S05.E19: Fraud Alert

[Tara Ariano]

Joel and Sarah celebrate their accomplishments; Adam takes Max on an adventure to cheer him up after a field trip gone wrong; Amber surprises Sydney and Victor.

[EdnasEdibles]

So Max will be homeschooled before they manage to open up their own school?  Or will the ocean heal his autism before this can happen? 

It's difficult that while I still sort of sympathize with Joel on how terribly unsupportive Julia was with his job, I am also tired of how whiney he is with her all the time. 

[bybrandy]

I'm telling you, Joel makes one good point about her not giving him the same support in his career that he gave her in his, but the rest of it?  He loses all cred.   

And while I'm fine with Julia putting herself out there, I think Ed is probably the last guy in the world she should be doing it with.  I know she thinks of him as a safe choice, but it's just not going to help things with Joel or the kids or her getting her head into the right position.  

Amber, as usual, had a better conversation with Max in 2 minutes than his parents have had in years.    

[Aliconehead]

I agree. I have no issue with Julia trying to move on but Ed is the WRONG choice for this if she ever hopes to reconnect wit Joel.

I also liked Amber and Drew taking to Sydney and Victor.

The is an organization, Surfers Healing, that takes autistic kids surfing. The feel that it helps calm them. A sensory thing.

[asha]

I've never been so happy about misleading promo monkeys. Be free, Mark!

[RealityCreator]

Well - at least we finally got a kinda sorta reason why Joel left, other than Julia's minor indiscretion.   I still think Joel leaving the family is out of character, but I guess the show is now digging in on that point, so in that case:  What the HELL JOEL!!!   I think it is unconscionable to do that to Victor and Sydney.   Victor has serious abandonment issues, so the upstanding, responsible father Joel - splits up the family.  Sydney already has deep resentment issues about being displaced in the family by Victor, so super Dad, sensitive Joel, displaces everyone in the family by leaving.   I am not totally against parents splitting up before their children are grown, but in this particular instance, when Julia and Joel have taken on the tremendous challenges - to both of their children - of adopting an older child, far different ground rules apply.   I had always liked Joel in the past, but I just can't accept his current choices.   Yes, Julia has been selfish, but I think they could have worked it out if Joel had really tried to.  As it stands now, Joel is the one who is being utterly selfish.

All of that being said, Julia!  What.  The.  Fuck.  Are you KIDDING me?  Ugh.  

So glad the reason for Mark's return was that he was telling Sarah he's getting married to someone else.   

 

The is an organization, Surfers Healing, that takes autistic kids surfing. The feel that it helps calm them. A sensory thing.

That's really cool.

Edited March 28, 2014 by RealityCreator

[90PercentGravity]

Sam Jaeger is too good for this show. Can someone please give him his own show? I'm sad to see him working so hard with the crap they are giving him.

Is it wrong that I was hoping Adam would get swept out to sea?

[Rapunzel]

I am not totally against parents splitting up before their children are grown, but in this particular instance, when Julia and Joel have taken on the tremendous challenges - to both of their children - of adopting an older child, far different ground rules apply.   I had always liked Joel in the past, but I just can't accept his current choices.   Yes, Julia has been selfish, but I think they could have worked it out if Joel had really tried to.  As it stands now, Joel is the one who is being utterly selfish.

 

I'm still struggling to fully understand exactly why Joel left. If it is tied to the fact that he was the stay at home Dad for so long and supported Julia's career, and then she just up and quit her job without consulting him and the roles suddenly reversed, okay, I can understand being upset over the way things were handled to some extent. However, given that they had just decided to adopt an older child that they knew had some issues it seems like Joel could have put his own issues aside knowing that what was best for the kids, especially the one they had just agreed to adopt, would be to maintain the family as best they could. It seems like a really bad time for Joel to start feeling put upon (even though he did have some right to). More than how he felt, however, was how he handled it and never really even told Julia why he was leaving. We really didn't get any kind of explanation until tonight, and I still think there's more to it than what was revealed tonight. The fact that Julia mentions that Joel's father cheated on his mother may be a bit telling especially as he keeps insisting that Julia had "an emotional affair" with Ed.

In any case, I thought the two had a pretty solid marriage which is why they decided to adopt Victor (an older child with some emotional issues). The fact that their marriage is now falling apart over a switch  in roles and a perceived "emotional affair" just doesn't seem right at all.

