I don't know how you can possibly hate Haddie after the episode. We finally got to see things from her perspective, starting with the hair dying scene, and it made a huge difference in understanding the dynamics at play. Much like her father, Haddie bottles a lot of her emotions up under a calm and controlled exterior. The shot in the mirror capturing her expression as she takes in the new 'do was so revealing: satisfaction, daring, rebellious, fun. All things we never get to see from her normally, and things she never gets to see from herself. Her discussion with Kristina in the car ride over was so heartbreaking: we all knew that Amber turned to Steve because of the deficiencies she saw in herself, but I never considered that that cuts both ways. Haddie's jealous of all the qualities that Amber hates about herself, Steve essentially dumping her for Amber seemed to reinforce those feelings from an objective source. The things that we love about Amber, in point of fact, that we don't see in Haddie. She couldn't see how destructive the consequences of Amber's empassioned decisions were, because the actions had hurt her even worse. When Amber took off, however, she could see Amber's pain without having to intermingle it with anything to do with Steve. She could appreciate that her deficiencies were unappreciated virtues, and see in Amber the pain she was feeling herself. When she decided she had to go with Kristina, I felt like cheering. When she was the one to go in and tell Amber she'd be OK, I started tearing up. When they hugged, I started sobbing. On a show with less complex characters, it would have felt like a cheat. Here it felt completely natural, and made me love Haddie for her decency and her patience and her compassion. Amber's pather is more visceral and involving, and she has to dig herself out of a much deeper pit. But Haddie's path is so much harder, and it's a real credit to Adam and Kristina that they gave her the foundation from which to make those really hard decisions.
The best bit of acting tonight? Kristina hunting for Steve's phone number while Sarah stands at the door. By this point, she'd grown to absolutely despise Sarah to the point where she was willing to punish Drew to punish Sarah. Her tone is absolutely acidic from the moment she opens the door. And she lands blow after sarcastic blow, Sarah just stands there seemingly lost (to her mind) in her own ditzy dysfunctional world. And then Adam comes down the stairs and asks the question that she was too furious to: "What do you need Steve's number for?" When Sarah says, "Oh, Amber's missing" the anger slides off Kristina's face like someone took a paint roller down it, replaced by a mix of guilt, apalled at her own behavior is context, and the visceral terror of a parent whose child is unaccounted for. Until that moment, Amber was the whore who shattered her daughter's life and Sarah was the useless mess of a mother who raised a kid shifty enough to do such a thing. In an instant, Amber was back to being her heartbroken niece and Sarah a mother who might never see her daughter again. Like Haddie, it was the catalyst to step outside her own shoes. Moreover, it's a chance for her to connect with Haddie as a person instead of the enigma of a daughter to be lectured at. It wasn't easy for Haddie to admit her worst fears about herself, and that was placing the fragile trust in Kristina that she hadn't recieved in a long time. The thing that moved me to the core, that's making me tear up a little right now, is the way Haddie's love for Amber paved the way for Kristina's love for Amber and a deeper appreciation of her love for Haddie. To see your child love she who has wronged her has to be be one of the proudest moments a parent can have. When she stopped Sarah and Adam from interrupting at the truck stop, she was doing it for Haddie as much as for Amber. Together, the three of them got to watch their family healed again, by the two people who should be least burdened by the responsibility.
When Amber turns around on the stool and sees not her mother but the two people most against against her since the mess unfurled, can you imagine what was going through her head? In that moment, seeing this tiny girl hunched over with shame in a grungy truck stop full of dirty old men, Haddie and Kristina saw Amber as we've seen her from the beginning. And when Amber gives that little wave, reaching out to the two people she has the least right to, my heart broke in two. That's family at its best. When you've wounded them so bad you can't bear to even make eye contact, and yet all you want to do is hold onto them. Some of the best movies ever made haven't been able to invoke that kind of feeling in me.
Jasmine's leading Crosby by the leash and letting his relationship with Jabar develop on her terms has finally come to its inevitable breaking point. As Zeek so aptly stated, "Well, that sounds like it's good for her." What I loved about the way things developed is that Crosby didn't confront Jasmine for his needs and for the way he's been wronged. He confronted her because of what Jabar's telling him and what Jabar's showing him he needs. Crosby's not pissed because of what Jasmine's taking from him, he's pissed because of what she's taking from Jabar. I'm not thrilled at the prospect of him dumping his whole life to run off to New York with her; so far Crosby's had to make all of the sacrifices and been the one deprived of all the vital things. She can sacrifice one career development so that Crosby won't have to decide between his family and his son. That being said, I'm thrilled that no matter what happens Jabar won't be deprived of his father.
Zeek's reunion with Camille highlighted everything that right and wrong with their relationship and their induvidual characters. Zeek's fault is pride and arrogance, and Camille's fault is suceptibility to grand gestures and romantic overtures. What Zeek did tonight was woo Camille back. He didn't address any of the core issues that tore them apart. I was glad that he told Timm where to shove it, even if it was for all of the wrong reasons.
I enjoyed the symmetry of opening and closing the season with the family watching one of the kids' baseball games. The final shot of the family as one cohesive unit again was a wonderfully affirming way to close the season.
