Parenthood: The Scale of Affection is Fluid (6x05)

I found myself enjoying this story line quite a bit, although I still have some questions about Crosby. This week, however, we set aside the Hank, Ruby, and Sarah plot line, which I think was dragging things down quite a bit. Let's take this one thread at a time.

Max is observing Dylan to try to find out about her interests. He tells Kristina that Adam told him to strike up conversations based on common interests. Kristina is really disturbed by this development, because she thinks there's no way Dylan will like Max in return. At a family barbecue, Zeek and Crosby both encourage Max to pursue his crush, and Kristina gets angry. She and Adam go to talk to Max, to attempt to curb his enthusiasm. They say that how much people like one another can be put on a scale from 1 to 5, and that sometimes maybe one person likes another person as a 5, but the other person only likes that person back as a 2. Max seems to understand that, but Adam then says that the numbers can change over time. Max is interested to learn that the "scale of affection is fluid." He tells Dylan he likes her at a 5, and Dylan, upon learning what this means, says she likes Max at a 2. Max says he'll have to work to change her mind. Dylan, charmed, says maybe a 2.5.

One question: how old is Dylan supposed to be? She seems older than Max. Although maybe I'm wrong about that? I'm not sure. In any case, I enjoyed this story line. The best part was Kristina and Adam's coded conversation about numbers on the scale, and how Kristina, getting pissed at Adam, said that her number for him was slipping from a 5 to a 3.5. That was really hilarious. They also had a lovely conversation about Max's future. Adam really wants Dylan to like Max, because he wants to believe that it's possible for Max to have a future like that. Kristina is overly cautious, terrified of Max getting hurt. I can understand both sides of this so well. Max and Dylan's conversation was great, too. Even if Dylan is extremely obnoxious, she still understands about Max's aspergers, and she works to accommodate it. Instead of laughing it off when Max talked to her about the scale from 1 to 5, she answered the question honestly and treated it seriously. I love that.

Then we've got Amber's plot thread, which was the highlight of the whole episode for me. She meets a guy by spilling coffee on him (what a cute-meet!) and decides to go on a date with him. She tells Drew and Natalie about the guy. Natalie seems really enthusiastic, but Drew is a bit more skeptical. He wonders how this is going to work, if Amber doesn't tell the guy she's pregnant. Amber and the guy go on a really fun date, and Amber realizes that Drew was right: things are going to get weird. She goes to him for advice, and Drew encourages her to tell him the truth. If he freaks out, well then that's that. But if Amber thinks they might have a future together, then she has to be honest now. Amber tells the guy, and he is shocked. He plays it cool, but then blows her off, saying vaguely that he'll call. Amber is upset, and she decides to bequeath all her alcohol and other pregnancy-unfriendly paraphernalia to Drew. Her entire life as she knows it is over. Drew tells her that it's going to be okay - even if she's doing things a bit out of order, she'll find a boyfriend again someday, and she'll be able to have a wonderful future.

I love that things didn't work out for Amber. It would have been too much, maybe, if the guy had been totally understanding and had decided to be with her anyway. This was the perfect balance: he was a sweet guy, and he didn't do anything wrong, exactly, but he behaved in a somewhat predictable fashion when he learned something that made him uncomfortable. It felt realistic. Also, I love the sibling relationship between Amber and Drew. Drew is such a good brother. He's so supportive and protective. The two of them will always be there for each other, no matter what. Drew's going to be such a great uncle!

At a Braverman family barbecue, Julia's boyfriend Chris shows up to have Julia sign some papers. Adam intervenes and basically forces Chris to come in and have a burger, and then to play a game of basketball with the kids. As he's goofing around with the kids, Joel shows up and sees Julia's new man playing with Victor and Sydney. Joel comes to Julia's work to talk about it. He's upset that she would introduce this man into their kids' lives. Julia apologizes for the way it all happened, and for not talking to Joel about it first. However, she doesn't feel bad, in principal, for being with Chris and for things getting a bit more serious. Chris apologizes for getting pulled in to the barbecue, especially since Julia obviously wasn't ready to define the relationship just yet. Julia decides to take the next step, and offers to go out with Chris in public, even if people might see and start gossiping.

There was one moment in this thread that made me laugh, and it wasn't supposed to. When Joel shows up at the Braverman's and sees Chris playing basketball with his kids, he has this look of pain on his face, and then we cut to Julia seeing him, and then we get a commercial break. Why was he there, anyway? To pick up the kids, perhaps? In any case, it felt like a very forced way to get a reaction shot of Joel seeing this latest betrayal.

But that's a nitpick, if I'm being honest. I like the way this is going. Chris is a genuinely good guy, which adds a lot of interest into the story. If he were just some generic jerk, it would be easy to root for Joel. But as it stands, I'm not entirely sure who Julia should end up with, and I like not knowing. The scene with Joel, Sydney, and Victor was one of the highlights of the episode, as Joel gets really angry upon hearing Victor say that basketball is going to take over baseball as America's past-time. The kids only know Chris as "mom's friend from work," so Joel has to be careful not to spill the beans, while at the same time he's unable to control all of his anger.

Then, there's the Crosby and Zeek plot. Crosby is angry because Jasmine locked up his bike. Zeek is feeling micro-managed by Camille, and he doesn't like being chauffeured around by her. She's a very slow driver. Crosby offers to drive Zeek to his physical therapy. After seeing his dad take a fall on a treadmill, Crosby realizes anew how hurt his father really is. The two of them go out to a bar together. Zeek isn't drinking, but Crosby partakes. They talk about how Crosby feels stifled by his work, and his family, and he's getting older... basically your typical midlife crisis stuff. Zeek sympathizes with Crosby's feelings, but he's also worried about him. Camille calls at one point to chastise Zeek for not coming straight home after PT, so Zeek says he knows what it's like to be under the thumb of a protective wife. As Crosby gets more and more drunk, Zeek is forced to call Jasmine to come pick him up. Jasmine is angry at Crosby for his behavior, but she's also worried about him.

Okay, so... I'm still not sure what to think of Crosby. I just don't feel like we have enough of a justification for his behavior! Why is he so upset? What happened? I just don't get it. Part of me is pissed at Jasmine for locking up Crosby's bike and taking away his freedom like that, but another part of me is totally on her side. Crosby seems out of control! I suppose this ambiguity could be a good thing, but I'm feeling fuzzy on Crosby's emotional journey, and not in a good way.

However, I did like seeing the Crosby and Zeek bonding time. I like how Zeek is sympathetic to what Crosby is going through, but he's mostly just worried about him. Zeek has gotten himself back on his feet after his surgery, but he's still not toeing the line completely, either, what with not telling Camille he wouldn't be home after PT. I can't wait to see where all this is going!

7.5/10