Parenthood – Is Sarah being played?

Much of the emphasis of the latest episode of Parenthood was on Adam and Crosby trying to jump-start their new recording studio gig by booking a marquee musician to work with them — well before they were actually ready for him — an opportunity that arose on the same day Adam and Kristina’s new baby came home from the hospital.

But the story that most interested me this week was, surprisingly, Sarah’s as she debated how involved she should get with her alcoholic, battered, ex-husband’s attempt to get sober.

Finally — finally! — Sarah looked like an adult who was making her own choices with firm conviction, with the exception of her turning to Daddy to see what he thought about Seth going to rehab. Sarah informed Seth, whom she’d cleaned up after he sustained a bloody beating, that if he didn’t get sober she’d obtain a restraining order and make sure he didn’t see their children. She’d be done with him if he didn’t go to rehab. And she even sounded like she meant it.

Obviously Seth doesn’t want to be done with her, something Sarah knows deep down inside but is pretending to ignore right now because she doesn’t want to freak out her English teacher boyfriend any more than he already is by the whole situation. The scene where Sarah summoned Amber and Drew to her little bungalow to discuss, as a family, the fact that Seth (John Corbett) is going to rehab, and to see Seth reach out and hold her hand delivered a crystal clear message: They are a family, which leaves Mark firmly on the outside looking in.

Sarah displayed some long overdue chutzpah in that she found the money for Seth’s private rehab treatment, despite Zeek’s vigorous objections, turning to the only Braverman family that has some money prudently saved: Julia and Joel who were also on Zeek’s “idiot kid” list because Zeek didn’t like the sound of the verbal adoption agreement they’ve struck with Zoe, the woman who sells coffee in Julia’s office. (I’m actually with Zeek on this front because this adoption has “trouble” written all over it.)

I was applauding when Joel finally stood up to Zeek — who, you may recall, put himself into financial jeopardy with a bad investment and wanted to hide it from Camille back in the first season — and told his father-in-law to stop treating his adult offspring like they were children. It’s about time someone pushed back against the blowhard.

It was likewise a welcome sight to see that Kristina didn’t just seamlessly add a newborn to her home and continue plugging away as though nothing life-altering had occurred. She was, as new mothers tend to be, bone tired. As she walked around with Nora in a baby sling, Kristina barely had enough energy to get dressed, never mind pick up the house and proofread her eldest child’s college essay immediately. Plus with Adam essentially gone for 48 hours straight at the recording studio, it was refreshing to see this transition to a three-kid family played realistically.

And while I’ve been down on this season’s Amber storyline, I admire the relationship the writers are developing between Amber and Drew, with Amber playing the wise advisor to her younger sibling. Their relationship will become a vital lifeline as their mother ventures down the emotionally rocky route with their father as the quiet, cerebral Mark gets slowly squeezed out of the picture.

Clacked by Meredith O'Brien
on Oct 19, 2011 @ 14:45 EST5EDT