Parenthood - New TV Series on NBC (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

Absolutely. In a strange way, I think Sarah and Crosby will weather it better than Adam and Julia because they don't have as much invested in the strength of the nuclear family.

Agreed. Except that Sarah already seems devastated by her father's actions here and the amount it has devastated her mother.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Tonight's episode was all about fallout. It opens with Amber's walk of shame from the golf course gazebo, only too aware of how big a hole she's dug for herself. As Greg said, Amber's "as much about family as any Braverman"; perhaps even more so since the extended family is providing her the first real stability she's ever had. The handling of last week's episode was so important, because it's really easy to hate Amber for what she's done, but in reality it's as much Amber's tragedy as it is Haddie's. This is going to wound both girls in a very deep way. This kind of situation plays out with plenty of high school girls, but at least when your best friend sleeps with your boyfriend you can end the relationship and move on. Haddie can't escape Amber, and that makes moving forward much more difficult. Amber's confession was one of the most heartbreaking moments I've ever seen on TV, with the rawness of emotion that only a teenager can conjure. And because none of the rest of the family has seen what we've seen, Haddie's going to get all of the support and Amber's going to suffer everyone's wrath. Since she's hanging by a thread to begin with -- and wouldn't have slept with Steve if she wasn't -- that could destroy her. It doesn't help her case that Haddie's the good girl who's been present in the family all these years, while Amber's the bad girl who lived in Fresno except for holidays. The only hope is that Sarah, who's just witnessed her mother commit a similar betrayal with similarly understandable reasons, will hear Amber out. The girl is desperately going to need someone in her corner.


I'm finally seeing why they strung for someone of Bonnie Bedelia's caliber for Camille. With this episode we got to see all of the things we never got to see with her other famous spurned wife character, Holly Gennaro/McClane. In the argument on the lawn, Zeek hinted that things might not be as cut and dry as they seemed and Camille's night out certainly pointed that way. My guess is that the relationship between Camille and her art teacher has been ongoing, perhaps even precipitating Zeek's affair, and only now after the real estate lie was the straw that broke the camel's back was she angry enough to go all of the way. Meanwhile, Sarah is the only one of the four who realizes how serious the stakes are for Zeek and Camille. Her reaction to Camille's admission was weary resignation, understanding why Camille did it even as she sees another nail being driven into the coffin of her parents' marriage.


Zeek's stay in Adam's house was fascinating. Even as he blustered around, interrupting the household's carefully constructed rhythms, he was gaining an appreciation of what his son has to deal with and how he handles it. The scene with Zeek watching from the door way as Adam works Max down from his panicked tantrum was incredibly moving for me, as Zeek really gets for the first time what Asperger's is for Max and what that means for Adam. Zeek knows it's worse than anything he's had to deal with, and that scares the shit out of him because there's nothing he can do to ease his son's burden.


Meanwhile, Julia's putting her own marriage into very rocky territory without even realizing it. In many ways, she has the least realistic view of what's happening with the parents of any of the four siblings. By convincing herself that the problems are all about the real estate deal, she thinks solving that will magically fix her parents' marriage. Joel finally stands up for himself, and rightly points out that the shady stuff Timm is involved with is exactly the sort of thing that caused the financial meltdown in the first place. Whatever happens with Zeek's property "up North", gimmicks aren't going to solve it. Since he was a general contractor before he decided to stay home with Sydney, he would presumably be the most informed to explore their options. But instead Julia responds by dismissing his ideas like she would Sydney's. Joel was irritated sitting through Timm's dismissive condesension, but he didn't give a crap about Timm so he could take it. Now Julia's once again made it clear how little respect she has for those who stay home, this time in the most personal possible terms. Joel should have walked, but instead it's another shallowed insult to fuel his resentment. If he can't take a stand, things are going to really crash and burn when he can't take it any more.


Finally, the implosion of his parents' marriage forces Crosby to reassess the way he's been living his life. Rescuing his piano was the impetus, but on a broader scale he's realizing how dependent he was on them under the old paradigm. Touring the apartment was Crosby starting to break out of his holding pattern, even as he realizes how unsettled his life truly is.

 

[John_Lee]

It's usually the smaller, underplayed, moments that get me. Broad, obvious drama shed off my back.


In this most recent episode, it was the change in tone for Adam when he sees Sarah well up while he's on the phone.


Economy is in the crapper, and he is clearly trying to capitalize on a prime profit opportunity, waves her in while summoning the troops on the phone. Then she wells up and just like that it's 'call you back, bye.' . . Click.

 

[Mike Frezon]

"Timmmmmm..."


And it's obvious that they really shouldn't be taking their mother's story as the gospel of what happened between the parents. Those things are seldom black & white issues.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon


But it is also true that Julia doesn't yet know the full story about her parents' break-up. From where she sits in the story right now, she only knows about the real estate investment.


