Theory #5: Where is Rod? (Mineral Town games)

Harvest Moon: Back to Nature was my first experience with Mineral Town. While it did feel a bit strange experiencing a new town with the same characters as Harvest Moon: 64, I’ve learned to appreciate the new twists and personalities of the Flowerbud cast. While these characters are interesting and likable in their own right, there are a handful of characters that are mentioned often but never seen. What makes these characters so fascinating is that not only do these people have names and personalities, but we as players know more about them than those who reside in Mineral Town. And even though they never appear in the games, they play some of the most important roles in the darkest Mineral Town lore.

Popuri is one of my favorite characters in Harvest Moon:64, but not so much in Mineral Town. Popuri has always been kind and sweet in the previous game, now she’s a bit spoiled and slightly annoying in Mineral Town. What I did find very interesting about Popuri is not herself, but her father Rod. Popuri’s father was Basil in Flowerbud Village. But in Mineral Town, her father Rod is one of those characters who is commonly whispered around town but never seen. The details of his lore is complicated, but he has become more famous to us than any of the other parents living in town.

So what do we know about Rod? We know that Rod is Lillia’s husband in Mineral Town. He is also the father of Popuri and Rick. Rod trained his son Rick to be a chicken rancher, but not his daughter Popuri. He supposedly left Mineral Town to find some sort of flower that is supposed to cure his wife who fell ill with an unnamed illness. Some sources claim that Rod keeps in touch with his family, but the games say otherwise.

In Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, Rick claims that Rod used to keep in touch with the family, but not recently. But in Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town, Rick says (and I am quoting him directly), “nope, not a word. . . He hasn’t even checked in once.” While the details conflict a bit, one thing is for certain: Rod has stopped communicating with his family at some point for some unknown reason.

Now that I’ve reminded us about who Rod is, it is now time to answer the question; where is Rod? I once assumed that Rod may have died since Rick claims that he stopped communicating some time ago. I believed that maybe Lillia hasn’t got the news yet, and we will eventually hear about it later in the Harvest Moon series. But the more details we learn about him, the more I am convinced that he is very alive. I can also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is actively avoiding and hiding from his family. More accurately, Rod abandoned his family.

How can I prove this? Let me share some odd facts, and we can all draw our own conclusions about him.

First, let me remind us about why he left Mineral Town in the first place. The residents say that he left to find a medicinal flower to heal Lillia. While I don’t believe that the residents of Mineral Town are lying, the facts don’t really make sense. Rod is a chicken rancher, not a plant hunter. That is Basil’s job in Mineral Town. Why would a chicken rancher leave town for decades looking for a rare plant when a perfectly capable plant hunter lives right in town?

Next, let us remember the details about Lillia’s condition. While we don’t know many facts about her illness, Lillia does tell us, “I haven’t been feeling very well recently, so I haven’t been outside.” According to what Lillia herself says, her illness only makes her feel tired all the time. She’s basically stuck at home with little energy to hang out with the other Mineral Town residents. At no point in any of the Mineral Town games that anyone mentions that her illness is fatal if left untreated. In fact, Lillia claims to be feeling better as the games progress. So why does Rod feel the need to leave Mineral Town at all if there is no real rush to get this flower? He can just simply wait it out and stay at home supporting his wife’s recovery.

Finally, let look at how he even knows about this flower in the first place. When I played the Mineral Town games, I assumed that he was told by Basil or read about it in the library. But when we talk to Mana, she drops this very incriminating clue, “Lillia’s husband is searching for a very special desert flower that blooms once per decade to help her recover her health. I envy Lillia for that, but she is very lonely. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him about that flower. . .” We now can confirm that Rod got his information from Mana. Mana is not a plant hunter, and she gossips about random information. Not a very reliable source when you are making the ultimate decision to leave town for decades looking for some medicine. Then we must ask; What desert? When was the last time it bloomed? How does Rod know that this flower really exists or cures anything? Where did Mana get this information that Basil seems to be unaware of. And what is Basil doing that he didn’t go and get this flower himself or go with Rod? I don’t see him awfully busy.

