritize himself before the rest of the band. He believed one had to be selfish to become a success in the music industry. Bez followed his father’s advice and traveled to Atlanta for the audition. The band members were impressed by him, and Danny later informed him that they were ready to have him in their band. But when Bez returned home, he changed his mind.
Bez’s mother was diabetic and since she didn’t get the time to have lunch during work, by the time she returned home, she fell sick. She didn’t remember where Bez was, so she ended up calling Wyatt, asking his whereabouts. Wyatt thought Bez had gone to Atlanta to meet his grandmother, but clearly something was not adding up. The boys ended up going to Bez’s house, and they realized that his mother’s speech had become incoherent. They figured it was her diabetes, and she needed to be fed. The boys brought her food and made sure that she was feeling alright. They also discovered that there was leakage in the washroom, and they tried to fix the place up. When Bez returned home, he saw his friends tidying up his place. He was thankful to them for looking after his mother while he was gone. Bez realized that he couldn’t afford to lose the friends he’d made, and that he would rather bet everything on the band than regret abandoning his friends. Bez declined the offer, and Danny Mace was extremely disappointed.
Did Wyatt’s mother abandon him?
Wyatt shared a complex relationship with his mother. She was an addict, and she struggled to pay her bills or hold down a job. Immediately after Wyatt graduated from high school, she’d asked him to get a job. She expected him to pay for his room and board, and while Wyatt managed to get a job at the local record store and promised to pay her, it still wasn’t enough for her. She couldn’t afford to bear any cost for her son, so one day she threw his belongings out into the front yard and asked him to leave. Catesby allowed Wyatt to move into the storage unit at his shop. And soon it was converted into a practice space as well for The Runarounds. Wyatt was embarrassed when he discovered that his mother’s dealer, Spider, had ended up stealing all their equipment because his mother couldn’t pay him back. After facing a lot of hurdles, they managed to get back their equipment, but Wyatt lost all his respect for his mother that day. During The Runarounds’ ending, when Wyatt went home to get his bike, he found out that his mother had moved out. He didn’t know where she’d gone, and she never cared to inform him. Perhaps she too had realized that she’d failed him. The fact that Wyatt chose not to get any information from the landlord suggests that he was ready to cut all ties with his mother. She was the reason behind his messy childhood, and he was done trying to help her.
What led to the conflict between the band members?
When Charlie discovered that Catesby was his birthfather, and not Finn, he lost his cool. All his life his parents kept it a secret from him, and he felt extremely betrayed. His mother tried to explain that at the time Catesby was obsessed with building his musical career, and she knew he wasn’t capable of providing for her or her unborn child. She couldn’t risk her child’s future by being with someone who would never make her his priority. When Charlie confronted Catesby, he too tried to help the young man understand why his mother took the decision. He believed she did so out of love and a desire to protect her son. She chose a safe, comfortable future over a life of uncertainty. After everything he’d been through, Catesby had learned that one should always choose love. He’d failed to do so, and now even if he wanted to, he couldn’t get back with Hannah. Charlie suddenly remembered that he was supposed to drive Sophia to Chapel Hill, and he’d completely forgotten about it after he found his birth certificate. He tried contacting her, but she was already hurt and extremely disappointed in him, and she didn’t ring him back.
The next day, during The Runarounds’ performance at Chapel Hill, when Sophia showed up, Charlie dedicated a song to her. She got emotional and left the venue early, but to Sophia’s surprise, Charlie left his performance in the middle and followed her to make sure that she was alright. Sophia made it clear that she didn’t want someone in her life who would disappear one day and dedicate a song to her the next evening. After living with her alcoholic father, all she ever wanted was for someone to make her his priority and to always be with her. But when Charlie explained the reason why he’d failed to show up the previous day, Sophia sympathized with him. She asked him to go back on stage, but before he left, he confessed that he was in love with her. Sophia responded that she too was head over heels in love with him. Charlie made it back on stage and performed the rest of their songs. They’d assumed that the head of Galaxy Record Label would offer them a contract after watching them perform and win the hearts of their audience. But as it turned out, they were not all that impressed, and that was primarily because of Charlie’s spontaneous decision to run off stage to talk to his girlfriend. This was not the first time that the band had to pay for a stunt Charlie pulled. But this time, Neil, Tropher, Bez, and Wyatt didn’t stay quiet; they broke down in tears, and they blamed Charlie for ruining their only chance as a band to make it big.
Did the band sign a record deal?
The band members had come to accept that it was over for them and they had to go back to their lives as usual. The Runarounds was their dream project, but unfortunately it didn’t pan out quite like they’d hoped for. Blender, the amateur documentary filmmaker who had been filming the boys, released her film and hosted a screening. The band members got together; they were glad that they took a leap of faith, because the memories they made in the process made it worth their while. But The Runarounds’ ending has a surprise: Danny Mace showed up at the screening. Izzy, who previously worked with Galaxy Record Label, had been closely following the band’s journey, and she was convinced that they would make it big. When Galaxy failed to recognize their talent, she approached Danny, and she encouraged her to reconsider her decision. Danny knew that the boys were extremely talented, and they deserved a chance even though she held a grudge against Bez, who rejected her offer. Danny Mace ultimately offered the boys a record deal. They also made sure that Sophia was added as the official songwriter of the band, and Danny respected their demand. The Runarounds ends on a happy note, with the young rock band from Wilmington finally making it big!
‘The Runarounds’ Is an actual band
The Runarounds is a real-life band, and the actual members of the band are playing fictitious characters on the Amazon Prime show. In short, the show isn’t based on a true story, even though the show is titled after a real band. The Runarounds were also featured in Netflix’s super-hit teen drama show, Outer Banks. The members of the band are Axel Ellis, Jeremy Yun, William Lipton, Jesse Golliher and Zendé Murdock. The band was formed in 2021, after Jonas Pete, the co-creator of the show, had issued a casting call to feature a group in Outer Banks. Pete started writing The Runarounds during that time, and the pilot was filmed in 2022. While the story is fictitious, the people playing the roles are actual musicians, and according to The Runarounds’ official website, they’ll begin touring across the United States from the 13th of September. So, if you’ve enjoyed their music on the show, then you might have a chance to watch them perform live. Hopefully, the show will help the band get the recognition they deserve.
