Flint area ‘Parenthood’ fans continue to be impressed with how this show, now in its 3rd season, highlights real-life family issues that are both timeless and relevant. Last night, January 3rd, an all-new episode aired locally on WEYI NBC25. Debra Myott of Flint has watched the show since its inception and said:
‘Parenthood is the only show on TV that I constantly relate to almost all of the storylines, because it’s about issues that real American families face. The Bravermans aren’t super rich and the story doesn’t take place in some swanky East or West Coast celebrity scene. What I love is how the show focuses on how families can fight and be frustrated with each other, but, they ultimately love each other anyway, through all of life’s ups and downs.’
In last night's 'Road Trip' episode, Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) organizes a spontaneous family road trip to see his mother for her 86th birthday. The episode focuses on a child's craving for parental love, as well as a parent's craving for love and approval from their children, and the fact that parent/child dynamics are often very tricky and emotional things to balance.
In a very intense opening scene, Kristina (Monica Potter) packs for the family road trip to Grandma Blanche's and asks Max (Max Burkholder) to stop playing his video game to get ready to go. When he doesn’t respond, Kristina shuts the TV off and Max is furious and calls her a bitch, twice. Kristina is appalled and hurt, and tells Max his punishment is that he can’t go on the trip. He’s upset, but she stands her ground, even when Adam (Peter Krause) asks if she can choose another punishment, as he knows Zeek wants the whole family there.
‘Parenthood’ does a remarkable job portraying how a family deals with the daily and often emotional challenges surrounding having an autistic child, as Kristina and Adam work to adapt their lives and work to help Max function and feel loved and supported in the face of his Asperger’s Syndrome. In this episode, Kristina realizes she has issued many unheeded warnings to Max for behavioral issues, and in order to help him the most, she needs to follow through with his pronounced punishment.
So, Adam and Haddie (Sarah Ramos) go alone to meet the other siblings at Zeek’s. As predicted, Zeek is upset Kristina, Max and the baby aren’t going on the trip and gives Adam a hard time. Adam maintains that his first priority is to stand behind his wife’s parenting decision.
Zeek distributes walkie-talkies and mapped routes to the kids and they follow each other caravan-style. Adam tries to make conversation with Haddie along the way, and is frustrated when all she wants to do is text her friend.
Plus, Zeek is taking a recliner to his mom as a birthday gift. When they stop for lunch, Zeek orders Crosby (Dax Shephard) to keep an eye on the chair out the window of the restaurant. Zeek goes to the bathroom, finds Adam there and yells at him some more about Kristina’s absence, and returns to find the chair was stolen.
Zeek is furious and blames Adam and Crosby. Adam is fed up with Zeek’s attitude and all of the siblings agree to abort the trip and let Zeek and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) drive on alone.
Why is it so difficult for parents and children to get along, to see each other's perspective or meet or understand each other's expectations?
In a 2007 'Psychology Today' article, Nando Pelusi, Ph.D. said:
'We're on the same team as our parents, but we don't play the same positions. We share 50 percent of our genes with each of our parents, but we differ in the other 50. This has emotional consequences.'
During the return trip, Haddie apologizes to Adam for not paying attention to him and tells him she’ll miss hanging out with him when she’s away at college. He tells her he overreacted, then feels guilty about bailing on his own father.
Meanwhile, back at home, Max cleans his room and makes Kristina dinner in an effort to make her happy and get her to change her mind about the trip. She eventually sees Max’s huge attempt at making amends and books them a last minute flight to join the others.
Zeek gets to his mom’s and discovers she went to play bridge. He’s upset she didn’t cancel her plans and then Kristina arrives with the kids. He tells her he screwed everything up for them and she reminds him that he’s a great father – to his own kids, and to her. She thanks him making her feel more like family in his family than in her own.
It’s also clear that Zeek never felt he met up to his own mother’s expectations. His mother arrives, followed by the rest of the Braverman clan who turned around.
When she makes fun of the hat Zeek gave her from a truck stop souvenir shop, Crosby sticks up for his dad and tells her that he actually bought her a recliner, that was stolen en route from the back of the pickup truck he was supposed to be watching.
In a very poignant scene, Zeek tells his mother that he told his kids every day they were growing up that he loved them, so that it was always clear. She pauses and says, ‘Of course I love you, you’re my baby.’
Sarah (Lauren Graham) is highly embarrassed in this episode, when she finds out Drew (Miles Heizer) walked in on her and Mark (Jason Ritter) having sex. Drew is mortified and doesn't even want to look at her. She tries to draw him out to talk about it, and he says he's going to need time, especially since he not only saw his mom, but his teacher with his mom. (Um, yeah. How awkward is that...)
The very basic and ageless need for parental love and approval is shown in Zeek, Adam, Max, Kristina, and Crosby in this week's episode, as well as the reciprocal need for parents to be loved by their children, as Sarah tries to remind Drew that she's a mom and a person, Adam vies for Haddie’s attention, Kristina is hurt by Max’s outburst and Zeek wants all of his children to love and respect him and abide by his wishes, above their own personal circumstances.
Family vacation antics are also teased at and in ‘Road Trip’, ‘Parenthood’, once again, provides a loving reflection of ourselves and our own familes, or other families around us.
‘Parenthood’ airs Tuesdays in Flint on WEYI NBC25 at 10 PM EST.
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