For how bothered I was by these two aspects of "Road Trip", there was more than enough to make up for them in an episode of moments that felt both too real and well-earned. In the former category, look no further than Kristina's reaction to being called a bitch by Max and Sarah's awkward talk with Drew about what he say. While Sarah's stammering, aimless sort-of apology to Drew was an uncomfortable mother-son moment at its finest, Kristina's stunned expression upon hearing Max's insult was real in a different sense, a more painful sense. It resonated with me from seeing how she's been put through the emotional wringer by his Asperger's and tried to do everything for him to feel normal all series long. She can be shrill and histrionic, but Kristina Braverman loves her children more than anything and to see her receive that kind of body blow was a tough (but fascinating) watch. On the other side go things like Zeek's past being illuminated a little. I'm not, nor will I ever be, a Zeek Braverman fan, but being let in on the root of why he is the way he is has been a long time coming. He doesn't get excused for having a poor mother that devalued and overly critiqued him, which made him overcompensate once he had his own family, but I feel like his behavior makes more sense. Zeek Braverman is a bull in an emotional china shop, but I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him when he picked up the childhood pictures of him on the piano and, presumably, wonder why Blanche couldn't give him the kind of love that she was giving to her great grandchildren then. It was a quick moment, but it said more about Zeek the man that just about any storyline could.
"Road Trip" ended up being a (mostly) wonderful wallow in the Braverman Family Dysfunction Junction that brought a little levity to things before wielding the Drama Sledgehammer like a champion. It felt nice to take a breather from baby issues, money troubles, and the struggles of being a co-parent and just spend time with the Bravermans again; as intriguing as the show can be when it world builds through significant others, bosses, and co-workers, Parenthood can really crank out a good episode by going more insular and exploring the family relationships. As much as the TV-ized "epiphany/reunion" scene bugged me to death, I think that everything else in "Road Trip" was so strong (and so realistic) that I can look over it. Last season, Parenthood hit a creative stride following winter break and if they keep the level of "Road Trip" going during the final six weeks of this season, they may be able to outdo it.
Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-"Is this like a paper GPS or...?"
-"I don't have my flak jacket. We're going into a combat zone."
-On Julia trying to work on a legal brief: "Doesn't look very brief."
-"He didn't have the kind of parents that you kids have." "Smokin' hot?"
-"It's cute. It's like a sitcom."
-"You've got us all piled in the car like sharecroppers."
-"It's her hips, you know, could be sold for parts, but she can hear."
-"Moms don't have sex." "On the other hand, here you are."
-The (admittedly sweet) ending made me think of the Parks & Rec episode "End of the World". Anybody else?
-I loved the opening sequence that gave us a glimpse at how every family was having a rough go at getting ready.
-Did anybody else think Adam's juvenile little tantrum in the store mirrored Zeek's "you suck" moment? I think Adam's more like his dad than even he understands, which could be another reason he was the main leader in the movement to forgive Zeek.
-In the Braverman universe, it's the first post-holiday week, too. Spooky.
-Do you think we'll hear from Grandma Blanche again? I'm leaning toward no. I also didn't understand the timeline of her familial involvement. If they hadn't been to see her in at least 10 years (she turned 86 tonight and Camille mentioned that they hadn't celebrated her 85th, 84th, or 76th), how could Max vividly remember that the last time she saw him, she mentioned she liked bugs, too? Had he always been into bugs?
-If you missed my recent article on Parenthood that gave some spoilers for the rest of season 3, you can check that out here.
-Next week on Parenthood: A newspaper piece on the Luncheonette leaves Crosby jealous of Adam, Amber gets acquainted with her new job, and The Season of the Baby continues.
Really great review, Shilo. Put mine to shame. For some reason i wasnt able to eloquently process my thoughts in a timely fashion but you did so beautifully. Even though i am a huge Zeek fan, i can see where yiu were coming from. Nice job.
My thoughts are similar on Sarah's talk with Drew… So her son comes in and see his sister's former teacher taking mom to pong town and the best she could come up with.. well, I'm people too.. that's how you're here?
Right… send the boy to "Screwed-up ville" why doncha?