My Generation Episode 1.02 Home Movies

I felt it best to start with the continuation of Steven Foster's story. I think of all the characters he was the one that had the greatest air of mystery around him. I was fascinated how the goal orientated "Overachiever" bound for either law school or medical school wound up the introspective Hawaiian surfer. Back in high school, Steven was so determined to become a success that it did not seem to matter what he succeeded in doing. At the time, I knew his stern father was partly to blame for Steven's compulsive drive, but it was not until I returned ten years later that I got the full story.

When we last left Steven at the end of the first episode, he was coming to terms with the reality that he had a nine-year-old son with his high school classmate "The Wallflower" Caroline Chung. They slept together on prom night and had not spoken since. Upon hearing the news, Steven immediately came back to Austin from Hawaii, but his fears and his fractured relationship with his father made it hard to work up the nerve to actually make a date to meet his son. So, I was excited when Steven finally picked up the phone and arranged to meet Tom. Despite his initial hesitation, Steven always had good intentions and I could tell that he was nervous, but excited about this new development in his life.

When I started interviewing "The Beauty Queen" Jackie Vachs, I was surprised to find she was married to "The Rich Kid" Anders Holt. Although they were both popular in high school, I never imagined they would end up together and, after watching them in action, I felt like my suspicions were more than warranted. Something about them seemed forced and awkward. In fact, when Jackie ran into Steven a few days ago, she seemed a little too excited to give him her phone number.

In high school, Jackie was determined to head to Los Angeles. She was going to be a movie star and nothing was going to stop her. Yet, at the moment, she is volunteering at a hospital in Austin. It is a noble cause, but it seems like she is just filling the hours in her day. She doesn't even like to talk about acting anymore. What happened to her? As Jackie talks to a coworker about her husband Anders, in walks Brenda Serrano. This is going to be awkward, but it is perfect for the documentary.

Brenda "The Brain" Serrano dated Anders in high school. They were the type of high school couple that everyone envied and they seemed to love one another on a deeper level than most teenagers. Then one day, and I do not know why, the relationship ended. One of my goals is to find out the mystery of that break up. At the moment, Brenda has yet to get over her first true love and I think she still looms over the relationship between Jackie and Anders. Brenda has avoided Austin since leaving for college and has been working in politics in Washington DC. She is back in town because her mother just had a stroke. Luckily, Brenda's mother is okay and she just needs to rest a few days in the hospital. Anyway, back to Jackie and Brenda and their awkward run in.

Jackie and Brenda have not seen each other in years and they catch up and are sweet to one another, but the minute Anders comes up it is clear that neither of them are comfortable. Jackie actually tells Brenda that she knows Anders better than her because Brenda was with Anders longer! What? That is YOUR husband!

Thanks to the Dutch camera crew embedded in his unit, I am able to follow Rolly Marks fighting in Afghanistan. I'm still amazed that he gets to Skype with his wife Dawn Barbuso. But I'm even more amazed that "The Jock" and "The Punk" reconnected after high school and fell in love. They are so sweet together. Rolly better make it home. Rolly gives Dawn the tour of the camp and says it is a quiet day. He has earned it. I can tell as we meet some of the soldiers that Rolly is a great leader and a respected First Lieutenant. When Rolly says goodbye, he promises to make it home before Dawn gives birth to their first baby.

Dawn is definitely in a unique situation back in Austin. She has lost her job, has very little money and has decided to live with her old high school boyfriend. Kenneth "The Nerd" Finley is currently an elementary school teacher and I believe he still harbors feelings for Dawn. Kenneth has wanted a family his entire life. He has yet to fulfill that dream, but helping Dawn with her pregnancy is clearly filling some void for him. Kenneth has arranged for Dawn to take a hypno-birthing class. He says it will help Dawn find her happy place during labor. He should know that Dawn is not exactly the type that will ever find her happy place. Kenneth starts to make a list of people to call when the baby comes. Kenneth includes Dawn's younger brother Vincent, but when he mentions Dawn's mother she is immediately upset. She warns Kenneth that he is not to contact her mother. Dawn's reaction made me realize that her relationship with her mother would be a great place to start with Dawn.

Steven's relationship with his father was also a big part of his development over the years and I thought exploring the father would help me understand how and why Steven rejected the path he was on in high school. Steven's father is currently in prison in Austin. He worked at Enron and was convicted on seven counts of conspiracy and fraud. When I sat down with Michael Foster, it was immediately apparent that his intensity and aggressive demeanor had not waned. I had found footage of Michael teaching Steven how to swing a baseball bat and it was intense to say the least. As we talk in the prison, Michael admits that he has not spoken to his son in five years. Michael writes his son, but Steven does not write back. Then something strange happens! Michael tells me that his other son R.J. would have written back. OMG!!! Who is R.J.? I followed Steven all through his senior year of high school and I never heard of him? Michael says Steven is not telling me everything.

