Robby Stewart

Let me begin with a confession: I had a serious crash on Robby Stewart and hence Billy Ray Cyrus back in the days.

A brief background before we begin. Robby Stewart (Billy Ray Cyrus) was Miley/Hanna's father (Miley Cyrus's real dad played her reel life dad). Just like any father of a teenage girl, Robby was protective towards his children. He was a guide, songwriter, and music coach for Miley while he was a mentor and friend towards Jason (I am covering Jason too in this series, so more about that in the upcoming chapters). Every interaction with his children was heartfelt and it appeared real (Miley's case was understandable, but even with Jason it felt real too). He saw every potential love interest of Miley/Hannah as his own personal enemy.

However, Robby had a tragic backstory. He came from a humble family and became a famous country singer, which was the backstory of Billy as well. Also the show mentioned that Robby had to leave his successful career to take care of his children after the demise of his wife, Miley and Jason's mother. Looking back it feels like a massive sacrifice. The story of Robby Stewart was indeed sad, but it gave a silent lesson of family values and resilience to the viewers. Looking back, I realise how powerful and emotional lesson was that.

Besides there was an episode where Miley and Jason ask their dad to resume his music career. Robby is hesitant because he is more concerned about the safety and wellbeing of his children. This episode again showed that how protective and caring he was towards his children. That episode touched my heart.

When I used to watch Hannah Montana, while looking at Robby's traits, I would see my dad. I could see several similarities of how all dads are similar. They always have their guard on. They aseess each and every situation in order to protect their children. They always think one step ahead. Every stranger feels like a threat to them and the stranger has to prove themselves to the man of the house.

Needless to say, the character of Robby Stewart was thoughtfully created and Billy Ray Cyrus brought the character to life with his skills. The show introduced the young viewers to Billy's own songs through the show. Not gonna lie 'Achy breaky heart' was my favorite song at one point of time.

While the character of Robby Stewart was special, one incident particularly bothers me now. During one of the episodes, Robby marries a woman much younger to him and prioritizes her over his family which turns out to be Miley's literal nightmare on the show. A few years ago Billy followed his character's footsteps. He was with a woman who was Miley's age. This created a rift in the family.

Regardless of reel or real life, I believe Robby Stewart was the torchbearer of shows and films where a single father takes the role of family nurturer and it was winning hearts. Today in my opinion we need more shows to create strong families where chacters such as Robby Stewart take the center stage. Yet Hannah Montana would always be an evergreen show to be suggested for the young generation even today.