Parenthood - Season 2 thread (2 Viewers)

Parenthood returns this Tuesday the 14th. I was surprised to see it on my DVR's schedule. I believe it's my first returning show of the fall. I'll post a reminder on Tuesday if someone else doesn't first.

Thanks for the info. I also didn't know it started that soon. This quickly became one of our favorite shows last season.

Thanks for letting us know, Greg! I just happened upon this extended preview for season two (warning, minor spoilers):

I see the gang has already started to gather...

 

Lauren Graham looked pretty good in the EW article from this week. Might have undergone a re-juv treatment or two over the break.

It said in the paper that she and Krause are dating. That's incest!

Originally Posted by Greg_S_H

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Evidently you don't watch "Dexter", that brother/sister Dex/Deb combo married one another.

Peter Krause is one lucky dude.

 

I think you meant, "I'm one lucky dude."

 

[SIZE= 9px]Mike, your wife is reading this![/SIZE]

 

And I hope she doesn't wear bifocals progressive lenses.  

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

Evidently you don't watch "Dexter", that brother/sister Dex/Deb combo married one another.
 

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Or go much further back to The Brady Bunch, with the mom in a relationship with one of the sons.

This is your final reminder: Parenthood in less that two hours!

Good premiere. Nothing to compare with the stellar last few episodes of the first season, but that's to be expected. All of those storylines reached their logical conclusions, and it will take time for the show to ramp up the new storylines. I liked how the job thing with Sarah worked out; I hate shows where dream jobs just magically fall out of the sky -- especially in times like these -- but what happened here can and does happen across the country. Part of it is who you know, not what you know but Sarah also really stuck her neck out to push Adam for it. And it's not a dream job, it's a foot in the door. I could really relate to that opening shot of the leaky roof dripping on Sarah's copy of What Color is Your Parachute?

 

It looks like the show's angling to pair Crosby up with Max's sexy behavioral therapist. In other circumstances I'd find that icky, but Jasmine has made it explicitly clear to Crosby that their relationship is not her priority. When you go the extra mile and she won't go an extra inch, he can't be blamed for taking the hint. I just hope the show doesn't loose track of Crosby's relationship with Jabar in the process. It doesn't look like that's going to be a problem.

 

It was nice to see Joel stand up to Zeek, and it was nice seeing Zeek's unexpected reaction. Joel was so acquiescent over the course of the first season, when his built-up anger occasionally boiled over he came across as really passive aggressive. It was also interesting to learn that Joel is a stay-at-home father by circumstance rather than choice. It's hard to feel bad for someone living the lifestyle they have chosen, but knowing that Joel was just trying to keep an upbeat attitude about an unexpected and not entirely desired situation changes how I look at his story through the whole first season.

 

My mother was Kristina when I learned how to drive. She still won't ride in the car with me behind the wheel unless she has no other alternative.

 

My favorite storyline this week was Haddie's with Max. Max clearly is a burden for Haddie, but for all of that what she told her mother by the duct taped minivan was still true. She's dealing with a lot more than the average suburban teenager, but really appreciates all of it.

I don't know, I thought this was one of the best episodes of the series.

 

I will say this, though some know. My wife & I have an autistic son, who, through his life has had some pretty difficult times. We're eagerly awaiting his return home this week from institutional care which has been very good for his rage related issues. While super bright (highest math and science weighted scores in his grade level), his tolerance for others, the way they act, their inability to conform with what he expects really, really can set him off.. and, it has at times been a real struggle because of the rotation between brilliant scholar and furious, sometimes terrifying 11 year old.

 

But they addressed two issues tonight that don't get enough credit and they really I thought rolled from last year and pierced a bubble.

 

Unlike Max on the show, we knew about our child very, very early on.. (before he was a toddler) and he had help early. But for a large part of the family, on both sides, autism is so hard to explain that in the chance times they were around him, it just didn't click with them at all "oh, he's just different". We would explain about the issues with rage, the destruction of property, the need to lock some doors at night for fear of what could happen.. and family kind of can laugh that off. Until they see it.

