Watching Ryan Become Mike

One of the most enchanting things about Last Man Standing is watching Ryan become Mike. In his personal life, Tim Allen moved from lefty-ish beliefs to conservative beliefs. Last Man Standing shows us how that is possible.

First of all, Ryan--despite being a progressive leftist who speaks in cliches--is a fundamentally likable guy. The producers wisely discarded the too-full-of-himself con-man version of Ryan from Season 1, substituting the earnest man of principles instead.

The actor, Jordan Masterson, is not only quite attractive, he exudes an underlying sense of humor. The character/actor has a twinkle in his eye--and demonstrates great kindliness towards his girlfriend/wife and son. Ryan honestly believes in the goodness that he espouses.

He is also honest enough to balk at supposed givens. When Ryan begins to run Bud's Buds, he gets exasperated at all the bureaucratic red tape:

"How can the government know how to run my business better than me?" he queries Mike, who grins at him with sardonic affection.

Ryan and Mike also share the same side when they both complain about the punitive treatment of boys in public schools.

A great scene where Mike realizes that Ryan let

himself look foolish in front of Mike in order to support

Boyd's non-aerodynamic car additions.

Now, Ryan is as honest about the bug-bears of the right as he is of the left. When Mike goes after ObamaCare, both Ryan and Kristin point out that "not everybody has a nice grandfather" who will swoop in with money to help out. And Mike listens. They have a point, even if he disagrees. One of my favorite things about Tim Allen/Mike Baxter is his willingness to argue.

My most favorite thing, however, is his rejection of fearmongering, whether it is being done by environmentalists or doomsdaying preppers (fearmongering isn't his version of Christianity either). And he tries his best to help Ryan help his own son not to fall down that particular rabbit hole.

In the end Ryan and Mike share more in common than Ryan, at first, realizes.