Parenthood — Zeek reveals his softer side

Sentimentality was doled out by the truck full in the first Parenthood episode of the year as the Braverman clan piled into their vehicles, forming a crazy caravan to drive hundreds of miles to visit Zeek’s mother Blanche (of course she’s named Blanche) while Kristina tried (and failed) to place some limits on Max.

Putting aside the Sarah getting busy with Mark thread for a moment, this was probably the first time I’ve been moved by anything that the impatient, irritating blowhard Zeek has done or said. Craig T. Nelson finally allowed some genuine cracks to open up in his gruff facade, giving viewers a glimpse into the inner, deeply insecure Zeek who, even in his 60s, remains cowed by his aged mother, still craves her approval and believes that his life has been a failure save for one thing: How he raised his four children. And that turned out to be a pretty sad reveal, particularly for his character, almost like exposing the Wizard of Oz as the little, scared man behind the curtain who, in reality, feels powerless. To witness Zeek expose his tender underbelly and be so vulnerable — he didn’t seem this vulnerable when his wife was cheating on him — was startling. It was long overdue for his character which, for the most part, I’ve found thoroughly unlikable.

Also delightful was the interplay between the four generations, the depictions of the many complicated layers and contradictory emotions that exist within a family, many of which are largely kept under wraps, not discussed or ignored. Everybody’s family has some kinds of omnipresent tensions, issues that push and pull members toward and away from one another so to see this come to fruition in Zeek, placing him in the child role as opposed to the parental role, explained a great deal.

Take, for example, how Zeek harped on Adam about Kristina’s absence, then told his adult children, who’d rearranged their lives to accommodate his request, that they all “sucked” and childishly took off the next morning without telling them. He was the one who felt as though he sucked, at least in his mother’s eyes. He felt emotionally abandoned by his mother, thus his pointed pronouncement that he told his children he loved them every day when they were kids so there would be no question. So what did Zeek do? He abandoned his kids at the motel who, like him, were just trying to please a parent. This family could benefit from some major counseling don’t you think? Maybe they could get a bulk rate.

Over in Adam and Kristina’s house, Kristina finally put her foot down with Max — whom she usually allows to get away with everything — by grounding him from the trip after he called her a “bitch” twice and hurled pillows at her. Despite resistance from Adam, she said she simply couldn’t cave on the punishment because Max needed to respect her and her authority. It was a powerful yet uncomfortable series of scenes watching Max try to make amends by cleaning his room and making “dinner.” But seeing the card Max made for his great grandmother pushed Kristina into familar, softie territory, undermining her entire effort. Boom! There went $500 and Kristina’s credibility down the drain.

As for Drew walking in on Sarah and Mark, that annoyed me, both the way she responded to learning about what he son had seen and the way she acted like a teenager with a crush when she was having a wildly inappropriate on the cell phone with Mark, clearly discussing something sexual, in front of her kids. And besides, who just walks into his mother’s bedroom without knocking first? Talk about boundaries …

Clacked by Meredith O'Brien
on Jan 04, 2012 @ 16:05 EST5EDT