Juvenile Prosperity/Season 1

"*Life is what **you** make it,*"
—Tagline of Season 1**[src]**

The **first season** of *Juvenile Prosperity*, a prequel to *Kings of the Road*, was released in July 2020. It consists of ten episodes, double that of its predecessor series. It is subtitled **"The Ballad of Travis Rogers"**.

Set over the course of three years from 2003-2006, the first season follows David Mayfair, the uncle of Michael Mayfair from *Extrasensory*, and tells the story of his transformation into the character of Travis Rogers from *Kings of the Road* and the people and experiences that influenced his transformation.

## Plot

*Young, restless, and denied personal expression, David Mayfair abandons all the norms and setbacks of society and sets out on a life-changing journey into a brave new brutal world, encountering all varieties of people and experiences that will slowly transform him into the singing vagabond Travis Rogers.*

## Synopsis

### 'Brave New World'

Eighteen-year-old David Mayfair is the heir to the fortune of the Mayfair Family, and the son of millionaire Shaun Mayfair. Having grown up in a classist household, David has been denied personal expression his entire life and suffers from depression. One evening, he is caught listening to country music by his father, who attacks his son and destroys his walkman. David finally fights back, accusing his father and his whole family of profiting off the suffering of others and refuses to inherit the fortune. Sean starts beating his son, but David grabs a lamp and beats his father around the head with it, knocking him unconscious. In a rage, he runs out of his house as his older brother, Ethan, tries to stop him. David takes the bus out of town and takes a grey overcoat left behind by another passenger. He wanders for several days, telling himself to not go home, before meeting another homeless man, Gordon, on a train. Gordon advises David to become someone else. David follows his advice and creates a new identity: Travis Rogers. With a new outlook on life and more outgoing personality, Travis finds a battered old guitar and heads for the road.

### 'By No Means'

Over the course of several weeks, Travis completely abandons his old life and heads west across Illinois, earning money by busking in the many towns he comes across. He avoids large towns to prevent discovery. In one of these towns, he sleeps underneath a water tower and is woken up by falling water. Heading into town, he eats at a soup kitchen with another man named Terry, and is warned of a gang that drives outside of town beating up homeless travellers. Travis returns to his campsite and packs up the rest of his things before moving out of town. While walking past plains of corn, he is approached by a truck full of tatooed hippies, who invite Travis to a party. Remembering Terry's advice, Travis refuses. The strangers press the offer but eventually drive off. Soon after, however, Travis is approached by a second truck, who draw Travis in with weed and food. Travis jumps in the truck and quickly becomes friendly with them. They drive to an abandoned farm where a party is in full swing. Travis plays some guitar for the group before jumping into the party, drinking too much and falling unconscious. When he awakens only a few people are left, smoking drugs around a fire. Travis joins them and quickly becomes uncomfortable as the talk amongst the group slowly becomes more violent and racist. Travis spots his open bag beside one of the men, and is threatened with knives when he tries to take it back. They force him into another room where one of the men tries to sexually assault him. Travis fights back by smashing his attacker around the head with a stone, grabs his guitar and rucksack and rushes into the cornfield. He evades capture long enough for him to escape back to the road, where he collapses from shock and exhaustion. He repeats to himself once more to "not go home" and continues walking along the road. Another truck - in fact the first one to have offered him a ride that evening - pulls up to him asking if he needs a ride. Travis, still in shock, refuses, but a girl reassures him and he jumps in. He snaps a photo of two of the women in the truck as the sun begins to rise. Now wise to how cruel his new life will be, Travis says goodbye to the group as he crosses the state line into Kansas, finally leaving Illinois behind.

### 'Lost Boys'

Four months after leaving home, Travis has joined a group of trainhopping youths called the Lost Boys. He wakes up on a hillside overlooking a trainyard and begins playing his first original song ("*Trainyard Blues*"). He is greeted by Vince, leader of the Lost Boys.

### 'Oh Dear Traveller'

After escaping the hospital and deciding to travel together, Travis and Pennywise drive west, busking and stealing to get by. Some of the things they experience include: their stolen car eventually overheating in the Nevada desert, but being saved by a passing motorist who offers them weed; busking and fighting through southern Nevada, before finally ending up in Las Vegas and gambling in an illegal casino; and finally crossing triumphantly into California. They head towards the Pacific coast, where they drink to celebrate eight months of travelling together, and also the first anniversary of Travis running away from home.

## Credits

### Main:

* Travis Rogers
* Ethan Mayfair
* Pennywise
* Athena

### Supporting:

* Vince
* Matthew Wroe

## Trivia

* While the prequel focuses on David's transformation into Travis, it also introduces several new characters with their own stories who influence David's transformation.
	+ In the first season, these characters are:
		- The Clerk
			* Vince, the leader of the Lost Boys, who used to work in a discount video store as a clerk, who brought Travis further into the hippie-punk scene
		- The Conman
			* Pennywise, who uses his cunning to scheme others out of money; he taught Travis to be far savvier and formed a brother-like bond with him
		- The Drifter
			* Gordon, a Vietnam veteran who gave David the advice to reinvent himself, the catalyst for his transformation into Travis Rogers
		- The Agent
			* Watson, who recognised Travis' talent and offered him a record deal, resulting in Travis' relative fame in later life
		- The Girl of Blue
			* Athena, Travis' first true love, who gave Travis a home and a job for eighteen months before forming a passionate yet brief relationship with him
	+ So far, *Season 1* takes place over the longest period of time in-universe, from around November 2003 to December 31st 2006.
		- This is compared to *Season 2*, which takes place over roughly six months from winter 2009 to summer 2010.

## References

1. ↑ Lost Boys
2. ↑ Hell Is Full
3. ↑ King
4. ↑ The Last Song

 **Season 4** | "TBA"