<p>Bumping up this thread back up to see reactions from last night’s episode. All I am going to say is I greatly enjoyed the last 2 or 3 minutes purely for Adam’s (Peter Krause) facial expressions. It was pure brilliance.</p>
<p>Adam is awesome. Well, Krause. 
Not only the end scene, but during the family scene when he learns his dad is doing an ED commercial. I just loved his reaction.</p>
<p>I really liked last night’s show, specifically the Max-Jabar thing. That seems like something that is totally plausible.</p>
<p>What I really love is that the three of us at home crawl up in my bed and watch together.</p>
<p>Youdon’tsay, you are so lucky that you get to have your own ‘parenthood’ moment while watching ‘Parenthood’!</p>
<p>Pretty cool show last night. I still don’t get Crosby though…I’m trying to embrace him but its not happening. His wide eyes like when he was counseling Jabar about lunch with his cousin just freak me out…scary.</p>
<p>I loved how Christina seemed to realize that she needed to back off initially from Haddie’s distress about Alex, but then was there for her when Haddie was ready to share. It seemed to be a growing moment for Christina to realize giving Haddie space was more important than jumping into the middle of the situation initially. Can’t wait for next week’s new arrival!</p>
<p>I really liked last nights episode. The only thing that rang a little untrue was Haddie’s boyfriend saying that he had been feeling unhappy (or something like that) in the relationship for a long time when just a couple of weeks ago he was saying she was the only person he had and he would never want to lose her.</p>
<p>I thought that Crosby deciding to not talk to his brother about the Jabar and Max lunch deal was very much in character. It was easier (very Crosby) to talk to his son then it was to bring that up with his brother.</p>
<p>^^^ Yes, Classic Crosby.</p>
<p>I think Alex still loves Haddie. My take was that he created an excuse to leave so he could deal with his current situation without further embarrassment.</p>
<p>And yes, Adam (Krause) is my favorite…last night was priceless! My adult son has even been drawn to the show, largely because of that actor. Great tv…hope it stays around for a while.</p>
<p>Best show of the season so far. I missed the beginning, because it seemed like something else was on – very confusing. </p>
<p>As for Alex: They have been showing his discomfort and unhappiness for weeks. It was pretty clear in the first 30 minutes of the first show that Alex and Haddie were headed in different directions. That’s not at all inconsistent with his speech about how she was all he had, or even with loving her. When he made that speech, I thought it was tantamount to announcing that they were going to be breaking up, it was such an unhealthy thing to say (or feel). Haddie was noticing it, too – she was taking care of him, it wasn’t a relationship of equals. (I thought the writers were going to make her break up with him, which would have been 50 times more painful.) But I loved his goodbye to Kristina. Unexpected (and unrealistic), but lovely.</p>
<p>I also loved the scenes between Drew and the new girl. “I’m the one who likes you.” Even in my sixth decade, I wish that I would somehow say the perfect thing just when I was most upset and flustered.</p>
<p>Adam- ooooooh. The perfect Dad. And a yummy hubby!</p>
<p>I enjoyed last night’s episode, my favorite so far this season, partly because it was so full of angst! It was written by Bridget Carpenter, a fabulous writer and playwright. Her episodes are delicious, as much here as they were on Friday Night Lights. My favorite moment was the scene between Kristina and Alex, so poignant, so emotional, and their acting was exquisite. I also loved the scenes with Drew. Beautifully handled in every way.</p>
<p>My one annoyance was how they handled the Max/Jabbar issue. Why did no one suggest that maybe the three boys eat lunch together? It seemed so obvious to me. </p>
<p>I think that everyone finds Crosby annoying, and that’s probably the point of his character. I, too, find him incredibly annoying as a character but I also find it refreshing to see such a flawed character on tv. Dax Sheppard plays him well.</p>
<p>Peter Krause is an excellent actor (even if he is a jerk in real life!).</p>
<p>I think Alex’s behavior makes perfect (though complicated) emotional sense. When he met Haddie, he had escaped some pretty awful stuff and reconstructed his life in a way that was working pretty well for him. Then Haddie comes in and knocks everything over–pulling him out of his comfort zone in wonderful (but also scary) ways. </p>
<p>Then comes the party. Haddie’s drunkenness, the fight, the arrest, all brought him back to places he had thought were behind him. He feels blindsided, set up. He had thought of his relationship with Haddie as the antithesis of all that stuff. So that night kind of knocked everything over a second time, this time less wonderfully. He doesn’t know how to feel about Haddie any more–hence the swings between “you’re all I’ve got” and “this isn’t right.” I think what he ultimately decides is that he was right in the first place, when he resisted Haddie’s advances and said it wasn’t a good time in his life for a relationship just yet.</p>
