What I’m Watching: Parenthood

Parenthood: Season 2, Episode 14 “A House Divided” (B+)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that it would be nice to see fringe characters, a.k.a. non-Bravermans, paired up with some atypical company. I was speaking specifically about Joel and Jasmine interacting, and I’m thrilled that Jasmine got a chance to interact with the rest of the family, even if it was limited to an exchange of hugs and some awkward forced structuring from Julia in her very meticulously planned party. I want to commend this show for positively dealing with Adam’s accidental drug dose. For one thing, it was completely hilarious, but Adam also managed to prove himself a good, responsible dad by talking Max down as he was having his tantrum in the woods with Zeek. I once read in some TV dictionary in a bookstore that few series actually show people smoking pot and then going back to their normal lives, and “Six Feet Under,” on which Peter Krause used to star, was one of the few examples that didn’t resort to “after-school specials” or overindulgence in broad comedy. Adam’s reactions were funny but appropriately tempered, and it was therefore a great plotline. Monica Potter was great in this episode as well, and this Hattie plotline is proving to have much more dramatic meat to it than I had initially thought it might. Watching Sarah talk to her boss about her merits and a potential raise was yet another realization that both Adam and Sarah are very lucky to have jobs, and that it’s equally true that they’re not quite the right fits for their current positions.