Julia is the only sibling who brought down “Just Smile” through no fault of her own, as her storyline this season has been the pits. And because I’ve not enjoyed how it’s played out, I can’t take as much satisfaction in the small moments that I’ve been able to with the others. As mentioned in previous reviews, Parenthood may not be a super high stakes show in terms of plot, but it’s those brief emotional beats that can be hit and bring a tear to your eye where the show excels. Here, though, I’m not getting that type of resonance, which made the revelation that Troy signed the adoption papers and won’t be standing in the way of Joel and Julia getting the baby feel kind of…hollow. Parenthood may be able to wring pathos out of many a moment, but when dealing with a storyline built on absurdity, desperation, and redundancy, I don’t think even it has the power to make me care. Don’t get me wrong, Erika Christensen and Sam Jaeger find a way to make the baby black market plot go down easier than it would otherwise, thanks to their underrated chemistry and touching sincerity, but they’re better than the material they’re trapped in right now.
Parenthood made it two above average episodes in a row with “Just Smile”, only this episode made it feel like the countdown to the season finale has officially gotten under way. Though I still cannot remotely connect to the Julia story, everything else in the episode felt like Parenthood‘s sweet spot, heavy on the character moments with extra pay off at just the right moments. The Braverman family is having to deal with some serious personal transformations at the moment, transformations that could have effects for the rest of the series, but that uncertainty is a thing of beauty to behold.
Thoughts, Quotes, & Observations:
-“I thought 40 was the new 30.” “Not for your ovaries, no.”
-“Tell your face that you’re excited.”
-“Is this some kind of new power chord that you’ve invented?”
-“Want me to stab him in the face with my bow?”
-“We can lock her in her room.” “You’re so full of good ideas.”
-“Alright, enough of the kissing. Here comes the pain.”
-“Both of all three of those people.”
-Can we get more scenes featuring Kristina, Julia, and Sarah sharing a bottle of wine? Very fun. Also fun, Sarah and Mark drunk and trying to have a serious conversation.
-Lots of good music tonight, as per usual, but my favorite was the song playing during Lily’s late night call to Crosby, Gem Club’s “252”.
-Am I the only one who got misty when Sarah and Mark talked about having a baby at the end of the episode?
-Next week on Parenthood: Zeek receives scary news from his doctor, Crosby gets into a relationship (with Lily, I assume), Amber does well at her job, Adam and Kristina confront Haddie’s college situation, and Zoe may be changing her mind about Julia adopting the baby.
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