<p>I don’t think Haddie’s going to give up on him, though. I think in coming weeks we’ll see the two of them slowly reconstruct their friendship on a deeper, more adult level, which may or may not end up in a rekindling of the romance (I’d guess not).</p>
<p>Haddie choosing to go to the party and get drunk really left Alex no choice if he is serious about his sobriety. It demonstrated how clueless she is with regard to his path. He also wouldn’t want to be responsible for expecting her to give up what kids her age do for him. When she said that she felt like she did something wrong, she was right.</p>
<p>Crosby was in a no-win situation. How could he tell his brother about the problem when his brother was so happy that Max finally had a friend? </p>
<p>Peter Strause is a jerk in real life?</p>
<p>@tx5athome: I agree. I think it’s a perfect example of what makes the show so great that we are forced to see both sides at once. We can see exactly why Crosby did what he did, and also exactly why it exasperated Jasmine so much. </p>
<p>I think Adam understood the double-bind Crosby was in once he’d had time to think about it, which is why he didn’t stay mad this time.</p>
<p>^Agree. The show is really well written, especially since you, the viewer, take in the mini stories from all angles. I like that. </p>
<p>The one piece that seemed totally wrong in the Max-Jabar conflict was how there weren’t any teachers nearby to calm the situation. That would never happen. Teachers know which kids need more supervision than others, and certainly I’d expect Max’s parents (if this was RL) would have an IEP underscoring his social deficits. I did like the fact that this scene played out, because problems like this usually do occur during unstructured time like lunch. But that’s also when all teachers and aides are on high alert and never far away.</p>
<p>I thought maybe Alex said he had been unhappy for awhile to sort of spare Haddie by putting the some of the blame of the break-up on himself rather than all on her because of the party. He knew she would be terribly hurt by the break-up but that it would cut even deeper if she blamed herself for the whole thing because of the party so he tried to cushion the blow. If he could make her believe that he hadn’t been totally happy for awhile then Haddie could possibly rationalize that the drinking party was not the sole reason for his breaking up with her.</p>
<p>The thing we all have to notice with Alex is that he was bumped up to a season regular so he will be still integrated into the show somehow. He might be missing from some episodes but will still be integral character for the show. I do think his main issue is that Haddie’s parents essentially bailed him out. He is a man now and has been been for awhile - you could say ever since his mom died. He doesn’t need anyone to protect him and the Bravermen’s essentially pulled him out of law case that could have had bad precautions. Him and Haddie are in different places - she is in her senior year of high school while he is an adult living in the real world. I do hope something good will happen between though. </p>
<p>Drew was so good in this episode too. I knew when those girls took a picture of Sarah/new boyfriend (I don’t remember his name) kissed in front of the school would come back to hurt them. It is just a problem of dating a teacher at your child’s school. But this has happened before with Sarah though but I feel like this time it will go on a little longer. Drew’s interaction with the girl was so sweet especially at the end. He is an extremely shy kid but he really does like this girl so I think something will happen between them even if it is a little awkward.</p>
<p>Spoiler alert, West Coast. </p>
<p>What a great episode! I laughed out loud when Adam had on those weird hip hop clothes and then cried when the coffee girl said she would give Julia and husband her baby. The only unbelievable part to me was the school allowing Amber into the school to work with Max, but I still liked the outcome.</p>
<p>It sounds like Max’s voice is starting to change! Isn’t he in 5th grade?</p>
<p>Yes, he’s in 5th grade. The actor, however, is significantly older. They should have put him in middle school, but then Jabar wouldn’t be there. I thought it was unrealistic that Crosby couldn’t reach Adam. He should have been able to receive a text even if his reception was spotty. Also, why didn’t he just text the musician right off the bat? And I would think that if Adam didn’t have reception, he’d have gone into the mansion and said, “I have no reception, my wife is about to deliver, can I use your phone to check on her?” If I had been Christina, I’d have been really upset with my husband. I expected my husband to be reachable and in touch when I was close to delivery and that was pre-cell phones.</p>