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Title: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 29, 2014, 12:30:40 pm
Parenthood (Season 6)

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Episodes
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on September 29, 2014, 02:07:36 pm
Episode 1
Vegas

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I for one was okay with Season 5 being the last season and was particularly happy with what could have been the Series Finale. But I have to admit, watching the premiere for Season 6, I was kinda happy to see the show back for one last season. There's just something about the dynamic and the chemistry this group of actors have with one another that makes watching the show....easy. As for the episode, it picks up a few months later from the conclusion of last season and even though it was suggested in the finale, Joel and Julia are not back together. Not only that, but she is banging what appears to be her boss. Douchey looking actor. The story line just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hope they get them together sooner rather than later as I will no doubt tire of the plot.

The main thing that happens in this episode centers around Zeke, who is celebrating his birthday in Vegas with Sarah when he collapses. Even though it's ruled not a heat attack and he seems to be fine. This is definitely the beginning of a much bigger story line for the rest of the season and will most likely be some fatal thing that is happening. I really hope its not because I don't want the show to end on a downer. Very surpsied to see Haddie (Sarah Ramos) back. She was the last person I expected to see, even though I was thinking about her character during the opening credits. Not sure if it's permanent or not. I would think so given that this is the last season. Looks like Besty Brandt is joining the cast as well, playing Hank's Ex-Wife.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Mac on September 29, 2014, 03:28:23 pm
Well I would highly doubt anything would end on a downer.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 04, 2014, 07:22:00 am
Episode 2
Happy Birthday, Zeek

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Entire episode was about the family trying in vein to convince Zeek to get his heart operation. Zeek being Zeek, he is stubborn and refuses to listen to anyone, even when they are clearly scared that they will listen to him. All it takes is for Amber to finally tell him that she is pregnant, which of course thrills him to hear that he is going to be a Great Grandparent. Now he will do the surgery. I knew it was gonna happen this way. It was cliched because I've seen variations of this particular plot point. With that said, it worked because of their scene together. So, Amber is coming to terms with being pregnant (or trying to come to terms that is). That can only mean one thing: Crying Amber! I can only imagine how many headaches Mae has had since starting Parenthood. To cry as much as she has over the course of the series, one would think she would have a constant migraine.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Mac on October 04, 2014, 10:55:54 am
Too funny about Amber.

When my wife had it on, I walked in when Amber was crying and we both just busted out laughing without saying a word.

That's all I saw.

I wonder if she's been typecast as the girl who cry's?
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 14, 2014, 05:05:28 pm
Episode 3
The Waiting Room

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With the writers ramping up the story line that I thought would be the entire season, they rush Zeek to the hospital for his heart surgery. For the entire hour, there was this sense of impending doom, dread hanging over. I was on edge for a lot of reasons. You have Zeek in a life and death situation, you have Crosby crashing his motorcycle, you have Amber and Drew driving up to tell Ryan she is having his baby, you have Julia telling Joel she is seeing someone else because she feels like he is smothering her with affection. You have Sarah basically having to "parent" Hank's own daughter to the point of having to narc on her for shoplifting. Solid episode, but not an easy one to sit through. I'm actually exhausted after this episode.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 25, 2014, 08:37:43 pm
Episode 4
A Potpourri of Freaks

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I kinda like the idea of the school beacuse it gives Adam, Kristina and Max more to do on the show. The new character Dylan (she's a girl) can add a lot to the show now. For starters, she's going to be Kristina's worst nightmare....but for Max, they are setting up a possible love interest for him which will be great. He needs a girlfriend and I'm curious to see how the writers handle this. The other thread in this episode had to do with Zeek and his lack of desire to even recuperate. Simple exercises. I can relate as I tried in vain to get my Grandma to do hers and she wouldn't. So frustrating. So, I could relate to Camille. Leave it up to Kristina to play the cancer card to finally motivate him at the end. Solid episode all around. I wonder what they are setting up for Crosby. Jasmine pretty much is running the household and her forbidding him to drive his motocycle, which ends up doing at the end to spite her says a lot. Splitsville perhaps?
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 27, 2014, 06:06:55 pm
Episode 5
The Scale of Affection Is Fluid

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It was fun watching Adam and Kristina navigating uncharted waters of Max pursuing the girl he likes. Unfortunately Adam isn't as clear as he thinks he is in giving out advice because Max takes that to mean that 'Stalking' is the way to get to know a girl and lets not forget about him getting a bunch of books are how to get the ladies into bed. Funny stuff. I hope this has a happy end for Max by the end of this season if not sooner. Hey, Amber told some guy that she liked that she was pregnant so that she would be honest and upfront with him from the start. He bailed. On a positive note, she didn't cry.  ;D Not so positive is Joel's reaction to finding out that Julia's new boyfriend was as her parents BBQ and playing Basketball with Joel's kids. He reaction was totally in line. Team Joel ftw! Not sure if her relationship is legit or if it's just a way to get back at him.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on October 31, 2014, 10:35:42 am
Episode 6
Too Big to Fail