[EdnasEdibles]

That is pretty cool about Surfer's Healing.  I should clarify, I am in no way questioning that something like this is good for people with autism. I guess it's more my annoyance with how this show treats Max, giving him no boundaries or parenting at all but then he'll have one session with a behavioral therapist and a sticker chart and is drastically improved - until the next thing comes up.  It's very "Very Special Episode: This week we learn about surfing" - more like Seventh Heaven than I'd want this show to be. 

[annlaw78]

 

I guess it's more my annoyance with how this show treats Max, giving him no boundaries or parenting at all but then he'll have one session with a behavioral therapist and a sticker chart and is drastically improved - until the next thing comes up.

For all of Kristina's self-righteous fit-throwing with the school principal, the principal had a point: he has to investigate the canteen incident.  Simply because Max said it happened, doesn't mean it's true, any more than Max's saying Aunt Sarah was mean to him, or Hank is a liar, or he's smarter than his teachers, or his teacher is kicking him out of class or Mr. Knight is being mean to him by making him stand during class is true.  How receptive has Kristina been to other parents' and teachers' (and indeed her own family members') concerns about Max's behavior?  If the principal had said "we've gotten an accusation from one student that Max did "X," and while we investigate those claims, he's suspended from school," what would Kristina's reaction have been?  I do think the school was wrong in suggesting Max should stay at home the rest of the year, and I think that's kind of silly, given the incentives school receive for attendance. 

[TheGongOfDoom]

For all of Kristina's self-righteous fit-throwing with the school principal, the principal had a point: he has to investigate the canteen incident.  Simply because Max said it happened, doesn't mean it's true, any more than Max's saying Aunt Sarah was mean to him, or Hank is a liar, or he's smarter than his teachers, or his teacher is kicking him out of class or Mr. Knight is being mean to him by making him stand during class is true.  How receptive has Kristina been to other parents' and teachers' (and indeed her own family members') concerns about Max's behavior?  If the principal had said "we've gotten an accusation from one student that Max did "X," and while we investigate those claims, he's suspended from school," what would Kristina's reaction have been?  I do think the school was wrong in suggesting Max should stay at home the rest of the year, and I think that's kind of silly, given the incentives school receive for attendance. 

Well my unfortunate experience is that now autism and Aspergers are taken as a point of pride by parents and something to be bragged about, which frankly, is sickening. And Kristina's and Adam's behavior is typical not just of parents of autistic/mental kid these days, but EVERY kid. They are all special pweciious ittle unique perfect ittle angewic ittle special snowfwake special cupcakes with sparkly sprinkles who can do NOTHING wrong and have ZERO comprehension of the meaning of personal responsibility or accountability. A teacher friend has been involved in multiple lawsuits brought by parents because he failed certain students for various things, like when a parent admitted they had written the kids term paper for the kid, and then went batshit when the kid was failed.

Sorry for the tangent.

Max. *Sighs and shakes head* Here's the thing, Max doesn't come across as autistic or Aspy to me, he comes across as a spoiled kid who has to get his way ALL THE GODDAMN TIME. I'm betting on the field trip where the infamous pissing in his canteen accident allegedly happened, he said or did something that was clearly over the line, but because his parents have coddled him he expected to just get his way as usual.

Can someone please explain to me how on earth Drew and his kind of sorta of maybe ex girlfriend haven't flunked out of their respective colleges? When I was in school, if you missed 5 classes, that was it, you failed. These two missed by my count at least 3 weeks of classes, but has the advent of helicopter parenting forced a new pardigm on colleges where students can miss as many classes as they damn well please, since they spend their class time dicking around with their cellphones anyway.

[Tara Ariano]

These are all great points but let's talk about Julia's hair. Or should I say "hair"?

[90PercentGravity]

Ha! The wig was so distracting. It's probably what made Joel cry.

[Rapunzel]

I still just can't get past Joel's behavior and the lack of explanation. They chose to adopt an older child with emotional issues. They knew going into it that this was going to be a challenge and would test not just their marriage but their whole family dynamic. The fact that Joel all of a sudden bails when things start to get complicated/difficult is just silly, particularly since they didn't even try to go the therapy route except for that one session on how to tell the kids Joel was moving out. Based on how they wrote Joel before this all happened he just doesn't seem like the type to just give up on his family especially when he knew they were going to be heading for some challenges.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Rapunzel

[bybrandy]

When I was in school, if you missed 5 classes, that was it, you failed.

When I was in school (where I was in school?) attendance policies were determined by each professor.   Some profs dropped you letter grades for missing too many classes, others never too attendance at all.   They had to put the attendance policy in the sillibus but the policy could be whatever the professors wanted.   And first year classes often were the least strict about attendance because there were too many students to care.  I only took a couple of large lecture classes but none of them took attendance.  

And even if Drew and  his ex have failed out, they wouldn't need to deal with the consequences until the end of the semester.  

You don't get kicked out of housing you've paid for.

They don't call your parents.

Heck, they don't call you.   

Drew may find in May that he's failed everything.  He may get his scholarships dropped or be asked not to return, but for now?  He's fine.

[panthergirl13]

Um, my college student was just sent home mid-semester on "medical leave" because he did not attend even one class due to anxiety (unclear as to whether the anxiety caused him to miss class or happened after he realized he was pretty much fucked). The school gave us a 100% refund for the semester (incredibly) and he can apply for reinstatement, but they definitely weren't going to let him just finish out the year. (he is a Freshman, BTW, at a major private university).

But back to Parenthood (the fake kind, not the real kind, because I'm tired of that right now)... it would have made more sense to me if Joel left Julia because he was sick of her making major life decisions without bothering to check with him or just ignoring his input (quitting her job, trying to buy the coffee lady's baby, etc.). Otherwise it just feels like a contrived storyline.

[Nire]

I feel mixed about the Max situation.  While Adam and Kristina were very high and mighty there should be some repercussions for bullying.  I was bullied in middle school and the school took it very seriously they didn't just say "we don't want to point fingers or anything."  Not that somebody should be expelled on Max's word alone but were there seriously no other students that can give insight on what happened?  Did the canteen come home with urine in it?  If so there is at least some proof.  I felt that Sarah should have mentioned to Mark the good fortune that he will not have to teach Max next year causing him to have to deal with Adam and Kristina along with Max's behavior.  There are some benefits to Snowflake Academy!

Who take somebody out to dinner to say they're engaged?  Wouldn't it have been kinder and less weird to just pass word along with Amber or just call Sarah and tell her over the phone?  It's not like they had a child together who will be affected by this change.  Glad to see we won't have to deal with another Mark or Hank storyline.

I'm glad they're selling the house before it can become Snowflake Academy.  I like this fairly realistic and not super dramatic storyline of Zeke and Camille downsizing.  I hope they are reasonable though and get a small house where they have a garage for Zeke.  When is Crosby and family moving out?  Will they all end up renting something for a little while? 

I liked the storyline with Drew/Amber and Vincent/Sydney.  However if most nights that they're at their father's house Joel has to hire a babysitter so he can work then no wonder Sydney doesn't want to visit.  And I seriously doubt any man trying to support two households would offer to pay for a fancy dinner especially after seeing the $400+ check!  I would think Joel and Julia would be just scraping by when you add in Joel's rent.  And what is Julia thinking getting together with Ed.  Is she seriously just going to give up completely at getting back together with Joel?  How long have they been separated at this point?  If she wanted to see somebody then that would be one thing but with Ed it's just going to prove Joel's point!

[TheGongOfDoom]

RE: Max's being bullied. I don;t think any other kids would say they saw anything because none of them like him. Now, it DOES NOT follow that since none of them like him, that they must automatically be bullying him, they could just be shunning or ignoring him. Now, does THAT constitute bullying? I'm sure some people would say yes, but I have a few buckets full of roll eyes for those people.

Max reminds me a bit of a story I read about Richard Pryor. When he was in junior high and high school he'd act out and be disruptive in class, until a teacher sat him down and made a deal with him. He could stand up in front of the class on Fridays and 'perform' for 20 minutes and in return he would behave the rest of the week. It's like the whole school must bend to the will of this one kid. Sorry. that's not how life works.

[helgas altar]

I've had a hard time this season. Maybe because Joel and Julia were the one couple I was still invested in... *sigh* I found myself tuning this episode out, mostly. I did like the Max surfing bits - it was great for the actor to not have to scowl.
Drew annoyed me with the kids. I'm not the most extroverted person, either, but these guys weren't exactly strangers. I did like the chance for them to remind us that Amber has people smarts. I was uninterested in Zeek and Crosby's story, but at least it meant there was less Jasmine screen time (not a fan). I like Jason Ritter, but Mr. Cyr? eh. It was nice to see him on screen, though. The Hank/Sarah thing isn't keeping my interest, either. 

[film noire]

They chose to adopt an older child with emotional issues. They knew going into it that this was going to be a challenge and would test not just their marriage but their whole family dynamic. The fact that Joel all of a sudden bails when things start to get complicated

Inability to make plans and follow through, difficulty grasping other's needs, unwillingness to change course; all qualities Joel NEVER showed before. I swear, it's as if Asperger's has taken over the writer's room and they can't create anything that isn't seen through that prism.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Once again, Max gets to call all the shots AND show no respect for other people's boundaries. Yup, just barge into your parents' bedroom and announce that you're never going back to school. Yes, bullying is a serious issue but OMG. I understand Kristina and Adam's frustration but at the same time, they are so one sided, defensive, and accusatory about everything that concerns Max that it's hard to take their complaining seriously anymore.

When Max told Amber he doesn't need to go back to school because he is smarter than all this teachers and the Luncheonette has better snacks, Adam just stood in the back smiling like this is something to be proud of. NO. When Amber tried to relate to him by saying she had a rough time in middle school too, Max just said, "Not this rough." How would you know that, Max? You didn't even give her a chance to tell her what happened when she was in middle school. But of course he doesn't need to hear that. He knows he is such a special snowflake that no one has ever endured the pain of what he has had to put up with.

Why would Adam have Max bring a bag with a wetsuit down to the beach instead of having him change in the van or at the Luncheonette? As a long time resident of California, I know how to change from regular clothes into a bathing suit (and vice versa) in public while holding a towel around myself, but I'm pretty sure Max doesn't know how to do that yet and there is no reason why he should be getting naked on public beach (no matter how deserted it is) when he doesn't have to.

Adam taking Max surfing is just another example of the crappy parenting that Max gets. Kristina was right to be upset with Adam. Even Max knew he was supposed to do schoolwork until 3pm. Why not let him keep working until 3pm and then go surfing afterward?

The Luncheonette must be doing dismally if Crosby can take off for a few days to road trip with Zeke while Adam leaves in the middle of the day to take Max surfing.

Drew's inexperience babysitting was laughable. It's obvious that Haddie and Amber were the only cousins in that entire clan who got stuck babysitting. I can't believe he got paid $40 to babysit though. I remember when I was in middle school, I got paid $2/hr to babysit the three kids across the street. Like an idiot, I thought that was good money. The only good thing he did was yell at them to stop fighting. After that, his complete lack of authority was obvious.

I don't understand why the show goes out of its way to show specific signs to establish locations that don't exist. According to google, there is no Solano Avenue (where Amber ran into Mr. Cyr) or Chez Michelle restaurant in San Francisco.

Joel is an idiot. He offered to pay but didn't know how much it was going to be? You saw the menu when you ordered, right? If he is paying for the house and the apartment, does he really have an extra $468 to spend on dinner?

Sarah, ugh. She said hi to Mark FIVE TIMES when she arrived for dinner. Please STFU with the awkward stuttering.

Edited to add line breaks. Now it doesn't look like one giant paragraph!

Edited March 30, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Eeksquire]

One nice piece of continuity (sort of) this episode:when Zeke feels threatened, he hits the road.  (Was it Season 1 when he took Adam on a road trip to admit to his financial troubles? I think so...)  

Also: for a show that hits you over the head with the bizarre, out-of-context harebrained schemes (Sarah the brilliant playwright! No wait! Photographer!; Kristina the Mayor! No wait! Principal of Snowflake Academy!) the one that strikes me as terribly obvious hasn't seemed to occur to anyone - Amber realizes that she's really good with kids and considers moving down that path.  I know it would interfere with the actress's preference for music, but really there hasn't been a scene between Max and Amber where Max's behavior and attitude wasn't improved SUBSTANTIALLY (she taught him to apologize and seem sincere!) and she even made Sydney less bratty (by making paper turtles way back in the day). 

There's already a built-in mentor figure in Mr. Cyr, who believed in her abilities as a student before he got mixed up with the rest of the Bravermans.  (Then we could continue to get glimpses of Mark, who I like very much, without having to engage him in some tortured relationship with Sarah, which I was glad to see ended pretty definitely.)

[wonderwoman]

Word to everything ElectricBoogaloo said above.

Entitled, insular, no boundaries, zero capacity for self-reflection -- and never, ever any consequences for the Braverman's. I've never gotten through an episode without screaming at the screen. Don't know if I could continue watching without a place to vent.

[afm]

I realized watching this episode why I've always hated Mark and thought the whole thing with him and Sarah was so weird - he's written SO much like Drew. The way he was talking at their dinner, it was exactly the way Drew was talking to Amy a few episodes ago. Creepy. 

[TheGongOfDoom]

The dichotomy between the characters on Parenthood and those on Friday Night Lights when it comes to accepting the consequences of your actions is interesting. I wonder if Katims made that choice deliberately.

Max is a bully.

Actually all of the special snowfwakes who have been diagnosed as autistic or aspies are bullies. The entire goddamn planet must now kowtow and give in and do whatever the fuck they want because god forbid if their pwecious feews* get even slightly touched. 

I think it would have been a REALLY interesting dynamic if Max had a brother or sister who was normal. Maybe a year or two older,so they could maybe keep an eye on him and smooth the way for him in school when mom and dad aren't there, plus the frustration when mom and dad spend all of their time on Max and his pwecious feews.

 

I don't understand why the show goes out of its way to show specific signs to establish locations that don't exist. According to google, there is no Solano Avenue (where Amber ran into Mr. Cyr) or Chez Michelle restaurant in San Francisco.

Oh come on, every show does that. The Huxtable's townhouse would have been in the middle of the Hudson River. TV shows exist in parallel universes where streets and such don't match up. This kind of nitpicking is maddening and petty.

The money and financial issues is something I just handwave away because it is used in service of the storyline.

Excellent point about the lack of therapy especially for Max. That makes ZERO sense.

 

 

*Feews is Jezie slang for feels, which is short for feelings.

Edited March 30, 2014 by TheGongOfDoom

[wonderwoman]

"I think it would have been a REALLY interesting dynamic if Max had a brother or sister who was normal. Maybe a year or two older,so they could maybe keep an eye on him and smooth the way for him in school when mom and dad aren't there, plus the frustration when mom and dad spend all of their time on Max and his pwecious feews."

He does -- her name is Haddie. She's a sophmore (I think) at Cornell,

[Cattitude]

I'm glad someone mentioned Hattie...um what happened to her did she get the older brother on Happy Days treatment? I mean Ron Howard WAS on that show..just sayin'

I love Joel I think he has to be my favorite character, and even I don't really get his sudden identity crisis. I mean Julia is a crappy wife, but that shouldn't be something new to Joel. It seems to me Julia has always been like that. She is very spoiled. I also see Joel having some attraction to Pete so I think Joel has some weird quirk where he is actually attracted to bossy, in charge women. I think maybe he is in denial and the real reason he just can't with Julia anymore is she basically fell apart and became a ball of need with no drive that really turned him off. I get his upset at her handling the trasition of power poorly, because lets face it if Joel were a woman and Julia the man no one would fault the woman for leaving the man acting like that. It is also very realistic that the stress of adopting a special needs older trama child can and does cause divorces. I think Joel is trying his best to still be a dad and support the kids while doing what he has to do for himself. I can't jump on the Joel is bad bandwagon. When a camel is carrying a whole load of straws no one knows what the last straw will be. I've always seen Joel put up with A LOT from Julia.

I love Crosby and Zek together they are so alike I just love them and Zek's old man sweater was so precious. I like how much Crosby has grown up over the years, yet STILL bought that POS motorcycle. So Crosby.

I used to enjoy Cristina and Adam but the Max overload is eating the show. ugh

I like Drew and Amber, but it is sad that they are STILL raising themselves. Does Sarah have an clue what is going on with them? Hank was cute in small doses but now just please move that story along.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Cattitude

[TheGongOfDoom]

Hattie has been in 58 episodes compared to 90 for the rest of the main cast. And it's not the actress playing her has been doing a ton of projects outside the show. But she will be back for at least one more episode this season at which she will announce she's engaged to a Saudi oil sheik and will be moving to Riyad and becoming a Muslim.*

*May not be actual storyline.

The overarching theme to this season to me is that none of the characters are moving forward in their lives, just walking in place or in circles.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh come on, every show does that. The Huxtable's townhouse would have been in the middle of the Hudson River. TV shows exist in parallel universes where streets and such don't match up. This kind of nitpicking is maddening and petty

For me, it's maddening that they do things like fly two actors to San Francisco so they can shoot a 30 second scene of them driving across the Bay Bridge (because the show wants to be authentic in their locations) but then shoots establishing shots that show the Solano Avenue street sign (don't get me started on the fake cable car that went by) or lingering for several seconds on the Chez Michelle sign before Julia entered. Locals will know they're fake and non-locals don't need to see the signs in order to believe that yes, they're still in San Francisco.

If they just left out those establishing shots, I wouldn't question where they were (and I wouldn't complain, I swear!). Adding them is a pointless waste of time, especially since they're only doing it to lend authenticity. Like New York, San Francisco is not a large sprawling town so if you start making up street names, anyone who is familiar with the area is going to know.

[Eeksquire]

 

lingering for several seconds on the Chez Michelle sign before Julia entered.

I didn't think that was meant to show us a place in San Francisco so much as it was meant to show us that Julia, rather than asking Joel about the charge, went to the restaurant to try and interrogate the waiter about what happened.  

Though I do enjoy the scenery shots whenever the Bravermans road trip - whether it's Zeke and Crosby driving to Washington or when Amber bugged out to the coast after breaking up with Ryan or going to visit Grandma Blanche.  Even at that though, it doesn't matter to me whether they're particularly accurate in location, it's just nice to look at.

[cee]

Amber is ridiculously adorable when she interacts with her younger cousins. She's a natural counselor, mentor, and teacher. I loved all her scenes in this episode. When she's not in a destructive relationship, she shines around everyone. 

The Joel/Julia storyline continues to be painful. I wish they'd let Joel start dating someone else instead of Julia moving in that direction with Ed. He's so depressed and unhappy in every scene. I wish he'd get help for his anger and move forward. He can be funny and playful, but I haven't seen that side in a very long time. 

[Cattitude]

Maybe I'm a little confused but I thought the preview was teasing that Julia would get it on with Mr Knight not Ed. I just RME b/c it seems a little reminisce of Max's behavioralist again.

Adam and Christine just can't help Max b/c Adam's sibling always screw up their "perfect" life.(gag)

[JennyDriscoll]

I've never been so happy about misleading promo monkeys. Be free, Mark!

I felt the exact same way!  I always thought Mark was too good for Sarah and I'm super pleased to see he's not only moved on but engaged!!!  Not sure I want Sarah back with Hank but I'm glad Mark was spared her train-wreck-of-a-life 

[film noire]

Amber realizes that she's really good with kids and considers moving down that path.  I know it would interfere with the actress's preference for music, but really there hasn't been a scene between Max and Amber where Max's behavior and attitude wasn't improved

What a great -- AND BELIEVABLE -- idea (you could always accommodate the inclinations of the actress by having Amber find her into becoming a music therapist for troubled kids).

Edited March 31, 2014 by film noire

[JennyDriscoll]

Maybe I'm a little confused but I thought the preview was teasing that Julia would get it on with Mr Knight not Ed. I just RME b/c it seems a little reminisce of Max's behavioralist again.

Adam and Christine just can't help Max b/c Adam's sibling always screw up their "perfect" life.(gag)

I thought the preview was Julia and Mr. Knight.  Ed is built much more like a bear and I did not think Julia was making out with the bear.

[Rogaine2233]

It is Mr Knight, but how the heck does Julia know him?

[Tara Ariano]

Don't Julia's kids still go to the same school as Max? Maybe Mr. Knight is the new faculty advisor to the Sustainability Committee!

[Rogaine2233]

I thought Max was in the middle school and they were still in elementary. As near as I can tell, Max is in 8th, Sydney in 5th and Victor in 4th.

[JennyDriscoll]

It is Mr Knight, but how the heck does Julia know him?

I'm guessing someone introduces them... and it's probably Adam or Kristina.  I mean, it's doubtful to happen as a random encounter.

[90PercentGravity]

Will Adam and Kristina flip the fuck out on Julia if she sleeps with Mr. Knight and he abandons Max as a result. Or does only Crosby deserve such treatment?

[Eeksquire]

StarsFallen, I liked that too - for once, Sarah Braverman doesn't get absolutely every man in the world, whether she wants them or not.  As he kept talking, I kept waiting for him to say, "...but I needed to see you one more time and see if there was a chance..." and he didn't! Finally, writers, a real disappointment for Sarah (even a disappointment that she may not have realized she's be disappointed about) - bravo!

[OhYouMen]

StarsFallen, I liked that too - for once, Sarah Braverman doesn't get absolutely every man in the world, whether she wants them or not.  As he kept talking, I kept waiting for him to say, "...but I needed to see you one more time and see if there was a chance..." and he didn't! Finally, writers, a real disappointment for Sarah (even a disappointment that she may not have realized she's be disappointed about) - bravo!

Seriously. Aside from that one time she was a playwright, all of her plot lines revolve around a man falling for her because she's so...? But yeah, taking someone out to dinner to announce your engagement is a bit awkward. That's a phone call or a quick meet up for coffee, dude. 

Why aren't Sydney and Victor meeting with a therapist? Why isn't Max meeting with Dr. Abbott but Hank sees him regularly to talk girl problems? I am seriously disappointed with the way this show presents a scenario where there's no support for these kids other than their crazy parents. 

[annlaw78]

 

I'm guessing someone introduces them... and it's probably Adam or Kristina.  I mean, it's doubtful to happen as a random encounter.

I have a sinking suspicion Adam and Kristina are going to host a "Starting Snowflake Academy" meeting, and Mr. Knight will attend as presumed founding head-of-school, and Julia will be there as presumed general counsel/legal adviser.

[kater]

Max Braverman is a poster child for what goes wrong with helicopter parents.  I realize he has special needs, but I agree with pretty much everyone else that his parents are doing him no favors.  Most people in life are not as accommodating as Mr. Knight or even Hank.  

I used to like this show a lot, but this season is really turning me off because of the continuously spoiled Max and the seemingly unbelievable Joel-Julia scenario.  If Adam and Kristina (who are both totally unqualified to start a school, WTF?) start Snowflake Academy with Mr. Knight and Julia, I'm not going to keep watching.  Hell, I might stop watching it anyway if Adam and Kristina continue to snowflake Max.  

[wanderwoman]

I just noticed that there are two of us with very close names: wanderwoman and wonder woman.  Should I change my name?

[2Old2BAFangirl]

We're allowed to not like Max or the way Adam & Kristina "parent" him here?!   This. is. Awesome.

I love this show but Max, Kristina and Adam make me so mad practically every episode that I bitch at my TV and my poor chihuahuas when I watch!  I have to DVR the show and watch later because my husband can't stand the show or most of the people on it so my poor dogs have to hear my rants. I've felt bad and a little ashamed for hating on a kid with special needs I don't know much about and for hating on his parents for allowing him to behave so badly.  Reading all the other posts has given me such peace. :)

This episode Max pissed me off but not as bad as when he sat on Sarah to get at the computer and then Sarah got bitched at for being so mean to him.  It hurt my heart for Max when he asked why all the kids hated him because no one should feel like that, but IMO, it's what Kristina and Adam have created with their treatment of Max.  He just expects everyone to treat him like he's the only person who matters in the world.  I've never thought they were doing him any favors by not setting limits or even trying to teach him basic courtesy.  I'm not overly well-informed about Asperger's but I find it hard to believe that if Max can be in a mainstream school that he can't learn some common courtesy and some forms of politeness.  I should stop now.

I don't get the whole Joel personality change.  He's been such a stable, sane guy that this big shift is hard to take.  Julia hasn't really changed - she was always bossy, self-centered and a little annoying - so even though he says that her behaving poorly contributed to his unhappiness, it doesn't make much sense to me. Other than buddying up and then kissing Ed, she's no different than she's ever been.  I guess I'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Sarah and Mr Cyr.  Hahaha!  That was so bad!  You don't take your ex-fiancee to dinner to tell them you're marrying someone else!  It was all kind of silly.

I thought Zeke and Crosby were cute together.  I'm glad Crosby could be there for Zeke.  I hate that they're selling the house.  I'm mad at Camille for her weird ultimatum thing but that's for a different rant.  Someone upthread said something about using the house for the Special Snowflake school and didn't like the idea - me either.

Pretty sure I've gone on way too long.  Sorry for that but thanks for the outlet (my dogs thank you too).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One of my friends told me that his ex called him to have dinner and then told him that she got engaged, so I guess some people do that. Other people have told me that an ex called them specifically to let them know they got engaged. Both seem weird to me. If you're still in touch and you're still friends, then fine, but I never understood when people contact an ex who they haven't talked to in months or years just to say they're marrying someone else.

I think I'm not paying enough attention while watching as I assumed they met up on Berkeley's Solano Avenue.  I've given up figuring out when they're in Berkeley, San Francisco, or Oakland since the show acts like they're basically the same thing. 

ITA that they act like they're all the same place, which sometimes makes no sense. The only time I really know which city they're in is when Drew is on campus and Adam/Crosby/Amber are at the Luncheonette. I'm pretty sure that the Solano Avenue they showed was on a hill/slope and they also showed a faux cable car going by. The Solano in Berkeley is totally flat and there are definitely no cable cars on that side of the bridge!

Edited April 2, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Cattitude]

We're allowed to not like Max or the way Adam & Kristina "parent" him here?!   This. is. Awesome.

Max can be in a mainstream school that he can't learn some common courtesy and some forms of politeness.

I know right!

That is my peeve too and I do know a lot about special needs children. Adam and Kristina put Max in mainstream to teach the OTHER kids how to treat Max like a special snowflake like they do, not for Max to learn how to be a productive member of society.

Don't you know the whole world MUST conform to their ideals/ideas. RME

[annlaw78]

 

One of my friends told me that his ex called him to have dinner and then told him that she got engaged, so I guess some people do that. Other people have told me that an ex called them specifically to let them know they got engaged. Both seem weird to me. If you're still in touch and you're still friends, then fine, but I never understood when people contact an ex who they haven't talked to in months or years just to say they're marrying someone else.

I agree, I guess it depends upon what sort of break-up you had, etc.  I don't really know why Mark felt like Sarah needed to know he'd moved on, given that when he and Amber met up on the street, they acted like they had had zero contact for years.  But, if he did, maybe just see if she wants to grab a coffee or a beer?  The whole "I want to talk to you over a fancy dinner" thing didn't quite jibe with "so, yeah, I'm engaged and it's wonderful and I just thought you'd want to know because you're probably not over me."  And then they had to sit across the table from each other for another hour, when both (Sarah especially) probably just wanted to bolt.  This scene seemed engineered specifically for a "fake out the audience" promo. 

Frankly, if Sarah and Hank aren't going to be a couple by season's end, I don't really know what purpose Hank serves, other than to show someone else Max treats poorly.  Which, we get: Max is rude and jerkish to everyone.  "Sarah becomes a great photographer" could have happened without Hank, and would have been more empowering if she wasn't essentially mooching off him for materials, equipment, labor, editing, etc.

[Cattitude]

I love RR and like Hank in small doses but he is eating way too much show right now. Sarah's bipolar love life is just grating after this many seasons. It makes me start thinking Seth got the raw end of the deal getting total blame for their bad marriage. If Sarah is all that why does she have such a dysfunctional love life ALL THE TIME! I don't think Mark would have contacted Sarah to tell IF he hadn't run into Amber and NOT told her. I think he then realized he would look like a jerk if he didn't tell her in person and she later found out or ran into him and his wife, but I agree a whole dinner was way overkill and awkward they should have just gotten coffee.

You know Adam and Kristina should buy a clue that it is more Max's poor manners than his disability that keep him from fitting in when his exfriend in the wheelchair is accepted and even HE won't hang with Max anymore. I just wish a parent of an atypical kid would complain about MAX disrupting normal school every damn day and force Adam and Kristina to have to admit Max is a problem sometime. I'd love a great strong set of parents push back at them, they say you just don't understand HOW special Max is only to find they have a second child with Down's Syndrome. THAT would be epic!