<p>I’m sure there are plenty of people who do send their kids off to college as freshman alone. Just did seem a little odd for this particular family. I do think a scene of the parents dropping her off at Cornell could very much have been equally as poignant as an airport scene. It’s tough no matter how the leaving takes place.</p>
<p>We really enjoyed last night’s show. Yes, I agree that probably the whole brood would have gone to Cornell with her, but am OK with them not going that way. I didn’t catch that Haddie wasn’t in the credits, we were wondering if she would still be in the show. I am definitely glad it is back!!</p>
<p>Amber applied to ONE college–ONE–Berkeley!!! and when she didn’t get in, she didn’t go to college. How real is that? But they have to fit in all these people in their complicated lives.</p>
<p>Having just sent our baby off to college, DH and I BOTH got teary at that last scene. Surprised us both too, I think. WAH! Mae Whitman is amazing (her nuanced acting is so great) and, if you haven’t seen “Men of a Certain Age,” I highly recommend it - a whole different side of Ray Romano and the brilliant Andre Braugher. I can picture RR in Parenthood. Do we know what role Matt Lauria will play? I’ve loved him too.</p>
<p>Ramos will be guest starring in a couple episodes this season, when Haddie returns from college for various holidays. One episode, if I recall correctly, will focus on her at Cornell.</p>
<p>SJTH, Matt will play a vet who has returned from Afghanistan and his story arc will be some sort of relationship with Zeke. Nice to see so many FNL alumni getting work thanks to Jason Katims.</p>
<p>Oh boy. Breast cancer? Really? How much more can one family take?</p>
<p>This show is starting to jump the shark for me. Adam and Cristina are supposed to be having money trouble because he lost his job at the shoe company. Then he turns down a million-dollar offer from the guys who wanted to buy the recording studio. Then they tell Haddie they can’t afford to send her to Cornell, then suddenly they can. And now they want to spend $1200 on a puppy, and Cristina has breast cancer. I’ll bet next week we learn they have no insurance.</p>
<p>The part abt paying ridiculous amounts of money for a pure bred dog when you can ill afford to really rang true for me. I know so many people in that position and I’ve never understood it, especially when there are shelters with adorable dogs.</p>
<p>I loved the way they portrayed Cristina receiving the news of her cancer. “Silent” dialogue, facial expressions, etc. Powerful.</p>
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<p>I agree. Too much. Way too much. Why do shows feel the need to do this? </p>
<p>I enjoyed the scenes that Ray Romano’s Hank had and I have a feeling that when his episodes are over, there will be something lacking. He’s the best thing to happen to Parenthood since Michael B. Jordan’s Alex left.</p>
<p>I’ve always like this show but over the last dozen episodes it’s jumped the shark for me too. It’s now a better acted version of “Secret Life of the American Teenager”.</p>
<p>Last night’s episode rang so true in this house. It was 20 years ago when we lost our 14 year old dog and the youngest was heading off to Kindergarten. Empty nest hit and I wasn’t having another baby, so we got a puppy:) Fast forward 2 months and the diagnosis of breast cancer arrives. </p>
<p>I hope Adam and Cristina do a better job with their puppy that we did! Our golden had a few issues that wouldn’t have been there if I had spent more time with her; instead I gave all my attention to the kids and their activities. I don’t think Cristina has it in her to focus on a dog, especially with a baby; I am interested in seeing where the writers go with this. Maybe that is why they went with the little dog instead of a rambunctious golden puppy.</p>
<p>Spoiler alert: Parenthood was filming at the closed Century City Hospital last week. Since the production doesn’t film within a week…there does seem to be an ongoing medical issue.</p>
<p>I am loving Ray Romano’s snarky character. I am hating Lauren Graham’s demeanor with her son, she needs to just up. I am almost at the point with her where I am so embarrassed for her that I want to leave the room.</p>
<p>I thought the BC was a bit much for Cristina, I mean, yeah, it does happen to people that way, but could they just have a breather.</p>
<p>I want to like this show so much and DH & I really struggle with some of the story lines.</p>
<p>My biggest issue in this show now is Max. I know there was a lot of discussion somewhere upthread on his behavior with some parents who have kids on the spectrum weighing in as to how realistic his tantrums may or may not be. What bothers me is that there seems to be no plan in place to help him gain some self control. There is a lot of intervention for some of his other issues, but his family seems to be helpless when he escalates. There are never any real responses to his behavior. Also, there never seems to be any preparation ahead of time. For example, couldn’t they have sat with him before going to see the Golden Retrievers and reviewed what might happen? That they might not come home with a puppy? Couldn’t they have said, “Max, let’s talk about what will happen if we don’t get a dog today?” I’m not at all an expert on Aspergers, but I think Max and his family need to be working on this.</p>
