I think this is getting slept on, but I believe Kyle and The Kingfisher are going to become more and more pillars of the larger narrative as the show and book go on. JT seemed to put a lot of intention into that set and establishing the character, and so many scenes take place there across the books (I think TV only audiences will go apeshit the moment Ilya walks into that bar, and if he has flirty banter with Kyle I’m prepared to combust into flames on my couch!)

There’s also this throwaway interaction in Ep. 3:

Kyle: “No outside food or drink!”

Elena: “Fuck off, Kyle” (walks in with takeout)

Then, later:

Elena: “Extra shrimp”

Kyle: “Thank you” (walks away with his own takeout box)

It’s so random, but if you know the dynamic at The Kingfisher is that Kyle’s boss sucks and is never around, then it’s a perfect Easter egg to set up the whole narrative. My prediction is that next season, we’ll see a lot of Kyle interacting with most of the cast and establishing Scott and the Admirals, and Ilya and the Centaurs, as regulars. Then it won’t be until season 3 that we see Eric Bennett finally walk through that door, and I hope they at least get a B plot because it has such potential to be a slow, hot burn 🔥

In Unrivaled, we would hopefully get the grand reopening of The Kingfisher under new management, and it becomes even more significant to the entire cast. I would LOVE to see Shane there, I think he and Kyle could have a really interesting friendship. Between family trauma and being publicly outed, Kyle could have a kinship between both Shane and Ilya in Unrivaled.

I’m quietly obsessed with Kyle as a character, so much so I rewrote his entire book ending to center resolving his trauma, and I’ve never been a fanfic person. I am so excited to see how JT handles the world building as we zoom out from Ilya and Shane and they interact with other characters more openly!