It should still be obvious to her that there's more than just that behind the fight, even if she doesn't know what yet. The idea that things would magically go back to being hunky dory if the real estate problem was no longer an issue is what I found unrealistic and child-like. Even if the real estate deal was the only problem in the marriage, it would take Camille time to get over Zeek's lack of trust.


And it's obvious that they really shouldn't be taking their mother's story as the gospel of what happened between the parents. Those things are seldom black & white issues.

Absolutely.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Wow, that was a raw, emotionally draining episode of television. Excellent, but tough to watch. We are the only ones with the benefit of having seen Amber's side of things, so I hate the way she's being treated. I'm pretty proud of Drew for brothering up. I know Amber messed up bad in a way, but there's also the fact that Steve and Haddie just weren't going to work out and he and Amber like each other. In middle school, there was a girl I liked who liked me, but my friend had a crush on her. When he told me that, I let it stand in the way. I had to be the hero and be loyal to my friend, and she moved on and he moved on, and I was odd man out. It's different when it's family, but still. I was starting to dislike Kristina just a little bit, but I know she's actually justified in her anger and, again, didn't actually see Amber's side (not that it would make much difference). Her pride in Adam at the end did bring me back around.

To lighten things up, Julia looks amazing with her hair down.

 

[Citizen87645]

I think what was so frustrating about Kristina's reaction was her self righteousness. I actually felt kind of pleased about Haddie seeing Amber and Steve kissing. Then I felt bad.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Yeah, my loyalties were definitely with Amber, too. Part of that is because Mae Whitman has that special something as an actress that Lauren Graham has which draws you in so you're feeling their emotions with them. It's what made her a compelling lead in ABC Family's long-forgotten "State of Grace" as a child actress, forgotten through the dark wilderness of character acting bit roles, and makes her riveting here. What this episode captured is how the insecurities of parents impact children. The scene on the step with Sarah and Amber was lovely, as Sarah did exactly what a mother should do. At that moment, they were one soul and Sarah understood exactly where Amber was coming from. But in the face of perfect Adam, she falls back to apologizing. Her need to find self-worth in the opinions of others is reflected in Amber's need to find self-worth in Steve. The scene at the locker between Drew and Amber was perfectly realized, as you see the unbreakable loyalty of these two siblings adrift together in the same cruel dark world. Amber needed Sarah to shield the family from her, but more importantly Amber needed Sarah to say, "you are not worthless; your feelings are not invalid." Amber feels the weight of Adam's judgment on Sarah as Sarah's judgment on her. And that is the recipe for something tragic.


The flip side of that is that Haddie is absolutely right to be furious, even if we don't feel the same emotional pull to her. Breaking up with your boyfriend because you're not willing to have sex only to have him hop into bed with your cousin immediately after is about the most horrendous thing that can happen to a high school romance, short of a pregnancy. Unfortunately for Haddie, Adam sees a lot of himself in her, and so he holds her up to his own impossible standard. His job as a parent was to call up Sarah and uninvite them. Sarah's job as a parent would then have been to tell him to piss off. It wasn't fair to ask Haddie to put aside her betrayal for Max. Considering what she's been through, she's entitled to be selfish for the indefinite future. She sets aside 90 percent of her home life for Max; he could afford to give up this one. But of course the autism walk was more about Adam from the getgo anyway. If I had any problem with this episode, it was the overly convenient timing of Haddie finally sticking up for Amber only to catch her kissing Steve. It's not that the change of events was impossible or even improbable, it's that the continuing betrayal depended on the chain of events happening exactly as they did in the order that they did.


Ironically, I liked Kristina more for being absolutely savage toward Amber and Adam less for being so calm and calculating. It's not their role to worry about Amber; that's Sarah's job. Their role is to be there for their daughter, period. I did feel bad for Adam that everybody abandoned his nuclear unit when he's constantly overextending himself for everyone else's nuclear unit. I don't think his lecture to Sarah at the end was particularly unfair. I just wish it wasn't going richocet off at Amber. Amber wasn't the only reason, or even the main reason, the rest of the family wasn't there. She's got enough crosses to bear without taking the heat for that one too.


In other areas, I was happy to see Zeek's begrudging acceptance of Camille's affair. Even when the news is bad, it's a relief to get it out into the open. Jasmine is poised to again put her personal needs above consideration of Crosby's role as a father (and Jabar's need for a father). And Julia takes the first steps toward appreciating Joel's world. I also think it's completely unfair that Max hasn't been told about his Asperger's diagnosis. Even if he's not fully equipped to understand the implications of the label yet, it's an important part of his identity and he deserves to know about it.


