Characters / Seasons of Love

For convenience, students (i.e., the majority of the cast) are listed with their graduation year.

Main Characters

Kent Thomas

Class of 2010.

• All Guys Want Cheerleaders: When Jessie enters the picture.

• Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Claire, until they get to know each other better and it stops.

• Geek Physiques: Tall and skinny, and his lack of muscle compared to his father is frequently noted.

• I Can't Dance: In "The Dance," he explains that he's perfectly okay with slow dancing, but when it comes to carefree, "loose" dancing, he's way out his element.

• Nature Lover: Birding is one of his primary hobbies.
• Rule-Abiding Rebel: In-universe: following the rules is his rebellion, against his corrupt parents.
• Secretly Wealthy: He tries to hide this from Holly so she'll like him as a person, until Claire finds out (leading to bad results for her relationship with Jimmy) and Kent decides it's better to just not worry about it anymore.
• Sixth Ranger: A late addition (fall 2006, when he met Tom) to Rick's clique.

Holly Snow

Half-Australian (from her father's side), half-American (from her estranged mother's). Class of 2010.

• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Dates Milo for a short time despite being generally immune to his charms, but this was due mainly to sour relations between herself, John and Kent at the time, and Milo was well aware of this fact.
• Berserk Button: Don't mention her mother. Just don't.

• Meaningful Name: Quite possibly the most Christmas-y name ever, appropriate for a girl born two days after. Lampshaded, of course.
• Missing Mom: Who went back to her hometown of San Diego after the divorce. Until The Bus Came Back.

• Smitten Teenage Girl: In "The Crush," this is how she is when she first notices Kent.
• Daughter Of A Whore: Though Pam wasn't a prostitute (just an unfaithful wife), this is just the same a Berserk Button for Holly, and the quickest way to insult her is to make a comparison between them.

• What Beautiful Eyes!: Kent compares her eyes to those of Alexis Bledel, his celebrity crush, and subsequently the rest of her body before the comparison starts getting old and becomes a point of annoyance among them.
  "It's getting old. We can stop mentioning who I look like now."

Claire Zielinski

Holly's best friend, also from a broken home. Class of 2010.

• Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Rusty, and then later with Kent and especially Milo.

• Disappeared Dad: Though he still sees her during the holidays and some summers.
• Everything is Big in Texas: Originally born in Houston before her parents divorced and she moved to L.A. with her mother. Insulting the state is one of her Berserk Buttons.
• Leg Focus: Jimmy says "she's got legs" in "The Cross," but this was mainly an attempt to get on her good side by making a ZZ Top reference.
• Love Martyr: Becomes one as her relationship with Jimmy slowly disintegrates.

• Secret-Keeper: Briefly in "The Twist." When told she can only reveal Kent's secret to one other person, she tells Jimmy, not Rusty as Kent had been hoping, and the rest is history.
  • Later on, becomes one for Milo when she steals his phone and discovers he is bisuxual after talking to some of the many one-night stands whose numbers he's retained. This time, it stays a secret.

Russell "Rusty" Guitierrez

Holly and Claire's friend. Class of 2010.

• Beard of Sorrow: Grows one after being suspended from school for fighting with Jimmy at the winter formal, when he's already depressed from Claire kicking him out of the group for being too jealous of her relationship with him. He nicknames it Harry.

• Parental Obliviousness: Remarkably unaware that he's a drug dealer.

• Unlucky Childhood Friend: In love with Claire since they first met in kindergarten.

Thomas "Tom" Fraser

Kent's best friend before he met Holly. In a relationship with Oriel Richards, and in a band with her and Kristen, in which he alternates (with Oriel) between guitarist and keyboardist. The oldest of the original circle led by Rick, and the one who introduced Kent to them. Class of 2011.

• Beware the Nice Ones: If you mention his deceased mother in the wrong light, prepare for a unnerving change in Tom's behavior.

• Long-Distance Relationship: His girlfriend lives an hour away in Long Beach.
• Missing Mom: She was killed by a Stalker with a Crush from her high school days when Tom was three.

Samara Pearse

Class of 2010.

• Berserk Button: If you insinuate anything bad about her dead sister or any of the rest of her family, she will make you regret it. Also, Aerosmith.

