I wish Parenthood was on a little earlier. It airs at 11pm on Thursdays where I live, which means I always sleepily stay up to watch (because it’s Parenthood, I HAVE TO) and then never find time to blog about it on the weekend.
This week’s episode was good, even though so many of the characters annoyed me. Adam, in particular, has never exactly been the kind of guy I think I’d get along with. Here he was at his Adamiest, just going ahead and turning The Luncheonette into a record label without Crosby’s consent. It’s a huge change that you’d think Adam wouldn’t have made without careful research and consideration and, oh, maybe also not while his wife is spending boatloads of money running for office. I don’t like the storyline here very much, but I like the tension it’s causing between Adam and Crosby as brothers/business partners.
I was glad we took a break from the mayoral campaign this week to get back to something the show always does well, a Max and Kristina story. This time, Max had taken photos of a girl at school who was crying and didn’t understand why that was wrong. I think the show did a good job of showing all sides to the situation. The school chose to move Max from yearbook photographer to layout, because he wasn’t doing a good job – messing up basketball games and making kids uncomfortable. It wasn’t fair to the others to accommodate him. But Max was hurt and so was Kristina, and even though I agreed with the school I felt and understood their anger.
I also really like the Zeke and Camille storyline, and how it’s tying into Victor’s literacy struggles. Julia has an excuse to be around to hear Camille out, and Zeke’s old car now serves a greater purpose than creating a mess in the driveway. I think Zeke and Camille’s issue is a good, complicated one and I hope we see it carry out throughout the season.
In that vein, I wish so much that the tension between Julia and Joel right now was only based in their changed domestic roles. I think there is interesting, good material in Julia feeling unfulfilled as a stay-at-home mom, and shut out of Joel’s business dealings. I don’t like the idea of “Pete” as a romantic threat to the marriage – I like her only as a shark in the business world, one that Julia recognizes but Joel could get eaten by.
Finally, I do like the stuff with Sarah, Amber and Ryan. Sarah’s concerns about Amber and Ryan’s marriage aren’t crazy, and I wonder if any of Ryan’s past problems will rear their head again before the wedding.
As an aside: Ryan’s family is dysfunctional. Kristina isn’t close to her mom. Joel’s parents, I think, are dead. Does admission to the Braverman family require not having one family of your own? Only Jasmine’s mom is around, and she’s seen as overbearing and intrusive.
What did you guys think of the show this week?
