The Amber-learns-from-her-accident-courtesy-of-tough-love-Zeek was a disappointing conclusion to the downward spiraling teen’s story arc that powered the last few episodes of Parenthood’s second season. Zeek’s “I dreamed you” tale about how, while fighting in Vietnam, he dreamt of the family and grandkids he’d eventually have, a tale told while standing next to the totaled car in which Amber had been injured, just didn’t do it for me. Newsflash: The accident wasn’t about you Zeek; it was about Amber.
And while I was moved by the slow unraveling of all things Adam — Peter Krause did a great job per usual — I couldn’t help but also become irritated with the implausibility of Sarah’s play suddenly being ready to be performed in front of a packed audience. That just didn’t ring true for me because it didn’t seem as though enough time had elapsed between the moment when Sarah was told her play would be “performed” on stage and the time when the curtain rose. It seemed mighty quick, too quick to be believed.
Aside from being annoyed by the whole play issue, I was also lukewarm toward the Crosby and Jasmine “reunion,” mostly because I’ve never quite warmed to Crosby. Just because he bought a house and was working to renovate it to make “Jasmine’s” dream come true — seriously, whose dream was it, hers or his? — didn’t take away from the fact that he slept with Lyla from Friday Night Lights because he was angry with Jasmine.
As for Julia’s accidental encounter with her daughter’s former teacher, who was in labor and guilted Julia into accompanying her in the delivery room, that was a bit of a stretch for me to buy into, although I liked the story’s eventual destination: It convinced Julia that she was not quite done with raising a baby and she wants to try to adopt.
But the big drama came in the form of the Bravermans, specifically Adam, who not only tried to get through to Max as he was trying to teach him empathy and that a cousin in surgery trumps Max getting pancakes, but struggled to get through to another child, his man-boy, hoodie-clad boss Cory.
Adam’s frustration with Max’s behavior and that the boy lost his pricey retainer, was trumped only by his aggravation with Cory who fired a longtime employee without consulting Adam and installed another man-child in the post. You knew that when Cory showed up in Adam’s office wearing a button-up white shirt and tie that nothing good was going to follow, at least not for Adam. And when Adam was fired, I thought he took it surprisingly well.
For the few brief moments when Adam thought he was going to become a grandpa — after finding a positive pregnancy test in the trash while searching for Max’s retainer — no one could blame him for losing his cool. While this part of Adam’s story was almost exactly like the original 1989 Parenthood movie — when Steve Martin’s character lost his job, had to search through a pizza parlor’s trash bin for his son’s lost retainer and later learned that his wife was pregnant — Krause’s Adam didn’t flip out like Martin’s character did. Adam just laughed because that was really the only thing he could do now that he’s unemployed, has a baby on the way, a 16-year-old who’s having sex with her boyfriend and a son with Asperger’s who often says inappropriate things in the Emergency Room after his cousin was in a serious auto accident.
The intense drama created by the second-to-last episode with Haddie’s admission that she was having sex and drug-addled Amber’s accident made this episode seem like a letdown. But to end it with Adam and Kristina was, in fact, a good choice. It made up for some of the weaker elements of Parenthood’s season finale.
Clacked by Meredith O'Brien 
on Apr 20, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Nice tie in with the Parenthood movie. I have forgotten the details of the movie. I was also annoyed by the whole Sara’s play story, it did not ring true. Overall, still a good episode.
You’re forgetting that Sarah’s play is a one time deal in a series of readings sponsored by a university. It will not be done weekly, etc. The guy she met last week from Wings thought it was good enough to include in his series. The audience, no doubt, attends every reading, so that cannot be accounted to her work, either. The clapping, that is attributed to her particular read.
I loved this finale. I saw the Zeek-Amber exchange differently though. I saw it not about him, but his way of telling Amber she wasn’t alone, she was part of a family and a family that loved her. I thought it was a touching way to get through to her and something she needed to hear.
That wasn’t the full play, just a performed read-through. May have still gone a tad fast, but I was ok with that. Sometimes, things like that do happen quickly.
You and I have seen the Crosby-Jasmine thing differently this whole season, but I liked how this played out. I’m not sure that they will get back together, but her showing up was a good sign. They have a son together and they love each other, so I think they should talk about it. Yes, Crosby slept with someone else, but Jasmine also pushed him away. That doesn’t mean it was ok for him to do it, but it is something forgivable. She ran away, he slept with someone else … not an affair, I one time rebellious action. For the first time, Crosby saw Jasmine and could see them living the future she wanted and wants to give that to her. What’s wrong about that?
Julia being there for the teacher’s birth. That seemed contrived, but it worked. I’m intrigued to see how she reacts to Adam and Kristina’s baby news.
I liked how the retainer issue was reversed from the movie. In the movie, it was the son who demanded that his father find the retainer. While the show as not followed the movie, I do like how this season ended giving a nod to the movie but in tune with the show.
My favorite line, “Wear a condom.” – Adam Not something I would have expected from Adam, but fits at the same time.
Wow, I could write so much more, but I think I’ve written too much already. Hope the show gets a third season pickup and based on the finale ratings it looks like it will!
I also really loved the finale. I really didn’t like Zeek’s character early on (especially last season), but I am beginning to appreciate him and how he supports his kids, especially Sarah. It’s those little scenes when nobody’s looking (like the Amber scene here, and the Luke scene with his friends when they were drinking beer) that make him shine. He steps up and acts strong and has an impact on his grandkids.
I also enjoyed the read-through and thought it was uncanny the way the actors really did portray the Bravermans very well.
Even though Amber apologized to both her mom and to Luke, I’m not sure there’s a lasting sincerity behind it. I thought she had undergone a change mid-season, around the time Luke was hanging out with their dad and she had ditched Kelsey. She was starting to be a little less defiant. But then things came undone for her again. I am not sure if this accident (or Zeek’s pep-talk) really hit home or if she was just scared into submission for a time.
I, too, am wondering if and how Julia and Kristina’s relationship will be strained due to Kristina’s pregnancy …