• Drowning My Sorrows: Cuts school to get drunk on the anniversary of her late sister Hannah's birthday. Jimmy is quick to take advantage of this.

• Hey, You!: With few exceptions, refers to everyone by a nickname, a la Dr. Cox. (Kent = Bruce Wayne/Batman, Holly = Ozzie, Claire = Tex, Rusty = Cheech, Tom = Lucky, etc.)

• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: In "The Cross," after Cameron breaks up with her, except that by "good" she means "perfect," and thus her search is doomed to fail.

Other Students

James "Jimmy" Allen

Claire's boyfriend at the beginning of the series, and later Sloane's until the end. Class of 2010.

• Batman Gambit: Pretending to be The Matchmaker in order to manipulate his way into Samara and then Sloane's pants.
• Believing Their Own Lies: Eventually his mere suspicions turn into full-fledged delusions that Kent and Claire actually hooked up.

• Crazy Jealous Guy: Believes Claire to be in love with Kent. Not that he doesn't have any evidence.

• Face–Heel Turn: Can be pinpointed to "The Twist," when his jealousy of Claire and Kent combined with her unwisely telling him Kent's secret makes him pull a Scarpia Ultimatum to end the couple's longstanding celibacy, lest he tell everyone what Kent doesn't want them to know.
• For the Evulz: Usually everything fits into his grand plans somehow, but occasionally he'll do this; for example, making Stacey go Off the Wagon in "The Charm."

• The Loins Sleep Tonight: In a bit of karmic irony, his drug addiction begins causing this problem, and Sloane leaves Jimmy for the same reason she left Scott.

• The Matchmaker: Subverted, when he uses this guise to sleep with Samara and then Sloane after claiming to help the former get back together with Cameron and to improve the latter's relationship with Scott.

• The Resenter: Hates Kent for supposedly stealing Claire's affections from him.

Milo Barnes

A transfer student from Jacksonville, Florida who moves to the neighborhood in the fall of 2008. Was supposed to be class of 2009, except he fails to pass most of his classes and has to repeat his senior year and graduate with the class of 2010.

• The Friend Nobody Likes: Nobody really enjoys hearing his countless sex stories, but they tolerate him anyway.

• The Hedonist: It's this lifestyle - and the frequent absences from and poor performance in school it causes - that forces him to be held back a year.
• Likes Older Women: They aren't his only targets, but he particularly enjoys seducing women older than himself. For instance, on his first misadventure with Rusty, they skip school and head to Cal-State LA so Milo can have sex with college girls. It helps that he looks a few years older than he really is.
• Military Brat: His father worked for the Navy.

• Nephewism: His mother had already been dead for years when his father died in an accident, requiring him to move in with his Aunt Susan.
• Phrase Catcher: "Damn it, Milo!" Usually when he sleeps with a girl that other people think he shouldn't (or couldn't) have.]]

• Third-Option Love Interest: For Holly, when relations between herself, John and Kent turn sour. It doesn't last.

• Would Hit a Girl: He's rather horrified to discover this about himself when Holly refuses to have sex with him.

Rosalyn Burns

Kent's childhood friend, the daughter of another rich family. Class of 2008.

• The Ghost: After much talk, she finally makes her first appearance in "The Counselor," in which she enlists Kent to accompany her at a school dance.

Richard "Rick" Candler

The de facto leader of his own circle of friends. Class of 2012.

• Hero of Another Story: Benefits, which starts several years later, in which he and Kristen get married.

• Lady Killer In Love: When he meets Veronica, largely due to her being the only one to tolerate him at the time.

• What the Hell, Hero?: When Mike violates The Bro Code by dating Iris sometime after her breakup with Rick, Rick decides to respond in kind by seducing Mike's ex-girlfriend Cassie and sending him the video of the act. Needless to say, Rick is severely punished for this and ousted by all his friends. However, not long after he's beat the odds and found a new friend, Rick becomes the victim of another seduction of sorts by Jimmy and things start to go even further downhill... .

Emily Candler

Rick's little sister. Class of 2015.

• Fangirl: Of Justin Bieber and Disney Channel KidComs, and not subtle about it.

Joshua "Josh" Goldsworthy

One of Holly's closer friends from outside the main circle; in a band with her, where he plays the guitar and drum and she sings and plays the keyboards. Class of 2009.

• Agent Scully: Unlike his sister, believes in mundane explanations for things.

