<p>Yep, in California, the age of consent is 18.</p>
<p>In many states, there is an age-gap component to statutory rape for mid-teens. So, for instance, it would be statutory rape for a 19 year-old to have sex with a 15 year-old, but not with a 17 year-old. I don’t know about California. I looked it up here for my kids, who were curious what the law said about a friend’s relationship with her then-15 year-old boyfriend when the friend turned 18.</p>
<p>Checked California law: The statute is a welter of age-related rules, but it looks like an adult (18 or older) having sex with a minor who is not more than three years younger than the adult is guilty of a misdemeanor, but not one with a possible sentence of imprisonment. However, a civil fine could be imposed of up to $2,000 (less than two-year age gap), $5,000 (3 years > age gap > two years), or $10,000 (age gap 3 years or more).</p>
<p>^^ or in this case the “law” is a call to the agent to see whether or not the actor will be back next year.</p>
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<p>Suppose it really is Hattie who’s pregnant, and this presents the story opportunity of the infertile Julia wanting to raise her niece’s baby…Nah—too weird!
I agree that the whole “play” storyline rings entirely false. What is that about anyway, a reason to give Richard Dreyfuss an extended cameo appearance?</p>
<p>Don’t forget the Season Finale is on tonight - 10pm on NBC! Hopefully it is only the season finale because Parenthood hasn’t actually been picked up for the next semester - eek. </p>
<p>Will Amber survive the car crash? Will Sarah’s play premiere be a hit or will it fall short? Who is the one pregnant?</p>
<p>Can’t wait to watch it tonight!</p>
<p>Countdown has begun here.</p>
<p>Lucky for us it is 9PM MT. It’s hard for me to stay up to 11pm;) We’ll probably watch this one with commercials… instead of waiting for Comcast On Demand.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why the writers have screwed up the portrait of an Asperger’s kid as they have. What’s with all those angry tantrums? I’ve seen tantrums when things don’t go as planned, but they always end up in a meltdown. Always a meltdown. Endless tears, but not the anger. Not the “you owed me and I want it” crap. (Aspie kids that I’ve known—23 years of knowing those on the spectrum-- don’t tell someone else what to do.) They just know they didn’t get something as planned, but they aren’t looking to blame someone. They don’t attach an action or an outcome to someone, they just relate it to themselves. They are too ego-focused to think of others. And when something doesn’t go as planned, they simply meltdown and cry.</p>
<p>And, it’s true that all kids are different, and Aspie traits are different for different kids, but I just haven’t seen the anger as it is portrayed on this show.</p>
<p>I wondered about that, lima. Max has gotten unlikeable. I also dont know any Aspies who act like that.</p>
<p>I liked the ending, with Max finding the retainer and them not trying to keep the pregnancy test a mystery. I wonder at what point the new season will start …</p>
<p>That was a great episode! Was that the last for the season?</p>
<p>I missed Max finding the retainer - where did he find it?</p>
<p>In his hamster’s cage? I think he said, “Guacamole’s cage.” He yelled from upstairs while Christina was telling Adam that she was pg.</p>
<p>Oh - I didn’t know what he said. Thanks.</p>
<p>I got tearful 3 times during the show - but I’m menopausal.</p>
<p>I thought this was a great season ender. I am worried for this show since there hasn’t been a formal announcement from the network. Hopefully NBC will look at the numbers from tonight and see that it needs to be renewed. </p>
<p>I wasn’t really surprised by anything in this episode. But I thought the opening was beautiful and really thought out. Lauren Graham really knows how to cry (thanks to all the times she did it on Gilmore Girls). </p>
<p>I loved Zeke and Amber’s conversation at the junkyard. I thought it really showed the whole character of the show. </p>
<p>Lastly Peter Krause did some wonderful acting in the final scene. Wonderful acting from calm to anger to confusion.</p>
<p>Just 3 times? I pretty much cried throughout the whole thing but I cry during Hallmark commercials. I cry watching “Undercover Boss.”</p>
<p>Great show tonight (except I still think the playwriting thing is bizarre). I am worried that maybe they tied things up in all the storylines in case they are not renewed. I hope I am wrong… I would miss this show a lot.</p>
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<p>Because my son has Asperger’s, everyone asks me if I watch Parenthood. We watched the first couple of episiodes. What was funny is that everyone in our family diagnosed the Aspie kid pretty much the first time we saw him - wears a costume to school and can’t cut with scissors - dead give away.</p>
<p>But I hated how the parents seemed to be in mourning over the diagnosis and it seems like I’d dislike the treatment of the character now. Because in my experience, the meltdowns are as you decribe them, not angry.</p>
<p>I also cried for most of the episode. I think Peter Krauss/Adam was amazing. He really did an outstanding job. I so hope that NBC renews it and keeps it on Tuesday nights!</p>