Parenthood: Small Victories(S4E13)

Oh, my gosh, all the feels were in this episode.  It took me all this time to sort my thoughts, but boy, do I have thoughts.

Let’s start with the lighter stuff, shall we?

Sarah and Hank are doing their dating thing, but Mark decides to show his big dumb face, and Sarah is all conflicted again.  I really hope she doesn’t get back together with Mark, because they have no chemistry at all, and she and Hank are just so darn adorable, it verges on ridiculous.

Adam and Kristina are also having a bit of a light arc this episode, in that Max is growing up, and boy, does he stink.  And I mean that literally.  Kristina could smell him from the hall, and she insists Adam talk to him about all the changes he’ll be going through.  They start the talk, mostly insisting on more than bi-weekly showers, and Max…doesn’t see the point.  Kristina and Adam regroup, and Kristina makes Adam go in solo like he made her do for Hattie.  Adam is apprehensive, but goes in and gives a kick ass talk, and Max really seems to get it.  Well, he at least decides to take more than two showers a week, so progress?  In any case, it was really cute, and a natural progression for Max, a situation I think Kristina and especially Adam handled really well.

Crosby and Jasmine, on the other hand, are finally reaping the ‘benefits’ of Grandma moving in.  Her stuff is all over the house, she uses the bathroom like she’s the only one in the house, and routines are being altered to fit Grandma’s needs, and Crosby is NOT happy.  At the Luncheonette, Adam and Crosby are discussing the situation when Crosby get a call: Grandma got a job!  Crosby brings home cupcakes to celebrate after dinner, but Grandma isn’t going to take the job for some BS reason or another, and Crosby acts like kind of a douche to her.  She calls Crosby out on it, Crosby is suitably shame-faced, and they kiss and make up, and everyone starts looking for jobs for Grandma.

This storyline was a bit…odd for me.  The writers clearly wanted me to feel sorry for Grandma, but I really felt more empathy Crosby.  I would hate it if someone came into my house like they owned it, and messed around with everything I knew.  And the whole not taking the job she was offered was just frustrating.  I understand the pain this economy causes better than some, and not taking that job was the ultimate in selfishness on her part.

Julia and Joel had a bit rougher go of it than Crosby, though.  Their whole family is still reeling a bit from the baseball bat incident last week, which manifests itself at breakfast:  Viktor is throwing a tantrum over the pancakes which are not from Burger King, the kind his bio-mom used to get for him every morning.  Viktor lets loose with a vulgar tirade, and Julia sends him to his room.  When they go up to check on him, he has the stash of bribery candy Julia kept in her closet.  Julia is understandably pissed, and goes to take the candy from Viktor, who refuses to let go.  Julia refuses as well, and she manages to pull Viktor right off the bed.  Drama!

The next time we see Julia and Joel, there is a cop at the door, with a child abuse complaint.  They interview the kids, and they find nothing wrong, obviously.  Julia and Joel ask the cops to scare Viktor straight, and the officers oblige.  Later, Julia and Joel  try to talk to Viktor, and he is a huge snot to them, and Julia can’t handle it, so she storms away.  The social worker stops by the next evening, which is a normal reaction to the cops being called.  Julia is clearly distressed, and the social worker asks if they want to go through with adoption(?!?), Joel is sure they do, but Julia drops a bomb: she doesn’t.

This whole arc has bothered me from the beginning, and I don’t know that I can articulate why.  I don’t think Julia especially has been tackling the issues Viktor has particularly well, and I am not surprised that it went this far.  They don’t set clear boundaries, and they treat him so differently as to make him feel not part of the family, and that can never end well.

And finally…

Amy and Drew.  This arc is a big part of the reason this recap took so long to get out.  It wasn’t a surprise where the writers went, what with the two of them boinking like bunnies, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

So.  Drew is driving to school with Amy in the passenger seat, she is oddly quiet.  Eventually, she spills the beans:  she’s pregnant.  She tells Drew she’s going to Planned Parenthood to confirm the pregnancy, and then is going to terminate it the next day.  Drew doesn’t particularly want to terminate the baby, but Amy is insistent.  Drew get the money from Amber(who doesn’t tell Sarah or anything), and they go and get the abortion.  The show ended with Drew sobbing into Sarah’s arms, and she has no idea why.

The end of this arc hurt me so much, on a very personal level.  I can’t have children of my own, and to see someone so callously throw away a beautiful blessing like that literally makes me sick to my stomach.  Amy and Drew’s situation is not one that warrants abortion(of which there are very VERY few), and I don’t think personal stupidity on the part of the parents should end the life of a completely innocent child.   I was also not happy that their parents had no involvement whatsoever.  That is a complete and utter ridiculousness that needs to stop immediately.

I did like, though, that they showed the anguish Drew was going through.  It seems like the current narrative on abortion is that the guy gets no say at all, but the effect is not solely on the woman.  I just really wish people would take personal responsibility for their lives, instead of constantly, CONSTANTLY taking the easy way out or blaming someone else for their problems.

And on that happy note, next week, we get Sarah/Hank/Mark drama, yay!