When I first met Dawn in high school I knew she would be great for the film. She was a punk, but she seemed together and unexpectedly nurturing. She had a great relationship with her younger brother Vincent and her best friend Falcon was more than eager to take on the role of the "The Rock Star." Once I started following the teenage Dawn, it was clear that she was struggling with something. After some time, Dawn was called into Principal Crowder's office and he tells her that she needs to attend school on a regular basis. Principal Crowder asks Dawn where her mother is and why she did not show up for the meeting. Dawn says she works a lot. When Principal Crowder asks about Dawn's father, it is apparent that he is simply out of the picture. Crowder says that Dawn is in danger of not graduating and that she needs to be in class.

In high school, Dawn worked with Falcon at Amy's Ice Cream Shop. Vincent would always hang out there and do his homework. Dawn and Vincent would rarely let me into their home. I thought it was a matter of privacy .. Dawn talks about how she needs to make more money. Why? I am not sure. Dawn then calls Principal Crowder and pretends to be her mother. She apologizes for not making the meeting, says it has been tough since her husband left and promises that Dawn will be at school regularly from now on. Dawn tells me I cannot use the footage, but come on, this is great stuff, and as an adult, she eventually gives me permission. Thanks, Dawn.

Steven meets Caroline in the park and hangs out with his son Tom for the first time. Steven apologizes for holding off on this meeting and Caroline accepts. Steven apologetically asks Caroline if she is sure he is the father. She is definitely sure. They start to catch up and Caroline is not "The Wallflower" she was in high school. She is self assured, charming and explains how she has revamped her parent's hotel. Caroline asks Steven if he has seen Kenneth. They used to be best friends in high school and Tom is now in Kenneth's elementary school class. Steven avoids the question. Kenneth and Steven have not spoken in years. When Tom encounters a bully at the park, Steven comes to the rescue and has his first victory as a dad. Unlike his own father, Steven seems like he would be a loving parent.

After his first day with his son, I thought it would be the right time to tell Steven I had seen his father and to ask about R.J. Steven is immediately uncomfortable and tells me that R.J. is something he is not going to talk about. It is private.. I hope Steven will change his mind.

Anders and Jackie are sitting down for dinner and Anders is nice enough to cook for the crew as well. The lamb was amazing! Anders mentions having kids and Jackie seems defensive. I wonder if Jackie will tell him that Brenda is back in town. She does! Anders looks like he was punched in the stomach. He might want to try and hide his emotions a bit more. Something is definitely not right between Jackie and Anders.

The next morning Brenda is having breakfast with her sister Mary and of course they start talking about Anders. It turns out Mary had a childhood crush on Anders and she thinks Brenda should make her move. Mary says something interesting and implies that Jackie and Anders are part of an arranged marriage. I am going to have to investigate that. Then, as Mary tries to convince Brenda to move back to Austin, the camera catches Anders outside peering into the house from his car. This is getting good.

When Steven wakes up, I think he is sill bothered by our conversation and he only feels worse when he finds the family lawyer waiting to talk to him. The lawyer is building a defense for Michael Foster's upcoming parole hearing. They want Steven to testify on his father's behalf and Steven is quick to say no. The lawyer asks again and then Steven notices a box of videotapes labeled R.J. Steven says the lawyer cannot use the tapes in the parole hearing and walks away with the box. I am glad Steven wouldn't listen to this guy. That lawyer was a creep. Sorry if any of his family members are reading this.. But he totally was.

Back in high school, Principal Crowder shows up at the ice cream shop and tells Dawn that he has been trying to reach her mother and that her place of business says she has taken a leave of absence. This is news to me! Crowder is suspicious of what is going on and tells Dawn that he needs to see both her and her mother in his office.

In the present, I talk with Kenneth as he does laundry for himself and for Dawn. He really is too nice. Kenneth insists that he is not interested in Dawn in any romantic way, but he is still worried Rolly will see this interview and call him out. I wouldn't do that to Kenneth or Rolly.

Rolly is still taking it easy back on the camp in Afghanistan and chatting with the other soldiers. Then, out of nowhere, a bullet hits Rolly right in the head and he hits the floor in a flash. What? Rolly cannot be dead.. He can't.

Thank God! Rolly's helmet saved his life. He hops up and begins to fire on the enemy. This guy is Superman. Dawn is a lucky woman.

Back in Austin, Dawn and Kenneth attend the hypno-birthing class. This scene is SO not for Dawn. She tries to power through, but the woman sitting next to her will not shut up about how helpful her mother has been during the pregnancy. Dawn grows tired of the situation fast and gets the hell out of there.

