jackson stated leaving his children during christmas was one piece of unfinished business lucky had, as well as not having gone on any adventures with his family. anthony geary agreed, telling "soaps in depth": "that was a major production mistake, and a terrible waste. the whole family was primed for a great adventure together. the audience would have loved it, and it would have been completely consistent with our family history. sometimes they miss the most obvious story ideas. it's frustrating." geary added that father and son were left in a bitter place when lucky abruptly left town, lacking any resolution after jake's death and the intervention. when asked in 2012 to describe lucky after his departure, jackson explained to "ct post": "he has a dark side, but he's a really good soul. he's more tortured than villainous. he's had drug abuse, lost a child, been through a lot."