So far, we know that Rod left to find a flower in an unknown desert that blooms once every ten years. Rod has not come home in a long time, and he never comes back to town no matter how many years we spend playing any Mineral Town game. Rod has stopped communicating with his family for no real reason leaving his kids angry and confused. Now let us ask why would he do this? Why make up a silly excuse to skip town and force his ill wife to raise her two kids by herself with no financial support? After many years of asking this question, I feel that I have a theory to answer these questions.

Our first clue comes from how the families of Mineral Town are structured. Each family in Mineral Town has one thing in common except for Rod’s family. Sasha and Jeff has one child. Basil and Anna has one child. Doug, Thomas, and Gotz has only one child. Each young resident of Mineral Town who gets married (including yourself) only has one child. Rod and Lillia are the only parents who has two. This tells me that Rod must love to get intimate more often than the other residents of Mineral Town. Now Lillia is ill and can’t even leave the house. This means that Rod and Lillia’s love life has gone completely dry. Rod probably stuck around for a while, but gave up on his wife some time later. He must have been pretty unhappy with his marriage, so he just taught his son to be the man of the house. He then packed his stuff and did Mineral Town’s version of, “I’m going to pick up some milk from the store.” Now his family is waiting for his return, but he never plans on coming back.

Now I can already feel someone asking, “if Rod is unhappy with his marriage, wouldn’t it be easier to just get a divorce?” A solid idea, but I personally believe that Rod can’t. I once wrote a fanfic making fun of the idea that Mineral Town residents can’t divorce for some reason. But as I got a little older, I feel that maybe there’s something more to that silly idea. I noticed that several couples in the Mineral Town games might not be happily married, but are legally stuck in their marriages. Jeff and Sasha can’t stand each other in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, but they’re still together. I also get the feeling that Mana and Duke would rather not be married either. If your character’s wife hates you, she’ll only leave the farm, but never actually divorces you or get remarried. In fact, I believe that Mineral Town has some sort of law that prevents people from getting a divorce. Other towns allow divorce. Forget-Me-Not Valley has a hidden event where your wife can leave you permanently. We already discussed in theory #1 that Pete and Sara gets a divorce in the island. Olive Town allows you to divorce and get remarried an infinite number of times. Other towns may not have divorce, but the other villagers seem to be very happy with their spouses. Why is Mineral Town different?

Now that we know why Rod left his family behind, let us answer the main question: where is Rod? We had no idea where he is for a long time, but he got a very strong clue in one of the Harvest Moon games released much later. In Harvest Moon: A New Beginning, we meet Rod. Not Popuri or Rick’s father, but a young man who moves into Echo Village. This young man may not be their father, but we do know that this game takes place much later than the Mineral Town games. He also has too many odd details that makes me believe that he is related to Mineral Town’s Rod. He looks similar enough to Rick, that they can pass as brothers. While pet merchant and chicken rancher may be different, but let’s remember that Rod must be hiding from his family. It is quite easy for Rod to change animal careers. While we know that Rod (Mineral Town) is not the same person as Rod (Echo Village), I do believe that these two people are father and son. Rod (Mineral Town) must have gotten remarried and started a new family in a town nearby Echo Village. He is raising a completely new family while his old family believes he is just out there digging through a desert looking for a flower. This brings a whole new meaning to the title, “A New Beginning”.

And that is all I have to say about this theory. But I can already hear someone saying, “hold up! You said that Rod and Lillia are the only family with two kids. Did you forget about Elli and Stu? Aren’t they siblings? What about them?” Technically this is true, but only if you choose to believe that. What I have learned while playing the early Harvest Moon games is that not everything is what it seems. The games has given me trust issues, and I smell something odd about these two “siblings”. Next time, I will be discussing Mineral Town’s deepest and darkest secret. When you see it, you will never see Mineral Town the same way again.