What I’m Watching: Parenthood

Parenthood: Season 5, Episode 7 “Speaking of Baggage” (B+)

This episode was all about family, with some of the usually spotlighted children left out in favor of the ever-endearing Max and the rarely-featured Drew. Max finding the picture of Sarah opened up a big can of worms that Hank definitely didn’t want to deal with, and I loved just how entertained Crosby was to be talking about how Sarah has package at the family dinner table. Natalie coming into Drew’s room and hooking up with him while she was drunk seemed like an unfortunate inflation of Drew’s perception of the relationship, but after they talked, it looks like she’s actually more into him than she first indicated, which should make him happy. I’m hopeful that Ryan’s purchase of a ring means that some of Amber’s doubts about the longevity of their relationship will be quashed, though he might be just as concerned about her flirtatious, touchy-feely behavior with the band. Her idea was pretty smart, and it’s good to see something work out, especially when it solved a major work issue for Crosby and Adam. Julia listening to Ed’s voicemail and then showing up at Joel’s work for a booty call was intense, and it concerns me that she’s turning to him so much for comfort while he’s away, since their divorce would surely be an ugly one if it got to that, and Joel wouldn’t hesitate to sleep with Pete at that point, which would be decidedly bad for business. The family reacted poorly to the news of Camille’s solo trip, but it seems that it really did hit Zeek the hardest, and let’s hope it doesn’t send him too deep into depression.