Aahana Swrup
In many ways, Charlie Cooper remains the optimistic heart of his aspiring high school rock band in the teen drama show ‘The Runarounds.’ While the members’ faith in their musical aspirations wavers from time to time, his bright-eyed wonder and never-ending hope manage to supply fuel for his and his friends’ dream. The frontman maintains much the same energy in his love life, which has long been governed by Sophia Kinney. Even though the two teens have shared the same high school for years, the latter has never really taken notice of Charlie. As such, he resolves to try to win over her heart during the summer before she’s set to leave for college. As Sophia, a poet at heart, inevitably gets roped into the band and their music, the couple ends up getting closer. Yet, much like his career, Charlie’s luck in romance remains uncertain, especially in light of the complications that plague Sophia and his own personal lives. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Charlie and Sophia Form a Connection Over Songwriting
Charlie and Sophia’s love story finds a slow and bumpy start. While the former has been besotted with the girl for a long time now, the latter has barely reciprocated his interest. Although they’re friendly, it’s evident she isn’t eager to take their connection to the next level. Still, ever the trooper, the aspiring musician continues fighting for Sophia’s attention. Yet, it isn’t until a fateful run-in with her poetry journal that he finally finds a common ground to build upon. As it turns out, the valedictorian, who is gearing up to be a pre-med student, is overflowing in artistic talent, particularly when it comes to poetry. Initially, Charlie believes he can win her over by turning her exceptional poems into a song and performing it at his band’s first big gig.
Predictably, this doesn’t go over well with Sophia, who feels betrayed, especially since Charlie essentially steals her writing with no warning. Consequently, the incident causes some friction between the couple. The fact that the secret poet enters a relationship with George, another pre-med applicant, definitely doesn’t help matters. Yet, as time passes, Sophia allows herself to accept that the prospect of having her writing used in songs was a thrilling one. As such, she ends up making amends with the well-intentioned frontman and begins actually contributing toward the band’s songwriting. Soon enough, she becomes synonymous with the Runarounds in the same way as their unofficial videographer, Bender. She’s around for their shows, she goes on adventures with him, and basically spends her summer getting closer to Charlie and his friends.
Thus, it soon becomes evident to Sophia that her relationship with George and her reluctance to accept her feelings for Charlie are simply manifestations of her perfectionism, induced by the trauma of losing her mother. She wants a perfect life and, in the process, has failed to ensure she has a happy one. Therefore, eventually, over a songwriting session, she and Charlie finally give in to the growing attraction between them. Even though Sophia feels awful in the aftermath since she has betrayed George’s trust, she can no longer deny the truth about her feelings. As a result, she goes on to break up with the pre-med student and decides to finally give her and Charlie a real chance. Nonetheless, it all threatens to come crashing down on the day of her farewell to college.
Charlie Wins Sophia Over With a Big Romantic Gesture
Sophia’s biggest hang-up about a potential relationship with Charlie remains her belief that the latter is too unreliable for anything serious. After losing her mother at a young age and subsequently losing her father to alcoholism, she has had to take on big responsibilities from early on. For the same reason, she pushes herself to do well in school and honor her mother’s memory while taking on the burdens of the household in caring for her alcoholic father. For the same reason, she thinks she needs security and dependability in her love life, something she doubts a struggling musician can provide for her. Sophia is scared of Charlie prioritizing his music and his luckless career over her, which prevents her from giving him a real chance. Still, after spending a summer with Charlie and his band of dreamers, she eventually opens her heart up to the musician.
For the same reason, Sophia feels betrayed and disappointed when Charlie ghosts her on the day he promised to drop her off at college. However, what she doesn’t know is that the latter is having a horrible day of his own. Earlier, the frontman discovers through his birth certificate that his parents have been lying to him about his biological father for his whole life. Worse yet, all evidence suggests that his real father is Catesby, the music shop owner who has become like a mentor to the band over the summer. In the chaos of this discovery, the boy understandably forgets the plans he had made with Sophia. Since she doesn’t have the whole picture, she’s even more hurt to learn that Charlie and his band are set to perform at her college event later in the evening. Still, she decides to show up at the venue, if only to enjoy herself with her friends.
Nonetheless, watching Charlie perform the song they wrote together on the stage proves to be too much for Sophia. As such, she decides to leave in the middle of the show. In turn, the frontman makes a shocking decision of his own and ditches the career-defining show in the middle to chase down the love of his life. Outside in the parking lot, the pair finally clears the air between them. Sophia realizes that Charlie really is serious about her, to the point where he’s willing to put his and his friends’ careers at risk. Thus, the two patch things up before the songwriter urges her boyfriend to return to the show and complete the set with his band. In the end, this whirlwind decision ends up costing Charlie and his band. Still, they arrive at a happy ending when their previous nemesis, Danny Mace, offers them a record deal. Ultimately, the band ensures that Sophia and her songwriting are included in the deal, cementing her place in the band. Thus, the couple manages to find their happiness together.
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