Review: 'Parenthood' - 'Hey, If You're Not Using That Baby...': Brothers in business
Some more silly moments, but fine acting to elevate them
Erika Christensen on "Parenthood."
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A review of last night's "Parenthood" coming up just as soon as I can name all 21 California missions...
"Parenthood" often takes its characters to places that are some combination of silly, implausible or annoying, and yet the show's writers, directors and actors so often find a way to compensate for that.
Take Julia's baby-buying obsession, which gave this episode its title. Horrible on the face of it, but the show treated it as such. Joel (arguably the show's most trustworthy, sympathetic character) tries his damndest to convince her of how insane this plan is, and she listens for a bit, and when she finally can't control her baby cravings any longer, the coffee girl is appropriately hurt and disgusted with her.
Or take the Alex situation. The way the show set it up last week was inane - what high school kid would call the cops on his own underage drinking party, and/or what cops wouldn't also arrest the host for allowing such a thing to go on? - and it mainly seems like an excuse to make Sarah Ramos cry for whole episodes each week, and yet Michael B. Jordan was so, so good in the last scene(*) that I will forgive this storyline a lot.
(*) It reminded me very much of his similar performance in the "He never taught me how to be better!" scene from early in the final "Friday Night Lights" season, in that Jordan took a fairly trite sentiment and made it seem very raw and real.
If you've been reading my "Parenthood" reviews long enough, you know that Max is the one area where the show can do no wrong in my eyes, and his transition to a public school was very well-done - difficult to sit through in some parts (Max sparring with the teacher, Max failing to make friends at lunch), sweet in others (Max becoming pals with Jabbar and his younger friends, who aren't old enough to notice or care the ways that Max is different) and another good showcase for Monica Potter, who's never better than when Kristina's worried about Max.
As for the other sibling storylines, I still don't 100% buy that Adam would turn down the reliable but soul-crushing beverage job for Crosby's crazy idea, but I recognize that there are certain avenues a show like this has to travel, and hopefully the interaction between the two brothers will be worth the implausibility. And it's a pleasure to have Jason Ritter back for a while, as he and Lauren Graham work very well together.(**)
(**) Maybe the wedding he wants to take her to will turn out to be The Event!
What did everybody else think?
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Login or create a HitFix account Login Signupmatt_webb_mitovich
September 21, 2011 at 9:48AM EST Reply to CommentYears ago, I turned down a reliable but soul-crushing job in order to take a flyer on a career writing about TV. It's turning out OK!
chutneylix Do you have any job openings?
September 21, 2011 at 12:23PM ESTChampSkins
September 21, 2011 at 9:49AM EST Reply to CommentOnly issue I have is still with the Alex and Haddie storyline. Still can't get over that the parents would press charges when so many underage kids were drinking at the party. And that Alex was so uninterested in Haddie at first, that his all of a sudden "I can't live without you" speech sorta felt a little off. I love Michael B Jordan, and definitely feel he can do no wrong, but that storyline just is not working for me.
Other than that, I am loving everything else. Even though Jason Ritter is supposed to be so much younger than Laura Graham on the show, their chemistry really is great.
Zach On the surface, I agree with this bit:
September 21, 2011 at 10:56AM EST"and that Alex was so uninterested in Haddie at first, that his all of a sudden... "
Except that, don't forget, at this point they've been seeing each other for almost a year already and even big tough guys can develop emotional attachments rather quickly, especially if they don't have anyone else.
Agreed about calling the cops, though.
Eve
September 21, 2011 at 9:50AM EST Reply to Comment(**) Maybe the wedding he wants to take her to will turn out to be The Event!
THAT made me laugh more then the 2 episodes of HIMYM from yesterday :)
I hope Jason Ritter stays on for more than a while, as i really like the chemistry betweem him and Graham
Hannah Lee EVE, I feel the same way (about Alan's joke and Jason Ritter)
September 21, 2011 at 12:00PM ESTAnd Michael B. Jordan was fantastic last night.
amg
September 21, 2011 at 10:00AM EST Reply to CommentThe Max story was excellently done, and yes, so much so that it was uncomfortable to watch at moments. Definitely what this show does best. Kudos to the writers and the actors--that could not have been easy.
I was less crazy about the Alex storyline. It still really bothers me that Haddie gets no fall out for being so disrespectful about the drinking issue. And I didn't buy that Alex would be so over-the-top needy for her. Yes, Haddie is all he has, and I get him not wanting to lose her, but he held her to higher standards in the past, I thought, and there should be room for that in their relationship. His acting is great, no doubt, and I'm glad they didn't just have Haddie get mad about the record and manufacture a fight, but it still all feels a bit excessively sensationalist to me.
The drenched-in-history recording studio will be a heck of an excuse to bring on all kinds of musical guest stars--for a show that definitely knows music, that could be a lot of fun.
jerseygirl
September 21, 2011 at 10:07AM EST Reply to CommentIt seems to me that in the real world, you would take the soda-selling job for the salary, and be a partner with your brother at the same time...have some income while the music studio is growing. But...that wouldn't leave enough time for the inevitable sibling issues that will be coming.