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Wow, they just jumped 3 months forward into the future of the series. This obviously has a lot to do with the limited number of episodes left and can't wrap everything up, especially Amber's pregnancy if they didn't do a time jump. Just odd to see because they have never done that until now. Given that Amber is now 3 months pregnant and only 7 episodes left, I expect another time jump as well. The whole situation with Dylan has always seemed a bit odd and now it all makes perfect sense. She only "liked" Max in order to gain access to his family because she has a "bad" relationship with her own and basically "adopted" the Braverman's as her surrogate family. With that said, I do see Dylan and Max sharing that first kiss before the series wraps and her actually falling for him. They have to give Max a great send off because it's gonna leave a bitter taste if they teased this all season long with no pay off.

The other half of the episode dealt primarily with money issues. Both Crosby and Adam are feeling the squeeze because the Luncheonette is not bringing in the business it once did and it's affecting their personality because they can't provide for their respective families. Factor in that Amber is prego and wants a raise (which she actuall deserves by the way) and you have a recipe for a panic attack all around. The one thing I really liked is that Drew, of all people, is willing to change his major in College to better his chances of getting a better paying job immediately once he is out of school, just so that he can support Amber and her child. Overall, a fantastic episode.

FYI, Sarah gets major props in her efforts to make Hank more relatable to his daughter Ruby by forcing him to watch The Breakfast Club.  ;D Love it!
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on November 10, 2014, 01:58:08 pm
Episode 7
These Are The Times We Live In

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Looks like another time jump. Based on Amber's baby bump, I'm guessing between 1-2 months since the previous episode. Very interesting episode that had me on edge. Watching Max's meltdown because Amber didn't have the "skills" to raise a family would make anyone crack under pressure. So, she cried. I give her a pass. Zeek wanted to spend time with Drew also had me on edge because he was carrying and waving a gun in public and didn't think what he was doing was wrong. This had me feeling like he was starting to lose it mentally. But he turns it around with his pep talk with Joel to go and fight for Julia and the kids. Not sure why Joel waited until the divorce papers to finally do just that. The cliffhanger has him at her doorstop, telling her he is going to fight to save their marriage. Too little too late? I hope not. This story needs a happy ending.  Hank finally confesses to he Ex-Wire that he has Asperger syndrome and that their marital woes was on him and not her. This small little gesture seems to have awaken her feelings for him.....which leaves Sarah as the odd woman out. Curious to see how this plays out.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on November 19, 2014, 05:26:23 pm
Episode 8
Aaron Brownstein Must Be Stopped

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That was f*cking INTENSE!!!! If you have followed the exploits of Max over the entire series, than you know how intense he can get. Well, magnify that by 1000 for this episode, and you have an inkling of what went down once he was bold enough to ask Dylan to be his girlfriend. Problem was him walking in on her making out with another student (Aaron) and the rest just snowballed from there. Later after trying to get Aaron kicked out of school, because he's a threat to him, Max decides to make an oversize Card for her that really laid it on thick. So thick was it that Dylan finally snapped at Max telling him she doesn't and will never love him. Needless to say this sends Max running. Out of all the chaos that followed, I thought the way that Kristina handled the situation made me feel comfortable because this was a very, very uncomfortable episode to sit through knowing how this was going to blow up in Max's face.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on November 24, 2014, 05:06:01 pm
Episode 9
Lean In

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Well, my worst fears for where they are taking the serious is been confirmed by the final scene. Earlier I said that I thought they would do something really drastic with Zeek's health. He made a miraculous recovery a while back, but I always had it in the back of my mind that this wasn't over. The final scene has him laying in bed, calling out to Camille, scared because he can't move. The way that it was shot, the music they played to underscore it all tells me this is it. Factor in that the bulk of his story for this episode was all about taking his wife to France because "it may be the last time" they would do anything together like this made it a forgone conclusion. So yeah, I actually see them......I don't even want to say it. Moving on.....

They brought Mark (Jason Ritter) back into the fold and once again, I got duped thinking they were actually going to make so that Sarah finally wises up that she doesn't belong in a relationship with Hank. I totally forgot that the last time Mark was on the show was to tell Sarah that he was getting married. In this episode, he tells her that he has a baby on the way. But there wasn't something deeper at work. The way the scene played, the fumbling for words, the look behind his eyes told me there was some serious regret in letting Sarah get away. I also got the same vibe from her as well, even if she ultimately tells Hank she is happy with him. I don't know.

After a very intense harassment scene involving Max and Dylan that made me uncomfortable watching it, it looks like he finally gets it and is backing off with the threat that Dylan's parents would remove her from the school. All seems well now as they will just be friends. I still think that the finally episode, even if she has made it perfectly clear she has no feelings for him, that they will in fact end up together. Julia and Joel, seem to be reconciling. Them making out at the end tells me that's where they are going. But then again, they have fooled me a couple of times before about them getting back together. This is a wait and see proposition with these two cats.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on January 12, 2015, 05:12:20 pm
Episode 10
How Did We Get Here?

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I felt like I went through the ringer after watching this episode which hit a little too close to home for me. Having dealt with this with both of my Grandparents, it brought up a lot of emotional stuff for me. The same feelings were still there being displayed by the characters on screen as they get pulled left and right worrying about Zeek's condition. No one likes going to a hospital and no one likes having to deal with uncertainty. I got very emotional when Drew, fearing that things were going to end on "bad terms" between him and his grandfather, tells him he loves him. That hit me square in the chest like a 2 tone atom bomb.  Really not sure where they are taking the story and I don't want to think that they would end the series on such a downer should they go there. Anyway, as I said, very emotional hour but it did have some moments of levity thanks to Hank's awkwardness around everyone, culminating in him popping the question to Sarah at the hospital of all places. She didn't say yes.....but she didn't say no either. So, my guess is that the finale episode will be them getting married.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Mac on January 13, 2015, 07:29:12 am
So it's a sweet sour thing? I mean, it's tough watching those kinds of things, hitting close to the heart, but yet, hopefully, it's those memories that swell up, allow you to smile, about the good things.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on January 23, 2015, 07:45:56 am
Episode 11
Lets Go Home

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Pretty good episode and each story line was fun to watch. I forgot to mention that in last weeks episode while everyone was at the hospital, worrying about what would happened to Zeke, the Luncheonette Recording Studio was broken into and Crosby and Adam lost everything. Nothing was left. So their issue was whether or not they should take the insurance money and walk away or stick it out and see if they could make it profitable again. Crosby wanted to stick it out and of course Adam wanted to walk. It took a little talk from Jasmine to convince Adam to stay, which I liked. The back story about Zeke's Reggie Jackson Baseball was nice and I like that he "found it" only to give it up later, to make it a buried treasure for a couple of kids who will one day find it. Very cool moment. Best scene of the night was seeing Joel and Julia on the Ice Skating Rink, basically coming out to the kids that they are back together again. Love the song that underscored it all. Really cool moment for the series was Mellie finding a shoe box full of rolls of film that had never been developed and having Max do just that. All the pictures we end up seeing are the very ones that they used for the Opening Credits scene.
Title: Re: Parenthood (Season 6 - 2014)
Post by: Chiprocks1 on February 03, 2015, 05:49:00 pm
Episode 12 & 13
We Made It Through the Night / May God Bless and Keep You Always

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Well, that's it. It's all over. I purposely delayed watching Episode 12 until they had Episode 13 up On Demand. This was actually my intention all season long. The idea of just watching one finale episode and calling it quits wasn't something I wanted. I wanted to make this my own personal Swan Song Event. With the amount of time I've invested in this series and the characters that populate it, I thought it was fitting to end it in this way for me. As for the final 2 episodes, I am extremely satisfied with how it all wrapped up. Some amazing song choices to underscore a lot of scenes as we got through Amber's birth and then Sarah and Hanks wedding. Watching a series like Parenthood, one may lose track of who and what the series is about. So many characters with so many story lines. It was the Series Finale that drove home the point that this show was, is and will always be about Zeek and Camille and watching their brood grow up and make their own mark.

Some very tender moments in the last two hours, especially with Zeek and his kids in one and one situations that got me choked up. It was a fun hour. Everyone was happy. And then they did the one thing I have been dreading all season long. They had Zeek pass away and it was heartbreaking to see, especially with Camille finding him. That got the water works going. I thought they would have the entire family make it to he end, which is what I always wanted. With this coming within the final 5 minutes of the last episode, I was also very angry. I didn't want it to end on such a downer. But the brillance of Jason Katims came through once again. The epilogue of where the rest of the family was in the coming years made softened the blow. It was the only way to end it because it stayed true to real life as well as paying tribute to a job well done by both Zeek and  Camille in raising their kids. Following everyone over the years, you got to see that each family was expanding with the addition of more kids. With that said, I still think they should have kept Zeek alive to the very end.

One last thing, I liked that they had Scott Porter as Amber's husband during the epilogue. It was fitting that they also had Matt Lauria in the same scene. Two Friday Night Lights alums for the finale time. Anyway, loved the series and in hindsight, I'm glad they brought it back for this one last season. Hate to see it go, I'm gonna miss the Bravermans. I'm looking forward to the eventual DVD Box Set, which I will gladly fork over money for.