The next day I sit down with Caroline for the first time since she introduced Tom to Steven. I feel bad for pushing too hard when I inquire about Steven's long-term role, but asking tough questions is what leads to interesting answers. Caroline is flustered and says she has not thought about it. When I go even further and ask about Steven taking legal action, Caroline really seems distraught. Perhaps I went too far. Sorry, Caroline.

Steven eventually lets me see the videos from the box marked R.J. This one was actually the most interesting. A nine-year-old Steven is filming himself as he plays a prank on his older brother. R.J. is heading off to college and Steven wants to hide a chocolate bar in R.J.'s suitcase. As Steven films himself, sirens are heard outside. Steven walks downstairs with the camera still on and we overhear his parents tell the police that R.J. is missing. Did R.J. runaway? Was he kidnapped? This really is a heartbreaking story.

In the year 2000, outside the high school, I talk to Dawn. Her mother has not arrived for the meeting with Principal Crowder. I ask Dawn where her mother is and she says that her mother ditched her and Vincent. She says she misses school because she has to work to pay the rent and is the only one that can take care of her brother. Dawn says she is not going to let anybody take Vincent from her and she will say whatever she needs to avoid that from happening. She does not care if she graduates or not. Dawn is tough, but it was in this moment that I realized just how mature she was for her age.

After interviewing Dawn and Vincent and researching for months, I finally uncovered the truth about Dawn's family. Dawn's mother was a punk just like her daughter and married the guitarist in the band SleeperHold. However, the marriage did not work out and Dawn's father abandoned the family when Dawn was six. Over the next few years, Dawn's mother moved the family all over the country. She would party hard and then crash even harder, leaving Dawn to take care of her younger brother. When they arrived in Austin in the fall of 1999, Dawn felt like she found a home. However, it was not long before her mother was overwhelmed by her own depression and needed to check herself into a mental health clinic. Dawn was left alone to pick up the pieces.

When Dawn gets out of Principal Crowder's office, she tells me that she dropped out of school to protect her brother. She worried that telling Crowder the truth would lead to Social Services and she would not risk losing Vincent. Dawn says she will start working around the clock and hopes that she can save enough money to send her brother to college. As far as I am concerned, this is the most punk rock thing Dawn has ever done.

As Kenneth folds laundry, Dawn appears and apologizes for bailing on the hypno-birthing class and for being a bitch about her mother. She explains how she did not want her life to end up like this. She is unemployed and having a baby alone. She wants her kid to have stability and with Rolly at war she is worried that it may never happen. Dawn says she wanted to be June Cleaver and have dinner with her family at six every night. Kenneth feels for Dawn and walks her to the kitchen. He tells Dawn that they will eat dinner together every night. Wow. Kenneth is also Superman. Dawn really is a lucky.

Caroline decides to confront Steven about what role she wants him to play in Tom's life. She says she does not need Steven for anything and Steven is quick to defend himself. He says Caroline was wrong for keeping him away from Tom all of these years. They start to argue and Caroline takes off.

After fighting with Caroline, Steven sits down with his mother and tells her for the first time that he has a child. He says that Tom just makes him think about R.J. Steven's mother quickly bails on the conversation and avoids talking about her missing son. She leaves Steven alone on the couch.

As I researched R.J.'s disappearance, I eventually spoke with the detective assigned to the case. Detective Brimley explains how he never found any leads and how he heard that R.J. had a bad relationship with his father. The detective explains how the father put too much pressure on R.J. to succeed and was verbally abusive. The detective says he thinks R.J. ran away to avoid his own father.

Michael Foster is the reason that Steven pushed himself so hard in college and the reason that Steven is so lost as an adult. I feel bad for Steven when I look back on his high school interviews. He was so desperate to please his father and replace his missing brother. There was really no way he could ever achieve any of that.

Talking to the detective lead me back to Michael Foster. When I ask Michael if he pushed his sons too hard, he tells me that he just wanted them to fulfill their potential. He explains how R.J. got into college at fifteen because his father pushed him. Michael is sure that R.J. did not run away from home. When I tell Michael what Steven has been doing with his life for the last five years, Michael looks bothered and leaves me sitting there at the table.

Rolly films a video message for Dawn. He chooses not to tell her how he almost died. I think he is trying to protect her. Rolly tells Dawn that he is definitely coming home and nothing will stop him. It is hard not to believe him.

As Brenda sits with her mother in the hospital, she looks torn when a bouquet of flowers arrive. The note reads, "Whatever you need -- Anders."

I cannot believe what I have uncovered in such a short period of time. But keep watching. It only gets better from here. I know. I filmed it.