Each week on Rise, Marley Shelton’s Gail is seemingly blindsided by her husband. The couple have three children, one who is suffering with an alcohol problem, so Gail was first shocked when Lou (Josh Radnor) came home to announce he was taking on the theater department. He then decided to invite Maashous (Rarmian Newton) into their home to live with them. Both of these choices were made without speaking to his wife first, causing fans on social media to wonder just how great their marriage is.
“I think she’s caught so off guard. She’s absolutely shocked and perplexed and frustrated with her husband for adding another complication to their already maxed out lives. She sees it, initially, as a giant burden,” Shelton tells Us Weekly, admitting that Gail did go easy on him when he added onto their responsibilities not once, but twice. “She’s frustrated because Lou didn’t consult her. He made these decisions before discussing it with her. They’re best friends, so it really throws her off that he made this giant decision without consulting her.”
However, that doesn’t mean Lou is a bad husband or that Gail is a pushover, but instead just really believes in her husband.
“She’s very much a supporter of her husband’s dreams. They’re a true partnership. She really believes on what he’s setting out to do and she wants him to realize his dreams and live a fulfilled life,“ Shelton tells Us. “But she’s also the reality check. She counts the cost, she knows the toll things are going to take on their family by launching a theater program and taking on a foster child.”
Shelton also says that Gail is “the glue of the family” and the realist — but recently saw a new side of Maashous that changed everything. “She realized he isn’t a responsibility, he’s a human being. He’s a kid that needs help … That’s a journey for Gail, she realizes that love is bigger than all of this, than our problems and our day-to-day grind. Maashous expands her heart and the capacity to love and give and serve. I think we all set limits to what we can do and I think Maashous blows that up for her. She realizes she’s stronger than she thought she was, and more capable of expanding her heart and her home.”
Rise airs on NBC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
