Parenthood: These Are the Times We Live In (6x07)

I loved almost everything that was going on in this episode, but there was one plot line that I thought was just plain stupid.

So, first of all, there's Julia and Joel. The two of them are just about ready to finalize the divorce. The splitting of the assets has gone fairly smoothly. The issue of the house is the most difficult one before them. Julia thinks it makes sense to sell the house and split the profit, but Joel says that Julia can have the house. Later, Julia asks Joel if he wants to change his mind, but Joel says that their house is a home with a lot of memories, and he doesn't want to sell it. However, he doesn't want it if he can't have Julia. Joel goes over to Zeek's place to spend some time with his father-in-law. He tells Zeek that this is goodbye, since they are getting ready to finalize the divorce. Zeek tells Joel that he took him in, and that if Joel still loves Julia, he should fight for her. Julia, meanwhile, invites Chris inside for the first time, and they talk about her impending divorce. It looks like Julia might ask Chris to stay, but ultimately she decides it's too soon. At the end of the episode, Joel takes Zeek's advice to fight for Julia, showing up at her door and saying that he wants her back. What will Julia say? We'll have to wait and see!

I felt a bit duped, because I really wanted to see how this plays out, and I hate waiting. But still, I did enjoy this thread quite a lot. Zeek and Joel's conversation was obviously the highlight. I got a little misty-eyed, to tell the truth. Also, even though Chris is a bit of a bland character, he's still pretty likable, which is what makes this all the more interesting. I'm rooting for Julia and Joel in the end, but I'm not sure what I think will happen at this point. How will this all play out?

Amber is watching Max and Nora for a couple of days. When they don't make it to the ferry in time for Max to go on a planned trip, he freaks out. Amber doesn't know how to deal with Max's freak out. At this point, Hank comes over to get a camera that Max had borrowed. He is freaking out because of his own family drama (I'll get there in a sec), and he and Max pace together, talking out their problems. Later, Sarah comes over to see how Amber is doing. She's upset with how poorly she handled watching the kids, and she doesn't think she can handle being a mother. Sarah reminds her that she won't be doing it alone.

This plot thread was so sweet. I loved the mother/daughter vibe between Amber and Sarah. I was having some Lorelai & Rory flashbacks, honestly. I would be overwhelmed in Amber's place, too, and I think it was really great of Sarah to remind Amber that she'll get to work up to more complicated problems. In the beginning, the baby will be small and simple. Also, I loved it when Hank and Max both dealt with their problems by employing coping mechanisms. It was sweet when Max listed the people he liked to be around, and Hank was on the list (although did anyone else notice that he didn't mention Dylan?)

Hank's familial trouble is as follows: Ruby comes home from school, freaked out about a boy. Hank has no idea what to do, but Sarah jumps in and bonds with Ruby. When Sandy comes to get Ruby, she is upset that Sarah and Ruby are watching an inappropriate movie together. Hank leaves while Sarah and Sandy are arguing, needing to get away from the situation. That's when he goes to get the camera from Max. Later, he apologizes to Sarah for walking away, but Sarah is perturbed that Hank didn't ask Amber why she was crying when he went over to get the camera. As Sarah goes to see what's going on with Amber, Hank goes to talk to Sandy. He tells her that he has aspergers. She says she wishes she had known. Later, Sandy plans on taking Ruby to an ice cream place with a weird flavor of ice cream they all used to enjoy together. Ruby asks if Hank wants to come, and so Sandy, Hank, and Ruby all go out for ice cream together, leaving Sarah behind.

This was excellent. I loved Sarah and Ruby's bonding, I loved Sarah and Sandy's rivalry, I loved seeing Hank try to get a handle on his aspergers. Mostly, I loved Ray Romano's acting in the scene where he told Sandy about the aspergers. Wow. It was such an amazingly powerful moment. The more I watch this show, the more aware I become of how important a character like Hank really is. Great representation. My heart broke for him a little bit when he says "that's not normal, right?" to Sarah. You can tell that he tries so hard, but sometimes he can't be "normal" like he wants to. I feel like this is a really accurate glimpse into the life of someone with aspergers.

Okay, I saved the annoying plot for last. Zeek asks Drew to drive him somewhere without telling him where they're going, and they end up going for fast food. Drew is annoyed, because Zeek is supposed to be eating healthy. Later, as Drew is trying to study for an important test, Zeek insists that they go somewhere. When they finally arrive at Zeek's destination, he says he wants to shoot cans with Drew. Drew is pissed off that his studying was interrupted to shoot guns, when that's not something he's interested in. Natalie tells Drew he's being selfish, because obviously Zeek just wanted to bond with his grandson, and give him positive memories for the future. Drew then picks up Zeek and takes him to a shooting range, where the two of them shoot at cans.

Ugghhhh this was so annoying! I'm sorry, but if my grandfather pulled crap like this, pulled me away from my studying to do something that I didn't have any desire to do, without even telling me what it was, I would be pissed. And then for Natalie to say that Drew was being selfish... that's crap! If Drew doesn't want to fire a gun, he shouldn't do it just to appease his grandfather or make him happy. The nostalgic traditions of the older generation shouldn't put pressure on the younger generation! I get what they were going for here, but I thought Zeek was being totally unreasonable. Maybe Drew could have been a bit nicer about putting his foot down, but honestly, I was mostly on Drew's side!

So, there you have it. I was enormously happy with Hank, Amber, Julia and Joel, etc. But Drew and Zeek's plot thread did throw a bit of a wrench into the proceedings. Still, I enjoyed this overall!

8/10