Tamal Kundu
Portrayed by Fred Armisen, Leslie is a therapist in ‘Unstable,’ the Netflix comedy series created by Rob Lowe, John Owen Lowe, and Victor Fresco. Not long before the start of the series, the board members of the Dragon biotech company hired Leslie to assess Ellis Dragon (Rob Lowe), the brilliant, eccentric, and narcissistic founder and CEO of Dragon. However, Leslie has since mysteriously disappeared, making everyone worried about what Ellis may have done to him. When Ellis’ son Jackson (Victor Fresco) hears about this, he returns to Los Angeles from New York to help his father deal with his issues, which were triggered by the death of his mother, Katie, in an accident a couple of months back. If you are wondering what happened to Leslie in ‘Unstable,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Betrayal and Return: Leslie’s Choices
In the Unstable world,’ Ellis is one of the foremost brilliant minds. He has devoted his life and intelligence to solving the climate crisis. At present, he has his company working on perfecting a method that can turn the greenhouse carbon of the atmosphere into concrete. However, since his wife’s death, Ellis has become increasingly eccentric. Katie had a calming effect on him and grounded his brilliance in pragmatism. With her gone, Ellis has let his life spiral out of control, and his mental health issues have become apparent to those around him.
In the first scene of the series, it is implied that Ellis talks to himself. After he gets to the office, Anna finds him nude in his chamber. With Leslie missing and the board seeking reasons to fire Ellis, Anna realizes they need the only other person who can get through to Ellis besides Katie: their son Jackson.
The relationship between Ellis and Jackson is quite complicated. It’s not that they don’t love and care for each other, but Ellis is a giant in the world of science in ‘Unstable,’ and Jackson fears he will be forever in his father’s shadow if he continues to pursue a career in science. This is why, despite being scientifically gifted himself, Jackson moved to New York and started teaching flute to support himself. When Malcolm, Jackson’s childhood friend and an employee at Dragon, arrives in New York, Jackson learns what his father has done.
Toward the start of episode 2, Jackson and Anna finally discover what really happened to Leslie. Ellis has kidnapped him and kept him locked in the basement after the man tried to blackmail him. Deeply worried, Jackson and Anna rush to Ellis’ home and find Ellis and Leslie conversing as if they are old friends. It turns out that Leslie’s marriage has fallen apart, so when Ellis kidnapped him, he effectively gave him a new home. Moreover, in the time Leslie spends there, he has come to realize that he was wrong when he tried to blackmail Ellis.
After hearing this, a stunned Jackson can’t believe how easily his father not only has gotten away with kidnapping but also received praise and gratitude for it. Anna surmises what has happened and declares that both Ellis and Leslie are equally guilty, prompting the latter to leave willingly. But he feels alone in the world and soon comes back.
However, Leslie’s presence in the house becomes unbearable because of the parties he keeps throwing. When Leslie realizes that Ellis and Jackson want to throw him out, he leaves on his own but goes straight to Ellis’ secret enemy, who turns out to be Jean, a family friend of the Dragons. In the season finale, Jackson appeases Leslie by letting him move back, and the man testifies in his father’s favor in front of the board.
Read More: Who is Trying to Get Ellis Fired in Unstable? Spoilers
