What I’m Watching: Parenthood

Parenthood: Season 2, Episode 13 “Opening Night” (B+)

Talk about some good drama in this episode. I’m referring mostly to Haddie’s rather loose plan to hide her continued relationship with Alex from her parents falling apart. Their breakup is made especially powerful by the fact that Alex is in fact much more mature and responsible than Adam or Kristina might have thought, but that’s exactly what in their eyes makes him the wrong choice for Haddie at this stage of her life. His apology at Adam’s office was a particularly strong scene, and it’s always great to have the inimitable Amber come in to save the day with some unfiltered honesty. It was also a rare treat to see some less prominently-featured characters get a chance to interact, most notably Kristina and her mother-in-law (though I’d still love to see Jasmine get a chance to dialog with some of the Bravermans other than just her fiancé and son). Sarah was entertaining in her efforts to help her slacker son sell his Christmas wrapping paper in January, and it’s nice that Zeek came through in the end and helped bail out both Drew and Sarah. I find it relatively funny that, in the show’s universe, only the children of the two parents in charge of directing the play could contend for solos, but it’s hardly problematic, especially since it allows Jabar to do some growing while Crosby also firmly establishes his role as a parent, in addition to creating a humorous scene with a very Julia-like Sydney negotiating with Crosby.