Parenthood: Vegas (6x01)

I love this show so much. If I could have my way, it would keep getting renewed forever and forever. There are plenty of other shows I wouldn't mind saying goodbye to... so why is it that Parenthood is starting its very last season?! This premiere is nice and strong, continuing threads from last season while introducing some interesting new elements. Let's start with a plot summary.

Zeek and Camille are all moved in to their new home now. Sarah, after leaving Hank to deal with his returning daughter, goes to surprise her father with a birthday trip to Vegas. While there, Zeek has a health scare and collapses. He refuses to stay in the hospital. Adam and Crosby drive out to Vegas, and Zeek celebrates his birthday with three of his kids, seemingly just fine. When he gets back home, he goes to see his doctor, who wants to do further exploration to see why he collapsed.

Hank is struggling because his ex-wife and child have moved back home. Apparently Ruby had gotten in with a bad crowd at her old school, and Hank needs to help. He now gets to be a 50/50 parent. He's happy about this, but Ruby is not exactly easy to deal with. Sarah adjusts to the news that Hank will now be much more involved in his daughter's life.
 

Meanwhile, Kristina gets ready to open up her school. It looks like the building won't be ready in time, but Joel shows up and helps out. She is really nervous and excited for the school to open, but Max insists that he will continue to be home-schooled. After Adam has a talk with Max, Max finally shows up to give the school a try.

Amber is pregnant, but she hasn't told anybody yet. While helping to paint the inside of the school, Amber is dismissive of Haddie and her plans to study abroad. Later, when Haddie tells Amber that she's pissed at her, Amber tells Haddie that's she's pregnant. The two of them end up spending time together, where they rehash old drama - their fight over Steve! - and Amber asks Haddie if she still likes guys. Haddie says she can't really explain it, but that she definitely wasn't faking her relationships with guys in the past, but that she's happy with her girlfriend now. Amber ends up taking Haddie's advice and telling her mom about her pregnancy.

Julia has started a relationship with someone she works with. She and Joel are awkward but amiable with one another. When Julia finds out about Zeek's collapse, Joel stays with the kids at the house while Julia rushes over to stay with Camille. Later, when Julia comes back home and gets a text telling her that Zeek is okay, she cries in relief and allows Joel to comfort her. When he kisses her, she pulls back and says that they shouldn't. At work, her new paramour indicates that he wants to be in a serious relationship with her, and she says yes.

Shall I start with my quibbles?

Okay, I'm really happy that Haddie isn't just suddenly a lesbian, but would it kill people to actually use the word "bisexual" on TV? Maybe Haddie will eventually identify as such. And it's fine on an individual level if she doesn't. But it seems like whenever someone's bisexual, instead of saying that, they say "I like who I like," or "I like guys and girls." I don't know. It's just because there are a couple of people really close to me who identify as bisexual, and bi-erasure in the media is something I'm sensitive to.

I'm also feeling a bit uncertain about this plot line with Ruby. It seems like maybe it's a contrived way to introduce some conflict into Sarah and Hank's relationship, which at this point would be overkill. However, I don't want to get ahead of myself, so maybe I'll wait and see where they go with it.

But overall, I loved this premiere episode.

Bringing up Zeek's health again is a smart move. I'd be really pissed if they tried to kill him off, but I think the idea of Zeek facing his mortality is a good one - Zeek is ultimately at his most difficult, and thus most entertaining, when he's being stubborn about something. It was also a nice bonding moment for father and daughter. Zeek spends a lot of his screen time with his sons, and less with his daughters, so that was nice to see.

I liked the Max and Kristina plot line. It's so satisfying to see Kristina succeed at something like this. And it's so important to show Max sometimes doing the right thing and being emotionally invested in his relationships with his parents. When he showed up at the door to the school, I had the biggest smile on my face. That's what all of this was leading up to. Although, let's be honest, it won't be easy!

I think Amber's plot was my favorite of the whole episode. Part of that is just Mae Whitman's awesomeness, to be honest. She's such a compelling actress, and I really felt her pain and uncertainty when she started to think about having a child. Her scenes with Haddie were the best - these two actresses really came together to give a dynamic performance. The best part is when Haddie jokingly says she's going to get her revenge for the fight over Steve, and Amber's response is: "Hey I'm with child! Be gentle!" So funny. I can't wait to see how Sarah and the rest of the family takes the news about Amber.

And then there's Julia and Joel. I spent a lot of time last season vacillating between being angry at Julia and angry at Joel, but at some point, I've just decided that Joel is the reason everything fell to pieces, much more so than Julia. Julia should be trying to move on with her life, and I'm happy for her. At the same time, I want them to get back together, because Joel is just such an awesome character. Still, we'll see how it goes. Julia will always be my favorite of the siblings.

I think I'll leave it there for the time being. Great premiere!

8.5/10