 

Tonight, they did that. The look on Crosby's face as he was right there for a meltdown - which is something I remember all too well - is exactly the way people react when they finally see it. There is a level of disbelief amongst others "well, oh, he's autistic, ok, have you tried a different kind of milk? I'm sure people are making it worse then it is" and then they see it. I remember sitting in a room at my inlaws house as an 8 year old went out of his way screaming "stop eating around me! stop eating around me!' and picking up and trying to smash all of the plates and cups he could find to stop people from eating. Up until that point, the concept of "he's autistic" just didn't register. But that moment changed it. The suggestions for "oh, well, that's nice.." went away.


Crosby had that moment tonight. He kind of new Max was different.. oh, give him big hugs, let's love the kid up, it's all OK, he'll just be different.. and then he sees it, the way things can go wrong in a hurry, and he realizes: this is not what I thought it was at all. That, to me was a great scene.


The other scene, which Adam mentions is one that I think also doesn't get enough play. There is a bit of "what happens when we pass away" that hits you when you realize the odds of a child living on their own and providing for themselves may be a longshot.
 

I think Haddie had subconciously thought about it, but it was one of those back of the mind things. And then, there it was: "I worry about what happens for him when we're gone.. oh, not that I'd do that to you.." but Haddie knows the truth: with her parents gone, who else is there? " And she lays up in bed over Max and he drills it home "this would be fun everynight" and it clicks in: this could be every night.

 

I tend to really poo-poo a lot of shows that have made having an autistic child a centerpiece because, to be honest, a lot of them put forward situations that are laughable, overdramatic and they are so about stupid things that I haven't met anyone in any parents group ever deal with. Season 1 ran into some moments like that where I thought: "this just isn't very good.." and we'd go to parent support meetings and a lot of us would joke and mention the show here and there and the portrayal and laugh it off.


Tonight though hit on a few of the darkest thoughts all of us have in our heads about our kids. What happens when we are gone. Who takes care of a son/daughter. And, how will family react when something "real" happens in front of them, and it isn't as cute or easy to understand as they want it to be.

 

To me, a great, great episode.

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

Part of it is who you know, not what you know but Sarah also really stuck her neck out to push Adam for it. And it's not a dream job, it's a foot in the door.

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Kind of bad timing, though. Bringing in family may be the thing that finally costs Adam his job. I wonder if they're going to go the route of having Adam fired but Sarah staying on at the company. The most interesting thing would be for Adam to be fired for it, Sarah never getting on at the company at all, and her having to deal with blaming herself.
 

Really nice post, Matt.
 

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

 

It looks like the show's angling to pair Crosby up with Max's sexy behavioral therapist. In other circumstances I'd find that icky, but Jasmine has made it explicitly clear to Crosby that their relationship is not her priority. When you go the extra mile and she won't go an extra inch, he can't be blamed for taking the hint. I just hope the show doesn't loose track of Crosby's relationship with Jabar in the process. It doesn't look like that's going to be a problem.

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Ooooh. Minka Kelly (if it's good enough for Derek Jeter...).
 

I'll be glad to see Jabar's mom out of the picture. And there will be two new built-in story lines with that: Crosby's relationship with her family (while she's gone) and they need to care for Jabar. And, the inevitability of her returning and insinuating herself back into their lives when it is convenient for her (and the show's writers) to do so later on.  

Matt, your post is a perfect example of how what we bring to drama determines what we get out of it. You brought a lot more to the table for this episode and got a lot more out of it. Thanks for sharing your experience so personally; it helped me appreciate what I watched more.
 

Originally Posted by Greg_S_H

 

I'll be glad to see Jabar's mom out of the picture. And there will be two new built-in story lines with that: Crosby's relationship with her family (while she's gone) and they need to care for Jabar. And, the inevitability of her returning and insinuating herself back into their lives when it is convenient for her (and the show's writers) to do so later on.

