Not every plot in the episode forced this kind of thinking for me, though. I reveled in Zoe's rebellion from Julia, particularly because it brought reality and human emotion into an plot that's never been that grounded. One of my main issues with the "Joel and Julia buy a baby" thing is that we've not gotten to know what's been going on in Zoe's head; last week that changed and we saw the cracks beginning to form at the birthing class, but this week, everything fell apart. It was only a matter of time, of course, considering the fact that Zoe wanted a closed adoption to begin with and she's now living with the soon-to-be parents of the child she's giving up. But I'm glad that she took a stand against Julia and Joel, as the two have been so laser-focused on getting a baby that they've not really been thinking about anything else. They may be giving Zoe money (out of guilt) and wanting her to move back in, but they don't care about what the imminent birth was doing to her psyche or how they've not had the proper therapy to make this whole thing easier on everyone. No, they only want an 8 lb screaming bundle of joy in their arms; I mean, in "Politics", did they ever mention any concern for Zoe and her emotional/mental well-being? They fretted about her changing her mind about giving them the baby and that's it, so having Zoe finally stand up and speak for herself for once was one of the first times I truly felt this plot.
Feelings were the subject of Crosby's time with Jasmine, as in unresolved feelings on Crosby's part that were stirred up by his ex wanting to move in with her boyfriend of a few months. (They got together around November and season 3 has been unfolding in real-time.) Even though it ended on a promising note, with Crosby giving Jasmine a peace offering of a handmade doorknob he crafted for their house, I can't shake the feeling that we'll be getting a reunion sometime by the end of the season. Jasmine's reaction to Joe asking her to move in was muted at best, Crosby's drunk bellyaching to Lilly about Jasmine did some damage to their young relationship, and the final moments between the two were brimming with things unsaid; they've been struggling to overcome their mutual feelings ever since their break-up late last season and I don't think it's a battle that's quite over yet. I thought that Crosby was on his way to getting over Jasmine, especially once Lilly came into the picture, but after checking out "Politics", it's obvious he'd dump her in a heartbeat if Jasmine asked him back and that makes me sad. The two never had a healthy relationship and never quite gelled, but mainly because it'd cut off a really intriguing well of single co-parenting stories that don't get explored often on TV. It'd be taking the easy way out to throw them back together and say what you want, but Parenthood's at its best when it challenges and engages the viewer.
I didn't hate "Politics", despite the tone that may emanate from this review; I'm more worried/curious about where Parenthood will be going in its final three episodes of the season. I like certain aspects of every storyline, but none have 100% gelled for me this season and it's getting down to crunchtime for everything to start hitting on all cylinders. I do have faith that everything will coalesce in a sensitive, thoughtful manner that has been a near-constant for Parenthood, but with several stories teetering between heartfelt and artificial, you can't blame someone for a little scowling in the meantime.
Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Don't call it a little outfit."
-"It's a shame about her face because it's not pretty."
-"AKA Panda."
-"Honey, you're special. Take that in." You guys, Sarah needs to be my mom.
-"I love you, too, yay!"
-Here's a little information about an incompetent cervix, just in case you were curious.
-Pablo Sandoval's full nickname is Kung Fu Panda.
-Unfortunately, the fear of hot tubs doesn't have a name yet, otherwise I'd share that, too.
-Kerouac and Burroughs indeed lived and worked in Morocco, specifically Tangier. (Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch there.)
-Mark and Sarah on a bed, giggling at yearbooks exemplifies everything I love about their chemistry.
-Did anybody notice that Kirsten and Sarah kinda sorta resembled one another?
-The only story that didn't leave much of an impression on me is the Adam/Crosby trip to save Dawes from falling into dastardly sound engineer Brent's evil clutches. Decent filler, but it was just kind of there and we've seen Adam be needlessly sanctimonious enough.
-The guy that plays Bob (Jonathan Tucker) reminds me of Tobey Maguire at times. Do you agree?
-NBC did a Parenthood promo based on TV reviews and guess who got left out? I'm obviously the Susan Lucci of 15 second TV ads.
-Next week on Parenthood: Julia tries not to overly involved herself in Zoe's life, Bob and Amber go off on a weekend business trip together, Max tries to use his Asperger's to get out of P.E., and Drew reacts to the possibility of a new sibling.
Good article; however, I long for a Crosby & Jasmine Reunion! I love them together, and I think they can be together exploring married life & parenting as a happy couple and still make it interesting. They can still have issues, but we need a beautiful wedding. There have been so many baby stories, but not any weddings. They need a big, crazy wedding as happy and crazy as season 1 Thanksgiving episode, which remains my favorite!