Parenthood: The Offer (5x18)

Jeez, this one was intense! Majorly! Two of the story lines in particular were quite dramatic this week. I'm going to go plot by plot, because unlike last week where everyone's stories really came together and intertwined, in this particular installment, the different family groups were pretty separate from one another.

Zeek and Camille are shocked when an offer comes in on the house, because they weren't ready to sell so soon. Since the man isn't willing to pay asking price, they decide to wait a bit, and not sell until they're ready. However, this man really wants the house, and he raises his offer considerably. Camille and Zeek aren't sure what to do.

This was one of the less shocking and dramatic of the plot threads, but I quite enjoyed it. In particular, it was hilarious when Zeek told Camille that her favorite tree didn't have any type of disease, and that he just told her that so he could cut it down and build his barn. I do wonder, however, when Crosby and Jasmine are going to have a plot of their own. They haven't had much to do lately except for live in Zeek and Camille's house.

Sarah is very anxious about the final version of her photography project. She continually freaks out to Hank, but Hank starts to get the wrong idea, as he gives her a massage to try to ease her tension. She tells him she just wants to be friends, but Hank says he can't be there for her anymore, because it's too confusing for him. However, Hank re-evaluates the situation and decides to show up when Sarah goes in for a meeting with the client. He wants to be there for Sarah if the project doesn't go well. He tells her to be proud of her work no matter what... but no worries, because it does go well! Sarah hugs Hank in celebration.

This was probably my least favorite of the plot threads, although it wasn't bad by any means. I just don't really get where they're going with Sarah and Hank. Are they eventually going to get back together? Or would that just be awkward? Are we completely done with that random Carl guy? I'm happy for Sarah that the photography job went well, and it was cute to see her get so nervous and worked up.

Drew has been blowing off all his classes, trying to avoid Natalie. Eventually Natalie tracks Drew down outside of the one class they don't have together. She says he has no right to be pissed at her for sleeping with Berto, since they weren't together, and Drew ignored her in favor of Amy. Back at Amber's place, Drew gets high and writes sad music. Amber tries to make him go to classes, but Drew says he's sad and just needs to be sad right now. Amber hadn't realized how bad it was, but she agrees to let Drew be sad. Drew plays a sad song he wrote for Amber, and they sing it together.

I had one little problem, here... it's not very realistic that Natalie and Drew would have so many classes together in a big college like that. But that's a nitpick. I love the strength of Amber and Drew's relationship. You don't often see a brother and a sister with such a close bond. I also think these two actors are astounding. They act like real people, which is surprisingly difficult to accomplish. Their relationship feels so natural. Also, I love that Drew is writing crappy love songs to ease his pain. How cute.

Then we've got Max. Kristina is upset to learn that Max doesn't want her to come along on a school field trip. She thinks it will be too hard for him, but Adam says it's time to try giving Max a bit more freedom. However, things go wrong on the field trip. Mr. Knight calls Adam and says that Max had a huge freak out. They go to get Max. Mr. Knight tells Adam that the other kids are cruel to Max, but that usually it doesn't seem to phase him. In the car, Max says he doesn't want to talk about what happened, but eventually he asks his parents why all the other kids hate him, and talks about the intense bullying he's going through. Adam and Kristina are very upset. Kristina even hugs Max, which is something that doesn't happen very often.

This was quite intense. I teared up quite a bit when Max told the truth about what the kids had been doing to him. Kids can be so mean sometimes, and it's just awful to imagine being in Max's position. Or even in Kristina and Adam's positions. They love their son so much, but they don't know how to help him. I cannot praise the acting in this show enough, either. I was very impressed. And although I'm not sure what I think of this whole "let's start a school" plot, I still find Mr. Knight to be a pleasant character.

Finally, we've got Julia and Joel. Joel gets mixed up and goes to the wrong baseball field to pick up Victor, which causes him to be late. Victor feels panicked that Julia will forget to get him after school. Joel buys him a cell phone to reassure him, but Julia is upset that he made this decision without consulting her. Joel says that Victor is dealing with abandonment issues, and Julia points out that this is because Joel moved out. At the dinner table, Sydney explodes, saying that everything was fine before Victor came along, and essentially blames him for Julia and Joel's separation. Victor tries to give the phone back to Joel, and he asks him if the separation is his fault. Joel tells him that it's not, and that no matter what, he will always be their son and they will always love him.

Wow, this made me cry. Victor's panic was, first of all, excellently portrayed by the actor, and secondly, felt very true to his character and experiences. Also, the longer this whole marriage trouble plot goes on, the more on Julia's side I am. I mean, I was mad at her too, for all that stuff with Ed, but ever since Joel left, Julia has been trying so hard, and Joel seems to be putting in no effort. It's infuriating! For me, the most shocking thing to happen in this whole episode was when Sydney burst out that Victor had ruined everything. It seemed so cruel, and yet so true to how a child might actually talk. Kids can say some nasty things.

Well, there you have it. A lot of great plot threads. The only one I didn't quite care for was Sarah and Hank's. My favorite was probably Julia, Joel, and the kids, although I quite liked the Max plot thread too.

8.5/10