<p>mimk- couldn’t they NOT have taken him to see puppies before they decided? And couldn’t they have found out the price before visiting the breeders?</p>
<p>Folks, it’s a drama, not an instruction manual. They are dramatizing issues in people’s lives, whereas the people actually living those lives generally prefer to dial the drama down on their issues whenever they can. </p>
<p>So of course the Adam Bravermans could have prepared Max better for the puppy search, and could have gotten a clue themselves about what puppies with papers cost. But that would have been bo-ring to watch. Watching Adam and Kristina deal with all the dogs, the dog ladies, and Max at once was entertaining.</p>
<p>I had that sinking feeling as soon as I saw that K’s “doctor’s appointment” was a mammogram. She is the designated victim on the show; crap just keeps getting dumped on her because she is so good at playing a punching bag.</p>
<p>No jumping the shark for me. I loved the episode and especially love Ray Romano’s character. </p>
<p>There’s a storyline last night that closely mirrored something happening IRL for me/a friend right now, and it’s hilarious to watch how ridiculous it looks on TV but then realize that that’s exactly how people are behaving IRL. Changes my outlook on the IRL situation.</p>
<p>Did we even see Bonnie Bedelia last night?</p>
<p>I love the conflict with Jasmine and Crosby. Doesn’t that feel realistic? Crosby not wanting to use a calendar because that makes him seem old, regardless of how much sense it makes? And Jasmine trying to be more “go with the flow,” against her nature? I loved it.</p>
<p>Parenthood is genuinely one of the shows that I like to watch every week. I go into the guest bedroom, bring a lot of blankets, turn my computer off, and curl up with my dog to watch. I know that these episodes have emotional moments which is why I describe the show with a lot of heart. Every show I watch has problems and issues within (as many on this board has said that Max is the big issue) but I don’t take this show too seriously. It is an ensemble drama that deals with the issues of being in a family. It is different than what we all experience. </p>
<p>The title of this episode ‘Left Field’ was interesting. I saw the small hints of the doctor appointments but not until Christina was getting a mammogram did I really understand everything. The whole montage was done so perfectly. I especially loved the song that played throughout it. </p>
<p>People are going to complain about it being ‘a cancer arc.’ We’ve seen dozens of show give a character cancer and deal with those issues. Off the top of my head I can name Sex and the City and Grey’s Anatomy. One of my favorite TV critics said this on Twitter: “Measure of how good #Parenthood is that last night’s Kristina bad news felt completely earned, not a melodramatic reach.”</p>
<p>Lastly here is an interview that Jason Katims and Monica Potter did with The Hollywood Reporter about last night’s episode. ['Parenthood's'</a>; Jason Katims, Monica Potter on Kristina’s Life-Altering News and the Journey Ahead - Hollywood Reporter](<a href=“http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/parenthood-kristina-monica-potter-jason-katims-season-4-spoilers-370619]'Parenthood’s’”>‘Parenthood’s’ Jason Katims, Monica Potter on Kristina’s Life-Altering News and the Journey Ahead – The Hollywood Reporter)</p>
<p>mimk6, thank you for your post. And yes, JHS, I understand it’s not an instructional video, but why only blame “asperger’s” for obnoxious behavior?
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At least the writers should get it right for a change and explain that maybe this spoiled kid has gotten away with too much all his life, or maybe he’s showing true pre-teenage behavior for once. But nope. His trantrums are all “excused” because he has Asperger’s. IRL, my son never, ever had a fit like that. He may have gotten all panicky and he may want to hurt himself, but whatever was going on that affected him was internal. He doesn’t ever raise his voice and make others scramble around him. </p>
<p>As a result, I can’t stand the show when he is on (or when Lauren G. is on, but I blame her acting on why I dislike her).</p>
<p>Limabeans, yes. We don’t see consequences for Max’s behavior. We don’t see any attempts to set limits. And I don’t find it entertaining to watch him behave as he does.</p>
<p>Also, I’ve never been to a gynecologist for a mammogram. I’ve always gone to a radiology center. Not sure why we kept being told her appointment was with her gynecologist. </p>
<p>One more thing, if my husband ever suggested we go get pizza while I was serving a meal I’d labored over to my family, it would not be pretty.</p>
<p>Did anyone else feel like the entire show was a product placement for Apple?</p>