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I'd love to see Crosby as the single dad. Even if that happens, I don't think Jasmine's going to be completely out of the picture. Everyone I knew growing up in a single parent home had a unique bond with that parent. As much as Jasmine thinks she's up for putting her career back at the forefront again, I think she's really going to bristle if she suddenly finds herself the odd one out.

 

EDIT: I was breezing through the episode again just now and I stopped on the scene at the end where Adam offers Sarah the internship, and I was struck by what a wonderful exception this show is: It's a series populated by decent people trying their best to make the right decisions. The men are responsible and generally role models instead of childish scumbags, the women are caring and intelligent and observant instead of vindictive and manipulative sex objects. I can count on one hand the number of shows I watch that focuses on all the main characters trying to rise above their flaws instead of reveling in their flaws.

I realize I probably drew things out of this others did not. But I found those moments so nuanced, so right that I was pretty surprised.

 

But those small things are the kind of things that other shows really "paint by numbers" on, and they just miss. They come across as phony. and I think even people who don't live the situation can spot a phony.


The fact that they took the effort to get those moments right says a lot to me about the efforts in writing this show.

I enjoy this show a lot, but I definitely don't watch it on the same level as some of you guys do. It's pretty light-fare to me. But very well done.

 

Dax Shepard was in studio with Howard Stern this morning promoting a new movie coming out Friday. It was a really good interview and he was very open about everything. Told a story about an appearance on Conan early in his career (during his days on Punk'd) that I assume never got on the air where he passed out in the middle of the interview and broke the coffee table. He has since remained sober for 6 years.

Matt, great post. That really helps me better appreciate the show.

Adam, I agree completely about the quality of the characters.

It was a good start to the season. And I'm looking forward to Crosby hooking up with Gabby. That's going to be amusing when Peter finds out

Fantastic hour of television. I felt really bad for Adam the entire hour, but the brilliant thing about it was that none of the people who were causing him torment were being bad. Noel is a monster, but you can't blame his parents for needing some space as their marriage crumbles, and they don't seem to have anyone else to turn to. Sure, they pushed things too far, but how are you supposed to tell them that with everything they're going through? So in the mean time, hell. Billy Baldwin is playing a prototypical Billy Baldwin role, a man designed for Lifetime Original Movies. Sarah was being Sarah, both at lunch and in general. It made his work situation harder, but he should have expected that. His mistake was not establishing the ground rules up front. The blowup was harsh but necessary; he would have gone crazy if he had to endure Sarah being Sarah, while he's building up an ulcer worrying if he'll be fired.

 

On the flip side, Sarah probably wouldn't have gotten the message if there hadn't been a blow up. And she's already stressed out because she's losing control of her family between interning during the day and tending bar during the night. For someone who has always been indispensable to her children, it's got to really hurt seeing them getting along just fine with the grandparents. And it's got to be scary seeing your kids pulling away from you when they've been your only anchor for the better part of two decades.

 

Julia and Joel are again heading toward disaster, as she steps in and plays amateur hour with the parental social sphere, only to the leave the mess to him when it turns into a disaster.

 

Crosby's situation is the most immediately combustible. He's got a united front against him, and he's only beginning to realize it. On the one hand, he's absolutely right: he's the boy's father, and his parental rights should trump the grandmother's any day of the week. Any argument about the grandmother having more experience with housing Jabbar long term is bullshit, since that inequity only exists because Crosby was unfairly denied the opportunity to develop that experience by Jasmine. On the other hand, if he's going to stand up and demand to be a co-equal parent for Jabbar, he needs to create a kid-geared environment for Jabbar that would hold up in court. He's still living a single man's lifestyle, and he's got to make a choice as to whether he gives up that lifestyle or gives up being anything more than a dad with visitation rights.

 

Loved the ending. You couldn't really blame Adam for just kicking back and enjoying a beer in the empty house, but going to the restaurant was the right and responsible thing to do. He could have chosen to be a Phil but he didn't and that's a very good thing.