LJA Yeah, Adam turning down a job with benefits seems unlikely. But scenes with Peter Krause and Dax Shephard are consistently one of the best things about Parenthood, so I'm in.
September 21, 2011 at 12:40PM ESTI also really dug the scene last night between Adam and Zeke.
Michaela
September 21, 2011 at 3:14PM EST Reply to CommentI want to believe that this is the last we'll see of latte girl, but I really fear this is going to be a season-long arc. The fear is in large part because I still can't stand Julia, and in just two episodes she has reached new levels of boundary ignorance coupled with shrillness.
Do NOT bond with her, latte girl.
Scott Rosenberg
September 21, 2011 at 3:22PM EST Reply to CommentThought it was a fairly strong episode on all fronts. Parenthood seems to be very good in many cases on avoiding melodrama and staying true to it's many characters; the trade-off is that when those characters are actually really annoying (ie, half of the time we see Julia or Kristina), servicing them can be grating. But even with the both of them in their least favorable lights at points, it didn't drag this particular ep down too much.
One thing that really bothered me - and maybe someone else can comment here - was the conceit of all the Braverman youngins going to the same school together. Having Julia help Crosby get Jabbar into a snooty private school was a good story and has generated good material in the whole Joel-Crosby musical mess last season. Now they've waived their magic wand and turned it into a K-6 public school so that Max can go also, which requires a conceit that their parents all live in a single town, which I don't take to be the case. It forces a cute scene at the end, but when you realize that Jabbar and friends are 6 and Max is 11, it doesn't make that much sense. After all, exactly how into beast-slaying is your typical first grader?
September 21, 2011 at 5:59PM ESTEverything else is so real and wonderful that I'm willing to overlook the details in some spots.
Lisa If I remember correctly, it was never a private school. It was always a public charter school (Sycamore, I think?) Given that all of the siblings live fairly close together, it strikes me as plausible that their kids would all go to the same charter school.
September 23, 2011 at 9:14AM ESTsheed
September 22, 2011 at 7:45AM EST Reply to CommentI find Haddie crazy annoying. Why is Drew even on the show? The pregnant coffee chick has gotten more screen time then him.
September 22, 2011 at 6:18PM ESTwjmtv
September 22, 2011 at 10:12AM EST Reply to CommentI would never in a billion years take an artsy-fartsy risky job over a reliable one, no matter how soul-crushing, but I think Adam absolutely made the right decision. Albeit for a reason that no one but me apparently gave a second thought to: he has a pre-teen with autism, and a baby on the way. Under no circumstances should he be away from home even for one night, let alone most of them.
So although he's taking a chance here, I'm behind him 100%.
I was thrilled to see Michael B cut loose at the kitchen table. I've been thinking his talents were wasted on this show, no matter how cute he is.
Finally, Sarah also did the right thing in my universe. Again, I would never pursue a man 12 years younger than I. For Mr. Cyr, I would make an exception. Happily.
Ellie
September 22, 2011 at 12:17PM EST Reply to CommentI just can't get past the insane Haddie/Alex story. How is there no mention of the culpability of the parents? Seriously, the police just missed the fact that there was a house full of underage, drunken high school students? I love MBJ, but his character and story arc have been written strangely from the get-go. Other than the occasional brilliant scene, he's wasted on this show.
I'm dubious of the Adam/Crosby scheme, but I'll keep an open mind.
Please, writers, give Julia/Joel a decent storyline.
As a mother to a son with difficulties, not quite up to Max's level, but in the same ballpark, I find the Kristina/Max scenes very well done - often heartbreaking. The kid is terrific.
Jon
September 22, 2011 at 12:40PM EST Reply to CommentWouldn't have he just done the recording studio job on the side? I can't believe the initial time commitment would have to fall within "core-working hours."
The_NV He's got a kid with autism and a pregnant wife. Beverage distribution may be boring, but it probably involves long hours plus the travel. How much time would he really have to commit to the recording studio? Something would have to give.
September 22, 2011 at 1:48PM ESTI don't think it's weird or unrealistic that a guy who took a chance 15 years ago on an idea he was passionate about would do the same thing 15 years later.
E
September 22, 2011 at 5:04PM EST Reply to CommentThe part about Max making his first friends with the help of his cousin is very realistic. It doesn't matter that they're a few years younger. Kids who already know a person help him make friends - it's true with regular children, and even moreso with children with Aspergers and other forms of autism.
What I find odd, though, is that they "mainstreamed" Max without a behavioral aide in the classroom and without the teacher getting any professional guidance (at least that's the impression I got from the episode). That is a recipe for disaster.
Kelli Oliver George re: Max not having a para there, I agree. Those classroom scenes did not ring true for me. The lunchroom/playground scenes did ring true.
September 25, 2011 at 11:07AM ESTMy autistic nephew is 2 years older than my son. I know the day is coming when my son will notice the differences, but in the meantime, I cherish how much my son looks up to my nephew.