• Put on a Bus: Upon graduation, leaves for UC Santa Cruz with Vanessa.

Mila Goldsworthy

Josh's little sister. Class of 2012.

• Agent Mulder: Unlike her brother, is quick to believe in fantastic explanations for things. Cites the Haunted House next door (which has never had any long-term owners) as evidence.

• Fangirl: A Twilight fan, but she thankfully manages to keep some restraint. Ships Jacob/Bella, and hates Breaking Dawn.

John Gomez-Cavanaugh

A transfer student from Santa Marta, Colombia to the neighborhood in the winter of 2007. Class of 2010.

• Gratuitous Spanish: Lampshaded, most notably by Samara, who nicknames him Dora.

Shane Gray

Lex's boyfriend for much of 2008. Class of 2009.

• Put on a Bus: First to college. Then to prison.

Skylar Hansen

Jimmy's best friend. Class of 2010.

• False Confession: After finding out that it was John who sent the anonymous tip to the police about Jimmy's (possible) involvement in Cameron's murder, Skylar takes the heat for an unknowing John and tells Jimmy (despite having earlier denied it) that it was he who tipped them off. Jimmy seems to take it rather well, but it turns out he's just biding his time (see below).

Alexis "Lex" Hummel

Class of 2009.

• Put on a Bus: Upon graduation, leaves for CSU Bakersfield.

Brooke Hummel

Class of 2007. Lex's older sister.

• Best Known for the Fanservice: In-universe example: all anyone outside the Hummel family seems to care about is the fact that she works as a stripper in Vegas.

Tyler Hummel

Class of 2012. Brooke and Lex's younger half-brother. Also the child of an affair between Rod Thomas and Vivian Hummel, and thus Kent's half-brother as well.

• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Shunned by Rod due to his homosexuality, but otherwise well-loved by the rest of his family.

Jessica "Jessie" Kellehan

A transfer student from Detroit, Michigan who moves to the neighborhood in the fall of 2008. Becomes the drummer of Tom, Oriel and Kristen's band. Class of 2010.

• Crisis of Faith: Struggles with one through most of the second season, due first to her wannabe Rock & Roll lifestyle and then her bisexuality, both of which are at her odds with her Mormon upbringing.
• Have I Mentioned I Am Sexually Active Today?: As part of her rebellious streak, she claims to have had sex before, but in reality she's still a virgin, and stays that way the course of the series.
• I Have No Son!: When it's revealed she's been lying to her parents about her lifestyle, she is kicked out of the house and forced to find her own place.

Scott Kimble

Class of 2010.

• Shipper on Deck: Ships Kent/Claire. Part of the reason Jimmy comes to hate him.

Vanessa Lewis

Josh's largely unseen girlfriend. Class of 2009.

• The Ghost: Finally makes her first appearance in "The Valentine".
• Put on a Bus: Leaves for UC Santa Cruz with Josh.

Cameron McCarthy

Samara's boyfriend, for about two months in the fall of her sophomore/his senior year. Class of 2008.

• Am I Just a Toy to You?: His reasoning for breaking up with Samara, after she treats him this way in her quest to be the best.
• Beard of Sorrow: Grows one after the breakup, despite his antagonism towards Samara.

• What the Hell, Hero?: After the breakup with Samara, he wants revenge - by means of hijacking the school news feed. This never happens, though, because instead Jimmy comes to him with other ideas, which are again subverted when he chooses to help Cameron get back together with Samara - which turns out to be part of Jimmy's plan to sleep with her, so that doesn't work out either.

Stacey Milano

Class of 2009.

• Put on a Bus: Upon graduation, leaves for UC Santa Barbara.
• Off the Wagon: She is turned to the drink again after several weeks of sobriety when Jimmy demeans her For the Evulz in "The Charm."

Kristen Quigley

Oriel's "best" friend, and the bassist of their band. Class of 2011.

• Ethical Slut: Doesn't believe in emotional commitment.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: She and Oriel have known each other since childhood, and Kristen's father, as a musician himself, has a nice in-home studio that's perfect for the band to practice. Really, she didn't become a problem until her first time.

• Hero of Another Story: Benefits, which starts several years later, in which she and Rick get married.
• Hidden Depths: For all the trouble caused by her sex drive, she turns out to be a pretty good singer/songwriter. Of course, this only intensifies the love-hate relationship she has with her bandmates.

