Parenthood: The Enchanting Mr. Knight (5x16)

Plot, plot, plot! Let's do this.

Crosby can't understand why his mother wants to sell the house, and thinks his father is being steam rolled in the decision making. Crosby tells Camille that she's being selfish, and Camille gets very angry, and yells at Zeek for complaining about selling the house to Crosby. In the end, Jasmine and Crosby decide they have to leave, but when they offer to move out, Camille sees it for the peace offering that it is, and tells Crosby that the house is his home for as long as he needs it to be.

This was nice. Crosby made a big mistake calling Camille selfish, but Camille didn't stand for it. I'm loving how assertive she is, and how much she's willing to stand up for what she truly wants. Crosby got put in his place, and it was wonderful. Jasmine was a good supportive wife, and she and Crosby actually seemed to be on the same page.

Adam and Kristina go in for Kristina's check up, making Adam very nervous about the results. The two of them are excited to go ahead with their plan to create a new school, especially when they learn that Max's teacher Mr. Knight took away Max's chair. Kristina is livid, but when she meets Mr. Knight, she learns that he has these great philosophies about teaching, and thinks Max learns better on his feet, moving around. When Kristina and Adam discuss their plan for a charter school, Mr. Knight expresses his skepticism. He says he's known a lot of parents who get a school going and then let it go once their own kid graduates. Kristina and Adam get the good news that Kristina is cancer-free, and they decide that despite Mr. Knight's warnings, this school is something they really want to do. They even show up to talk with Mr. Knight, and he gets excited about the project and agrees to talk with them about getting it started.

Noooo. Just stop it. I'm happy that Kristina's tests were clean. There was a really touching moment when Adam started tearing up, since he had been so afraid of bad news. But besides that, I really did not enjoy this plot thread. You're telling me that their enthusiasm and energy are just so amazing that they're going to succeed with this school? And now they have Mr. Knight, and he's just magically on board? It's too easy. And I'm sure there will be challenges ahead, but through it all, Kristina and Adam will annoyingly and unrealistically persevere and succeed. Why are they pushing things so hard? I suppose I can praise the acting, though... Kristina's concern for Max was excellently portrayed.

Sarah and Hank continue to work on the photography job together, and Sarah takes things with Carl to the next step. When he announces that he's going to Africa for work for one week, he invites Sarah to come with him. At first, Sarah says yes. When Hank finds out (because Max let it slip) he goes to Dr. Pelikan, and the doctor encourages him to tell Sarah how he feels. Hank goes to Sarah's apartment and tells her that he feels like she's throwing away her career for a guy, and it seems like this is a pattern with her. Sarah goes to Carl and tells him that she can't go to Africa after all. She promised herself that this would be the year of Sarah, and she can't let herself be distracted. This means that when Carl gets back from Africa, they can't continue their relationship. Sarah goes to Hank and tells him that she didn't go to Africa, and the two of them continue working on the project together.

I have mixed feelings about this. I like the idea that Sarah is getting distracted by Carl, and that she decides to focus on herself. However, I didn't feel like there was any buildup to this. I had no idea that we were supposed to think Carl was a bad idea for these reasons. Without the buildup, it felt sort of strange. However, I love the continued evidence of Hank's willingness to change, and the way that he tries to communicate openly with Sarah. A bit of a mixed bag, but it was still enjoyable to watch.

Amber shows up at Drew's college and insists that the two of them need to start moving on from their breakups. She makes Drew promise to go to a frat party, but once there, Amber realizes that she's way out of her element, and she can't find anyone to hook up with. Drew's roommate Berto tries to make a pass at her, but she rejects him and leaves. Natalie turns up to talk to Drew, but she finds out that he's looking to hook up with someone, and she leaves, pissed.

Mae Whitman was hilarious as Amber in this episode. When Berto tries to kiss her and she backs away, she just says "No!" in this hilariously disgusted and high pitched squeaky voice. She cracked me up. I'm not sure, however, what I think of the rest of the plot thread. Natalie confuses me. What are we supposed to think of her? Do we like her? Do we want Drew to be with her? I feel like the show itself doesn't know the answers to these questions. It seems a bit directionless. Natalie just sort of annoys me.

Julia and Ed have to work together for Earth Week, which is really stressful for Julia. Ed tries to talk to her about her separation with Joel, but she shuts him down, unwilling to discuss the topic with him. Julia messes up and says that Sydney can stay with her for the night, but Joel insists that they stick to the schedule, so Sydney goes with Joel, even though she doesn't want to. Sydney is bitter and angry with Julia the next day, but Ed swoops in and saves the day. Later, Julia goes to Ed's house and thanks him for his help. She brings him dinner, and after a brief hesitation, goes inside to eat with him.

Oh, Julia. What are you doing? If you want any chance of getting back together with Joel, you really can't even talk to Ed. I feel like Joel is being a bit unreasonable about things, and he's definitely not acknowledging how difficult this must be for Julia. However, Julia's making some pretty big mistakes here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - I loved this plot thread. I'm upset about the characters, but it's making for very interesting, very intense television.

There you are! I had some mixed reactions to some of the things going on here, but overall this was an okay episode.

7.5/10