Parenthood - The Big 'O'

Network: NBC

Summary: Kristina's constant worrying affects her and Adam's sex life, and the worrying only gets worse when Max starts working with Gaby, a young behavioral aide. Sarah debates whether she should go out on a date with Amber's teacher Mr. Cyr. Meanwhile, Crosby tries to muster up the courage to tell his parents about Jabbar, and Julia gets jealous of a mom in Joel's playgroup.

Review: In just a few short weeks, this show has really grown on me.  Though the pilot episode was confusing and bit of a downer,  it's really turned around since then.  Which is just another reason why you should never doubt the wonder that is Ron Howard.

Every family member had a storyline in this episode, but it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as it was in the first episode.  Perhaps that's because we know who the characters are now (and we've grown attached to them).  Or perhaps it's because the writing has just gotten better.  I'm not completely sure, but whatever it is, it's working.

Okay, just a quick point: could they possibly get cuter kids to act on this show?  One minute I'm going, "Aw, look, Max is playing with a kid his age, he's the cutest," and then Sidney is sitting with her arms around her best friend and I'm like, "Aw, that's so adorable, she's definitely the cutest," and then Crosby brings Jabbar to meet his parents and Jabbar introduces himself and shakes their hands, and I'm like, "Aw, no, look how mature he is, he's definitely the cutest," and then it starts all over again.

Sorry, had to get that out.

It's sort of a segue to a larger observation about the show.  The little kids (and the parents who take care of them) were a main focus of this episode, and everyone handled themselves wonderfully.  There aren't really any weak links in the acting chain here.  I really believe that everyone is related, and they fall into their family roles well.  The last couple episodes were good examples of this, with Amber babysitting for Sidney and Adam playing ball with Drew.  I like a show that can put any of the characters in a scene together and not make the audience question the decision.

Parenthood also does a good job of mixing the serious, the sweet, and the silly.  Though I said previously that I expected it to be funnier, I've readjusted my expectations since then, and now I'm pleased with the results.  It's not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not a super-serious drama either.  It's got enough light-hearted moments that you never get depressed, and it has enough sweet family love to leave even the coldest heart warmed.  There are several different styles of humor at work--witty, slapstick, awkward--and they mesh together nicely with the serious moments.

This episode focused a little more on Kristina than the others.  In this case, Adam was a supporting character to deal with Kristina's issues, instead of the other way around, and I liked that they switched it up.  She's had so much to deal with, it was nice to see her finally break down in a very realistic way. 

Realism is the name of the game, and I think this episode helped prove that.  Joel and Julia dealt with a relationship hurdle as well, and I think both their reactions were more realistic than you normally get from a television show.  Sure, Julia got jealous and angry, but they talked it out and ultimately handled it in the mature way you'd hope most married couples would.

The only bit of this episode I had trouble with was Sarah's decision to date Amber's teacher.  Perhaps it's because I still can't wipe the memory of Lauren Graham making the same bad decision as Lorelai Gilmore, but I was upset that she decided to give in and go out with him.  I was hoping she would take Amber's feelings (and obvious crush) into account and at least wait until her daughter was out of the class.  As Amber's teacher, I think he should have thought of that before asking her mother out as well.  The previews for next week teased that Sarah would tell Amber everything, so at least she's not going to hide it.  I still can't imagine that will go well.

This is becoming a highly anticipated show for me, though it still doesn't quite have the pull that, say, Criminal Minds does.  I'm looking forward to seeing these characters and their relationships develop more as the series goes on.  

Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad