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Grandpa
- So, who's father is the grandpa? He could be the mother's, because of the whole "Why did you have to marry a farmer?" conversation, but it's the father who calls him "dad". Also, the father was at the funeral of grandpa's wife (the father's mother). So...
- He's the mother's father. I'm not sure why the father calls him "dad" (on Downton, Cora calls her mother-in-law "mama"), but attending the funeral of your mother-in-law isn't abnormal.
- Not everyone does it, but there's nothing unusual about calling your father-in-law "Dad" either.
- This troper was also confused. Grandpa does seem to be the Mother's father, but it's odd when the Mother leaves the Father and takes the Son with her, but she leaves her dad behind with the Father?
- He's the Mother's father, since he talks about the Mother's life before she met the Father. Presumably she didn't intend to leave the Grandpa behind, but expected him to follow her since he doesn't like the Father.
- Note that even leaving aside that it's a goofy parody musical, realistically the Mother can't be leaving right away, since it's winter and they're on foot and there isn't another outpost after Ft. Bridger for hundreds of miles. The next time we see her she's talking about trying to find a horse or mule or hitch a ride with another wagon party.
- Jeff Blim said on Twitter that Grandpa is the father of both of them, but this is probably just Rule of Funny. Nick Lang said elsewhere that he was intended to be the Mother's father, which makes the most sense (when he's in the throes of dysentery he doesn't even recognize the Father in the ending when he dies).
- Blim probably joked about this not only because of the Brother–Sister Incest Fridge Horror but because of the sheer Fridge Horror it would imply if Grandpa is the Father's actual father (both of them agreeing they've "always" hated each other, Grandpa talking about "my wife" instead of "your mother", the Father switching from calling him "Dad" to his first name when he gets exasperated with his lobster stories, Grandpa forgetting who the Father is on his deathbed).
