Parenthood: Age ain’t nothin’ but a number

So. He’s 19. 

Last week, after Kristina and Adam came to the painstaking decision that Haddie should not be allowed to see Alex, I had to wonder just how old the guy was. They’d never told us. Well, now we know. He’s 19. And I’ve gotta say…I’m inching over to Team Alex. 

But first, let’s talk about the amazing moment between Haddie and Amber this week. I love Amber’s character so much. Everything she said to Haddie was perfect. Even though Amber was helping Haddie lie to her parents, she still managed to get in some words of wisdom – and she did it in a way that didn’t automatically put Haddie on the defense. Amber was exactly right. People with addiction problems become different people when they drink, use drugs, whatever. And six months sober is not a very long time. And that is a lot to handle. Nothing she said changed Haddie’s mind. I woudn’t expect anything to change Haddie’s mind, because she’s 16 years old and Alex is an unbelievably sweet and kind guy. But it was a beautiful scene. 

And what a first date! Alex really launched himself into dream guy territory with that one. Thank god he didn’t select Twilight as the featured flick. I also loved how he referenced that Haddie had already watched Love Actually with “that Steve guy”. Yet as much as I love Alex, I can’t help but worry that this will all blow up in Haddie’s face. We saw in the promos that Adam will find out she’s been seeing Alex behind her back, and I definitely saw that drama coming. And I have a feeling Alex won’t be thrilled to learn that Haddie had been lying to her parents after he delivered such a great speech about honesty when they had him over for dinner. No, I fear that Alex will fall off the wagon and everyone will get to think “I told you so” when Haddie can’t handle it.

A simpler but equally touching storyline this week was Amber and Sarah’s. It was just so realistic and well done. Everyone flipped when they found out Amber was going to sing at an open mic night, but that just put added pressure on the poor girl. And Sarah obviously meant well when she was trying to help Amber with her song. She was being super supportive and everything she said was right. But it was too much for Amber. Scenes between Mae Whitman and Lauren Graham on this show are always amazing, and this was no different. I like how the writers have worked Amber and Drew’s dad into the plot this season without actually having him be present. The phone call on Thanksgiving, the fears about addiction, and now the passion for music, are all ways that we’re reminded these kids do have a father even though he’s not around. It’s more artfully done, I think, than some other shows I’ve watched (like Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars) that have dealt with an absentee parent. I just read that John Corbett, who I love, is signed on to be a recurring character on the show as deadbeat dad Seth, so let’s hope they keep up the good work.

I’m less sure about how I feel when it comes to Adam. On the one hand, I like the idea of Adam feeling insecure about his job. At 41, there’s a good chance that he’s been aged out of a company he put a lot of time and effort into. He already has a lot of pressures at home and this added pressure will only make his character more interesting. I’ve never particularly liked Adam, but I’ve always respected how he handles all that is on his plate. I also think this pressure will bring out his best and worst qualities. He needs to loosen up in order to gel with the new boss and move in the direction the company is going. But can he? The defining characteristic of Adam Braverman has been “tense”. On the other hand, we know that he is smart and hardworking and loyal. Those qualities make me think he’ll make the situation work. 

The new boss, however, came across as a pretty big cliche. This week this is not a problem. He was portrayed in the exact way that Adam Braverman sees him – a lazy, irresponsible, unreliable stoner dude. For this storyline to work, though, they need to develop the character past the stoner-genuis cliche. He can’t just be super creative and save the company, they need to show us why he is the kind of guy who can save the company. Also, does Sarah still work there? As of the Thanksgiving episode she did, so I’d like to see her meet the new boss. 

Obviously, the stuff with the school play was just sort of icing on the cake of a good episode. Frothy, fun, but not particularly meaningful. It worked though, because this wasn’t a particularly serious episode and we needed to see Crosby and Joel resolve their issues. I’d like to see those guys become friends, and I think the groundwork for that is slowly being laid. I loved the way Joel made Crosby deliver a whole speech about how much he needed him to help with the play even though Julia had already told him. 

Overall I thought it was a good episode, and a nice comedic departure from last week’s super-serious themes. Here’s some little bonus moments that I loved: