Diksha Sundriyal
HBO’s ‘War’ follows the legal battle between Morgan and Carla, who have decided to go their separate ways. Still, the process of divorce is more trying than either of them could have imagined. As neither is ready to yield to the other’s demands, the proceedings drag on and begin to affect other parts of their lives. The third episode focuses on the impact it has on Gabe, Carla’s teenage son, who is caught between his parents while also going through emotional turmoil of his own. Soon, he becomes a major piece in the intense game of chess between the couple’s legal teams, something neither Carla nor Morgan intended. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Gabe is an Unexpectedly Strong Link Between Carla and Morgan
Gabe may not be Morgan’s biological son, but the tech mogul is the only father he has ever known. He is so attached to Morgan that when he learns Carla is divorcing him, he begins to suspect wrongdoing on his mother’s part. When he discovers that Morgan is the one who cheated, he is disappointed and heartbroken. The news of the divorce and his stepfather’s infidelity makes him spin out, and he indulges in a party with alcohol and drugs, which ends with a fistfight. This confirms that he is deeply attached to Morgan, and Carla’s legal team decides to use it to nullify their prenuptial agreement.
What makes things more difficult for Morgan is that he really does love and care for Gabe. This is why when the matter of Gabe’s connection to him is raised during arbitration, he is unable to lie about it. While his team plays Carla’s message accusing him of never having been a father to Gabe, his fatherly lashing out at the teenager confirms the true nature of their relationship. Interestingly, this also means that Gabe’s love for him will eventually put him in a difficult position, forcing him to choose between his stepfather and his mother. Since the legal war between his parents is just beginning, it will be interesting to see how his presence affects the proceedings and how far both parties go to use him or shield him from what comes next.
Aran Murphy Inhabits Gabe’s Teenage Conflicts
Aran Murphy plays the role of Gabe in ‘War.’ The 19-year-old actor might seem like a familiar face to viewers, as he bears a close resemblance to his father, Cillian Murphy. He developed a love for performing at a young age and learned a lot from his first gig. At 11, he was cast in the lead role of Irish theatre company Dead Center’s production of ‘Hamnet.’ It predates Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, which was later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film directed by Chloe Zhao. The play took him across the world from Dublin to London, Brisbane, New York and Hong Kong. While he hasn’t worked in theatre since, he is gearing up for a return in 2027 with the production of ‘Dating Amber,’ based on the 2020 film of the same name.
Aran’s first screen role came in the form of the 2022 indie film, ‘LOLA.’ However, it wasn’t until Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ that he bagged a major film role. Meanwhile, he has also started to make his presence felt on television. His TV debut came with the role of Ruarí in Sharon Horgan’s ‘Youth.’ He described his role as “a new experience to learn how to work consistently, to not have big breaks, and to try and understand the arc of the character,” which gave him more confidence. In contrast to the comedy-drama series, his role in ‘War’ takes a dramatic turn, offering the young actor a new challenge to his acting skills.
Read More: Is War a True Story?
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