| “ | You become a better person, I think, when you learn to lose the things you love.
You let go. You become a better man. If more people rose to that challenge, then what a world it would be. Oh, what a world it would be. Cleaner, for sure. — Alfred, on his daughter's wedding day
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Alfred "Red" Byrnes is a character in The Smoke Room. He is the owner of Red's General Goods, the husband of Gretchen Byrnes, and the father of Holly, Murdoch, Dahlia, and Seamus.
Appearance[]
Alfred is an older fox with wispy gray and white fur. He has green eyes and a bushy mustache. He wears a sleek business suit akin to that of his son Murdoch: this includes a white button-up shirt, a red tie, black pants, and a dark gray vest. He also wears a pair of silver half-moon spectacles.
In his younger years, Alfred's fur was red, hence his nickname.
Personality[]
Alfred is volatile and unpredictable, with a personality that swings between affable and harshly critical for no apparent reason. He seems to value formality and strives to keep up appearances, which results in him focusing intently on small details. According to Murdoch, Alfred's personality can 'flip like a switch' at very little provocation. He can also come across as vindictive at times and seems to take a certain degree of satisfaction in making others uncomfortable.
Alfred also appears to have something of a forgetful streak, even seemingly dissociating at one point to the degree that he believes he is speaking with his deceased son Seamus. These traits may indicate that suffers from memory loss or another form of cognitive decline to some degree.
Alfred is Catholic and regularly attends church with his family. According to Murdoch, in the past he was a much kinder man who enjoyed spending time with his sons and showed affection more openly.
Story[]
Prior to The Smoke Room[]
Alfred is a second-generation resident of Echo with family hailing from Eire. In his adulthood, Alfred opened a general store called Red's General Goods, which has become a mainstay in the community for providing essential supplies as well as offering photography services. At some point Alfred became acquainted with and eventually married Gretchen Rowan, with whom he had four children: Holly, Murdoch, Dahlia, and Seamus. Alfred raised his children in Echo and has continued to operate his business there for many years. Alfred is trained in developing photos, and has passed this expertise on to Murdoch.
Alfred and Gretchen are said to have once been more openly loving parents to their children, and Murdoch reminisces sadly about the days when his father used to build boats and tree forts with him. He also seems to have accompanied his sons on fishing trips. As his children got older, Alfred began to travel on out of town business trips with Gretchen, leaving Murdoch in charge of the other Byrnes children.
Ten years before the events of The Smoke Room, Alfred was out of town on one such trip when his youngest son Seamus died in a boating accident on Lake Emma. The event was deeply traumatic for Alfred and the rest of the Byrnes family, and has strained the relationships between them. In the wake of Seamus' death, Alfred became more stern and made stricter demands of Murdoch while openly berating him. He also became more particular about how things are "supposed" to be done in life and around the store. Alfred's mental state means he appears prone to occasionally reliving vivid memories of Seamus.
Murdoch's Route[]
Samuel reports to Red's General Goods for his first day of work at Murdoch's behest and encounters Alfred in the store. Alfred is jovial and treats Sam very warmly, welcoming him as an employee, but afterward Murdoch warns Sam about his father's mood swings and urges that it is best to avoid his attention whenever possible.
Later, Alfred reappears suddenly behind Sam and Murdoch, holding a jar of preserves. He sharply criticizes Murdoch for the minor mistake of mixing up jelly with preserves, much to Sam's confusion. He then accuses Murdoch of being insufficiently equipped for his duties as the designated photographer for picture day at Echo School, and orders him to begin preparing at once. With practiced diffidence, Murdoch resigns himself to carrying out his father's demands.
In the store the next day, Alfred catches Sam looking at a display picture of a valley landscape taken by Murdoch. Alfred says that the place is said to be cursed because a sluglike beast as big as a mountain lives there, which Murdoch later explains is a story that Alfred tells many of his customers. Alfred reminds Sam that he is supposed to assist with picture day at the school, then abruptly shouts at him to restore the picture to its proper place before leaving.
When Sam visits the Byrnes family residence a few days later, he sits with Alfred, Murdoch, and Jim in the parlor. Alfred lavishes Jim with praise, and Sam remarks that Alfred sometimes seems like he is having a conversation with himself when he talks. When Murdoch tries to change the subject, his father snaps at him. Alfred lectures Sam about the importance of taking risks in life, and Sam is surprised by the intensity of his words. The next day, Alfred minds the store with Ralph while Sam goes to the tailor with Jim and Murdoch to pick out suits for Holly's upcoming wedding.
Later, Alfred is shown to be almost gleefully deferential to Sheriff William Adler when he comes by the store to question Sam, and he allows William to use a back room for his interrogation. The sheriff reveals to Sam that Alfred was the one who asked him to come by, and says that he accused Sam of acting strangely.
On the day of Jim's bachelor party, Alfred closes the store early and instructs Sam, Murdoch, and Ralph to leave and get ready. Alfred is later heard shouting for Murdoch's help from the basement of the Byrnes' home, where he is scrambling with Ralph to unpack supplies for the party. Alfred says that things in the basement are out of order and accuses Murdoch of moving them around, but Murdoch denies responsibility and Alfred assumes it must be the fault of one of the Byrnes daughters instead. Although Murdoch is already on an errand from his mother, he stops what he is doing to help Alfred in the cellar, then rejoins Sam shortly after.
On the morning of Holly and Jim's wedding, Alfred accompanies his family to the church where the ceremony will be held before realizing that he has forgotten his pocket watch and the silverware needed for the reception. He returns home to retrieve them, nearly catching Sam snooping through Holly's room in the process. Instead Alfred encounters Sam, whom he calls 'the help,' in the living room with Grandma Rowan and conscripts him into helping search the basement for the silverware and carry it back.
