Parenthood - Season 2 thread (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Originally Posted by DaveF

And it was funny and beautiful watching all the non-churched Braverman's not following prayer rules and winking and smirking at each other, while Zeke and (I think) Renee, were eyes-closed and reverent.

Yeah, that was an important moment for me toward understanding Renee; would she get all pissed off because it was so casual? No, she understood the sentiment behind Zeek's words, and appreciated both the gesture of the prayer and the content of the prayer. That she can have a sense of humor about something so important to her says something really good about her.


The other important thing about that prayer was Camille's reaction. She isn't smirking with the rest of the family, even though a part of her has to be basking in Zeek's humiliation of himself. She sees what he's aiming to do, and agrees with it. And when he uses the prayer to express something he maybe doesn't know how to express in the usual avenues, she hears that too. He's grateful for the food and the hands that prepared it, but he's grateful first and foremost for her. Even with the giant fracture point in their marriage, these little bits cross the divide, and they matter. It's yet another way that he's showing her that he has changed, whatever she might say.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by DaveF

Yeah. Pretty much a throwaway episode.

Ok. I'm caught up on this series now.


The Thanksgiving was one of my favorites. My wife and I were laughing the whole way! And after the stress of recent episodes, it was good to have a break. Something light and fun. But it was also something of a reflection on the entire family: Every person was involved. Every character had at least a few minutes that touched on who they are and where they are.

[/QUOTE]

But, Dave...while I said that not much happened to further-along the story-lines, I also enjoyed the episode for the same reasons you mentioned.

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

Further proof that the strength of the show is in the family relationships. The interaction of the main characters is excellent...making a "throwaway" episode like this one a treat to watch for those very reasons. But not too many plots got moved forward, that's for sure.

 

[DaveF]

I disagree with "throwaway"


As Adam noted, crucial events happened. This was a turning-point episode for several storylines. It brought us to the precipice. Next year, we fall off the cliff.

 

[Kazz]

Parenting is not an easy chore.

 

[DaveF]

uh...


We're talking about the TV show, not the actual raising of children

 

[Mike Frezon]

No...but parenting is not an easy chore.

Can't deny it.

 

[Greg_S_H]

This is back on this week. Probably don't need to remind you in the age of the Divver, but sometimes they can slip up.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Tonight!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This show is just excellent week in and week out. Tonight's return had me siding with people I don't usually side with. Normally I'm on Crosby's side 100 percent, but Jasmine was right about his relationship with Jabar. Crosby's coasted by for the most part on being Jabar's friend so far, and that was fine when he was developing the relationship he'd been deprived of for the previous five years. But now he's a full-time father, and that means more than just having a good time. Incidentally, Crosby's good at having a good time, but very bad at confronting people. Confronting your kid's one of the hardest things of all, especially when you're still keenly feeling the years you were absent. I liked that Crosby got pissed a bit at the end when Jabar threw his temper tantrum. A lesser show would have had Crosby cave to keep lovable old Crosby lovable old Crosby. But he didn't. He realized that only being Jabar's friend meant never having his respect. And he'd rather have his son yell "I hate you!" at him than have his son dismiss him as a sucker.


I also thought the alcohol storyline was handled exactly right. Zeek handled it perfectly, stopping a bad thing from happening while recognized that it was out of character for Drew. At the same time, Sarah confronted something I've been waiting for her to confront for a while on this show: her ex-husband is an addict. Her kids are predisposed to be come addicts.


My grandfather was an alcoholic before he died. My uncle is an alcoholic. My aunt is a heavy drinker. My mother several packs a day for years before Chantix finally enabled her to quit a year or so ago. Had she been able to hold her alcohol, I have no doubt that she too would have been an alcoholic. In other words, three of the four children of my grandfather, an addict, had some level of addictive traits. This has had a profound impact on the choices I've made in my life, and it needs to have a profound impact on kids like Amber and Drew, too. Maybe they'll be lucky and be among the 40 percent of children with addicts who don't become addicts themselves. But, statistically speaking, at least one of them will be.


At the same time, she didn't unload all of that baggage onto her father. She understood what he was trying to do, and appreciates the role he's filling in Drew's life. To Zeek's credit, he got what she was saying, too. He doesn't like or respect Seth, and the prospect of Drew turning into him scares the crap out of him. But it also takes the plays from his playbook and leaves him fumbling. Watching him grope around trying to get his bearings again made me like him all the more for the clumsiness of it. I also liked the moment in the guest house where he uses a moment where Julia's distracted to make sure Sarah and him are okay.


