What I’m Watching: Parenthood

Parenthood: Season 6, Episode 5 “The Scale of Affection is Fluid” (B+)

If last week was about parents, this episode was about children. Many of them were adults, of course, but it’s still about seeing life through a younger lens and looking up to parents as the source of approval. That rang particularly true for Crosby, who was rebelling so aggressively against Jasmine’s very literal grounding of his freedom that he felt the need to push the limits all the time, unprepared for the realization that no one, even his bear-facing father, is invincible. Adam was a barrel of laughs in this hour, acting like a child when he saw Julia’s new boyfriend at the house and forcing him to stay and then incurring Kristina’s wrath when he encouraged Max to go for it with his crush. I like that Max’s boldness impressed Dylan without fully winning her over, and it seems that things might actually work out for Max provided he stops reading the books he got immediately. Amber’s coffee spill turned dog park date was cute, and it’s a shame that the state of her pregnancy is hitting her so hard. Joel’s reaction to seeing Chris playing basketball with his former family was heartbreaking, and Julia seems to be taking his anger in stride, ready to show the whole world that she’s doing what she wants with her life. I was disappointed to learn that each cast member would be absent from an episode of this season due to contract cuts, but I think that’s been artfully handled so far, with Sarah not being around in this hour easily explained away by a line from Crosby and not being too problematic.