Oriel Richards

Tom's girlfriend, who lives in Long Beach. With him and Kristen, the core of a rock band, for which she is the singer and alternates (with Tom) between guitarist and keyboardist. Class of 2011.

• Eternally Pearly-White Teeth: Justified, given that her mother is a dental hygenist.
• The Ghost: For a long while. Makes her first appearance in "The Charm" as Tom's date at the winter formal.
• Little Black Dress: In "The Charm," her introduction, at the winter formal.
• Long-Distance Relationship: With Tom, who lives an hour away.

Sloane Rivers

Scott's girlfriend, later Jimmy's. Class of 2010.

• Deliver Us from Evil: Although her seeking out Rick while Jimmy is away was already an attempt at a Heel–Face Turn, getting pregnant by him seals the deal.

Dana South

Oriel's cousin. Class of 2007.

• Gotta Catch Them All: An avid birder, like Kent, but even more so.

• Third-Option Love Interest: For Kent (who is himself a Third-Option Love Interest for her at the time), when Tom and Oriel try without much subtlety to set the two up.

Adam Vegerano

Class of 2011.

• The Corruptible: In his introductory episode "The Charm," he is bribed by Jimmy to insult Stacey and get her back in the drinking habit. After several weeks of this, he makes a Heel–Face Turn in "The Remedy"/"The Collision".
• Must Make Amends: In "The Dance," he asks Stacey out in an attempt to do this. She insists that he prove himself before she accepts, which he manages to do.
• Punchclock Villain: Pretty much the only reason he continued to berate Stacey for so long was the money Jimmy was paying him to do it.

• Redemption Equals Sex: Notably for Stacey, their Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex after Cameron's murder in "The Dance" is completely sober.

Terra Verbinski

Class of 2010.

• Closet Geek: Secretly a Star Trek fan, until the 2009 film makes it cool for her to be open about it.
• Hero of Another Story: Along with her older sister, a main character in a Superhero sequel series set in Chicago.

Ashley White

Class of 2011.

• Love Father, Love Son: After several months of being with Rod, she starts to lust after Kent instead, seeing him as the younger, sexier version of his father. Kent is too disgusted to make reciprocation of those feelings possible.

Faith Wilson

Jimmy's childhood friend from Lincoln, Nebraska. Class of 2008.

• All Love Is Unrequited: With Jimmy, until the two of them take the opportunity to fix that when he visits her at Thanksgiving.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Twice. First, she shows up in California in the summer of 2008, having followed Jimmy's casual suggestion to move there, and after hooking up with Skylar, who like her has become disillusioned by their mutual friend, she is framed for his murder. A year and a half later, she's released from prison and joins Kent, Claire and the others to help take Jimmy down once and for all.
• Ethical Slut: Though we never find out exactly what her ethical excuse was.
• Really Gets Around: Until she consummates the UST she had with Jimmy.
• Sex–Face Turn: Of a sort: following her encounter with Jimmy, she renounces her promiscuous ways.
• Took a Level in Badass: A year and a half in prison for a murder you didn't commit and a grudge against your former childhood friend will do that to you.

Parents, Teachers and Other Adults

Diane Bowman

Roger's wife, and an English teacher at the high school.

• Embarrassing Last Name: Her maiden name is Frickenburger It's why she uses her married name.

Robert Fraser

Tom's father, an English professor.

• Badass Bookworm: Teaches William Shakespeare to college kids, stopped a murderous Stalker with a Crush from harming his family.

Samuel "Sam" Greene

Iris and Nathan's father, a police officer for the Glendale Police Department.

• Revenge Before Reason: After a while, Jimmy's status as a Karma Houdini becomes too much for Sam, and he tries to arrest Jimmy without a solid case against him. This mistake gets him killed.

Mark Snow

Holly's father, a veterinarian.

• My Dad Can Beat Up Your Dad: A literal case, when, after his daughter is insulted at Thanksgiving dinner by Rod, he takes the discussion outside - and loses.

• Land Down Under: Originally from Melbourne.

Walter Zielinski

Claire's father, an astronaut. Lives in Houston, Texas.

• Disappeared Dad: But gets to see Claire on holidays and some summers when one visits the other.