The PSA at the end was for Autism Speaks, an advocacy group founded by former NBC Universal Chairman Bob Wright and his wife Suzanne after their grandson was diagnosed with autism. It supports awareness efforts and focuses on research into autism treatments and cures.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I dunno. This episode didn't do it for me. I see the show trending towards turning into a soap opera. Cheating, marital strife, high school drama, sex and its consequences (injured bodies and hearts--for the young & old), random boob jobs, the cause of the week (autism), lovers fearing potential separation, etc.


If it wasn't for such a strong cast, I fear the material they are working with would be spiraling into B movie material. But because of the cast, I still was moved by the interaction of the family members and their less-than-perfect little world. Lauren Graham & Mae Whitman are doing superb jobs in their roles.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

I dunno. This episode didn't do it for me. I see the show trending towards turning into a soap opera. Cheating, marital strife, high school drama, sex and its consequences (injured bodies and hearts--for the young & old), random boob jobs, the cause of the week (autism), lovers fearing potential separation, etc.


To be fair, the boob job was one of our regular cast, and it wasn't random. The father of one of my school friends, a very prominent doctor in the area, decided a few years back to dump my friend's mother for a younger model. She used some of her alimony to get a boob job and a face lift before moving sound. This wasn't a vain woman, but it's a natural response to such a cruel and heartless rejection.


Since one of the main character is on the autism spectrum, and has been the entire series, it makes perfect sense that the family would jump into autism advocacy functions. It's not like they're taking on a social cause of the week; this is their lives day in and day out 24/7.


The rest of things you list are natural parts of the human experience. In my experience, high school was nothing but drama, the marital strife has been brewing all season long, and Jasmine's audition is the behavior of someone who still doesn't believe Crosby should have equal rights to where and how his son is being raised.


If it wasn't for such a strong cast, I fear the material they are working with would be spiraling into B movie material. But because of the cast, I still was moved by the interaction of the family members and their less-than-perfect little world. Lauren Graham & Mae Whitman are doing superb jobs in their roles.

I agree with you 100 percent on Lauren Graham and Mae Whitman. They're the biggest heavyhitters of the cast at the moment. The last couple episodes Mae Whitman has been carrying the show on her shoulders, and doing it incredibly well.


I think the show is about as natural to real life as you can get within the structure and nature of American television. Why is everything coming to a head now? Because the season finale is imminent. In real life all of these crises probably wouldn't come to a head at once (although I've had plenty of times where everything has gone to hell all at once), but none of them seem overly outrageous or unrealistic to me.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Don't get me wrong Adam. It's still one of the best dramatic hours on television. Probably THE best handsdown if looking at "family drama".


I guess I'm just a little concerned that the story lines are starting to feel a bit too familiar/predictable after such a strong unique start to the series.

The autism segment had that "product placement" feel to it. I liked the way they tied it in to their quandary over whether to tell Max he has autism...but the "walk" itself felt a little forced.


You can imagine how bugged I am by the entire Jasmine/Crosby storyline. I am still completely pissed that he is putting up with her line of bull&%$#.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I thought the boob job storyline was kind of odd until Julia came out with her family's problems and found out the woman wasn't just a weirdo, but was going through some strife herself.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Seemed like a weird program that would get people to bring homemade soup to someone who had a boob job. And who would complain when someone goes out of their way to bring you soup that a) it wasn't homemade and b.) the deliverer had an attitude?


The "floating receipt" line was pretty funny.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's a private school for rich people's kids, predominantly prominent men and trophy wives. Programs like that are designed to fill the non-working parent's day. Joel is undoubtedly burdened with a half-dozen or more such programs and shunted this one Julia's way as a rebuttal to her dismissal of his opinion over the real estate thing.

 

[Marty M]

As Adam mentioned this is a very exclusive private school. This type of thing didn't surprise me at all. Granted, it was trying to stereotyping the type of parents who send their kids to these private schools.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

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.

 

[Greg_S_H]

There's nothing I could add to that, but I also had a good cry from Gilroy on. I made my soul sing to hear Kristina say, "I have to go get her. She's my niece." I can just imagine the emotions Amber was going through when she saw Haddie and Kristina outside the truck stop--guilt, shame, fear about having to confront them. It was easier just to avoid Haddie at school and refuse to go to the walk-a-thon, but you can't avoid them in Gilroy. And, by having the confrontation forced upon her, everything is suddenly better. It was also a teary moment when Sarah and Amber confessed how much they were glad to be mother and daughter.


I suppose there isn't a future for Sarah and Mr. Cyr since Jason Ritter has a new show in the fall. Even though Amber is probably over him, that's likely for the best. There are too many feelings of betrayal in the air to even go there. He really looked like his father tonight, though I think he's shorter and doesn't have a similar voice. I'm a Three's Company fan and this is my first real exposure to John's son.


Three season finales for me so far this week, three winners.