I also found myself siding with Julia when it came to explaining death to Sydney. It's fine that Joel is an atheist, and if they choose to raise Sydney in a secular household that's their choice. But a 6-year-old being exposed to the idea that all life is finite needs a heaven. In this case, there is nothing to be gained by the truth, and a lot of cruelty saved by what may or may not be a lie, but is most definitely well-intentioned. It made me like Joel more at the end, seeing him come to more or less the same conclusion.


Far and away the the best story line was "Look who's coming to dinner?" with Alex. There were so many opportunities for deceit and deception, and the show avoided all of them. Alex was forthright, polite and honest. He didn't shy away from any of his baggage, and presented himself as a guest in their home. Kristina was clearly uncomfortable, but grudgingly found him the model of his progressive, suburban values. Adam, on the other hand, listened to him and heard a man of his own character. In Alex, he saw a man extricating himself from a bad situation in the upstanding manner that he himself would have pursued. They say girls look for men just like their daddys, and despite the enormously different back story, Haddie has. That this is who she brought home speaks well of her, but also pays an enormous complement to the example Adam has set as a father. By the end of the dinner, Adam really admired Alex---and that's not something you see from him very often.


And yet, all that baggage is still to much to leave either of them comfortable with Haddie dating him. It sounds harsh, but if I were in their shoes, I'd feel much the same way. If Haddie had been upfront with Alex, I think despite being disappointed even he would have understood.


At the same time, I can't really fault Haddie for pursuing the road she has. Are her parent right? Will this end badly? Absolutely. They were right to try to protect her. But Haddie's lived a sheltered, straight-laced life. She's never seriously misbehaved or colored outside the lines. Compared to the bad choices many teenagers make, Alex isn't even a particularly bad investment -- just one to big for her to take on at this point in her life. So yes, it will end badly. But Haddie needs the experience of being rebellious and paying the consequences. However it turns out will teach Haddie far more than breaking it off would have.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Has Alex' age yet been revealed?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Old enough that he would have been expected to graduate high school under better circumstances, young enough that it was surprising he had his own place already. My guess is 18 or 19.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I wish the people working on both sides of the camera could read your comments, Adam, because I think they'd appreciate how much you pay attention and respond to the story they're telling. Also, I hope you'll give Friday Night Lights a look, because it is very much Parenthood's sister show. The first season in particular is spectacular for many the same reasons that this show is.

 

[Derek Miner]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt /forum/thread/303728/parenthood-season-2-thread/90#post_3767784

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Thanks, guys! I really appreciate the kind words. Every season, it seems, I find that one show that drives me to verbosity. Since it premiered, "Parenthood" has been that show. I will say that reading my posts over the next morning, it's astounding how many grammatical errors and typos slip in at 1 or 2 AM when I'm pounding these posts out. The "to"/"too"/"two" errors were particularly bad this week.

[/quote]
The good news is that it doesn't take a lot to meet NBC's benchmark at 10 PM. The network is still recovering from the Jay Leno debacle, which destroyed two perfectly good brands in the process.


(Off-topic, but: I'm glad I wasn't the only one irked by NOF. Yes, it's a goofy show about a family with superpowers. That's no excuse for being too lazy to write the characters like full-fledged human beings. And I can guarantee that if someone wiped the last few months of my life away and I had to get what memories I could back second-hand, I wouldn't be running for class president the next day. Either would anyone else I know.)

 

[Derek Miner]

Did we get our first inside joke on the show last night? Being that Mae Whitman has worked with Michael Cera on Arrested Development and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

 

[Citizen87645]

This show makes me misty every week. I love the growing relationship between Sarah and Amber.


Coincidentally, I was sent this ridiculous but interesting article today: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html


Who knows, maybe it would make a good TV show? But it would definitely be the anti-Parenthood.

 

[ScottH]

I think the anti-Parenthood is that new show 'Shameless' on Showtime.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Originally Posted by Cameron Yee

This show makes me misty every week. I love the growing relationship between Sarah and Amber.


Coincidentally, I was sent this ridiculous but interesting article today: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html


Who knows, maybe it would make a good TV show? But it would definitely be the anti-Parenthood.

I'm tempted to put that article link on my facebook page, just to see what sort of reaction my friends have on tough Asian mothers. Obviously my mom wasn't tough enough on me. Tee hee.

 

[Citizen87645]

Apparently there's been a bit of a backlash against the author. I think you should expect it if you recount Joan Crawford-like exploits with your daughter.


My mom wasn't tough enough on me either.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Yeah, I can't play piano or violin.