During this time, Alfred asks Sam about his relationship with Murdoch and his regrets in life, and puts Sam on edge by switching abruptly between disapproval and laughter and then whispering to himself. Alfred admits that Holly's marriage makes him feel like he is losing a daughter, but muses that a man becomes better when he loses the things he loves and learns to let go. He calls this a 'challenge' to rise to and says the world would be 'cleaner' is more people could achieve it. He also complains that others have been messing with his things in the basement.
Sam uncovers an old box and Alfred stares at him in expectant silence until he opens it and finds it is full of children's clothes. Sam eventually finds the silverware, but looks back to see that Alfred has moved to the corner of the basement, covered his head with a sheet, and is having what appears to be one-sided conversation with Seamus about fishing while touching an old fishing pole he has found. Alfred's face when Sam pulls the sheet away is a mask of rage, as if he is furious that he has been awoken from a dream, but he immediately relaxes back to being jovial upon seeing the silverware, and the two bring it to the church with no acknowledgement of the odd situation.
Alfred later walks Holly up the aisle, before the ceremony is interrupted by the Hendricks' mansion catching fire.
Will's Route[]
After learning that Huxley Greene was last seen by his wife getting into a carriage with a 'red fox,' Will goes to question Murdoch about his family's recent whereabouts and their use of the family vehicle. Murdoch reveals that his father is the primary driver of the carriage, and that he may have attended a party hosted by Cordelia Hendricks alongside Gretchen on the night of Huxley's murder.
Relationships[]
Murdoch[]
Murdoch is Alfred's only surviving son and second oldest child. Alfred intends to make Murdoch his successor as the owner and manager of Red's General Goods, though he seems to doubt his son's suitability to inherit the business. Alfred tends to be judgmental and disapproving towards Murdoch, such that Murdoch has essentially learned to live in fear of his father's capricious behavior, and acts extremely passively in his presence even when being publicly berated. Despite his harshness, in private Alfred affirms that Murdoch is "good boy" despite being a "shit boss," and compliments his taste in people.
Holly and Dahlia[]
Alfred is not often seen interacting with his daughters, but they likely feel the same pressure placed on them by their father that Murdoch does. Holly and Dahlia seem to agree that Alfred is overly harsh on Murdoch and not as effective at managing the store as he claims to be, with Holly outright stating that although Alfred's name is on the deed Murdoch is really the one who keeps the business running, but neither are willing to admit this to their father directly. On the day of Holly's wedding, Alfred admits to a sense of grief and says he feels like he is losing a daughter.
Gretchen Byrnes[]
Alfred and Gretchen have been married for many years and seem to have a stable relationship. They both appear to place a high value on their standing within Echo, and tightly control their children to ensure that they all contribute to the success and status of the family. Alfred seems to defer to Gretchen somewhat, and is often quiet in the presence of her forceful personality. It is said that in his prime Red was somewhat of a "trophy husband." Prior to Seamus' death, Murdoch states that his parents used to be more kind and loving, presumably including in the way they treated each other.
Seamus[]
Seamus was Alfred's youngest child and from Murdoch's perspective his "preferred" son. From Murdoch's account, Alfred loved Seamus dearly and was devastated by his death. In the wake of Seamus' passing, Alfred became more emotionally detached and began enforcing stricter standards upon his family. Murdoch feels that his parents resent him because Seamus died on his watch, and worries they feel Seamus would have been a better fit to become Alfred's successor if he have survived to adulthood.
Though Alfred retains some of Seamus' belongings, such as his clothes and fishing pole, and keeps a shrine to him in his foyer, he insists to Sam in a way that seems to apply to Seamus' death that experiencing loss has made him a better man by teaching him to let go of the things he loves. At one point while holding what is likely be Seamus' fishing pole, Alfred loses track of his conversation with Sam and seems to lapse into believing that he is instead speaking to Seamus and gently teaching him how to fish.
Samuel[]
Alfred is initially cordial to Sam, verging on overfamiliar, but becomes much more harsh towards him the next time they interact. Sam is quickly irritated by Alfred's unpredictability and forgetfulness, and refers to him as an 'old lunatic.' Later on, Alfred reports Sam into Will regarding "suspicious behavior," and shows a distinct pleasure in doing so. Despite this inconsistent treatment on Alfred's part, he states that Murdoch is a good judge of character and seems to approve of Sam as an employee. Alfred is somewhat bothered by Sam being (a former) Baptist, but states that it is better than him being a Mormon.
Jim[]
Alfred's opinion of Jim seems to be overwhelmingly positive, and he frequently praises Jim for his professional accomplishments. Jim considers Alfred a deranged bore, though Alfred is oblivious to his future son-in-law's true feelings.
Grandma Rowan[]
Grandma Rowan, whom he refers to as Mother Rowan, is Alfred's mother-in-law. He treats her with respect for the most part, though he is unamused by her playfulness and the jabs she makes at his expense. According to Grandma Rowan, she is technically the owner of the Byrnes' house, not Alfred, due to it having been built with her money, and she seems to resent her son-in-law's treatment of her grandchildren.
Trivia[]
- Alfred's pupils are noticeably more slit-like than most characters in The Smoke Room, including those of his own family.
- Alfred is the only member of his family to lack a second set of sprites depicting him in wedding attire, and he instead retains his usual suit for the ceremony.
- Alfred is named after Redd from Animal Crossing, albeit somewhat jokingly due to the red in his fur having faded.
Gallery[]
