is one that you should watch. it's nbc's new show parenthood, and the premiere was tuesday night. i was expecting a sitcom, but what i got was an hour long drama/funny show about families and relationships. it was absolutely wonderful.
**if you want to watch the show, then you may need to stop reading. i might spoil some of it for you.**
the premise of the show is that lauren graham (who i loved in gilmore girls) is a mother with 2 teens who is moving back into her parents' house due to money problems. she is one of 4 siblings: 2 brothers, 2 sisters.
one of the brothers (who seemed to be the one they all went to) works, his wife stays at home and they have a son who is a little distant, having trouble in school, not really interested in a lot. throughout the course of the show, he and his wife discover that the son has aspergers.
the other brother isn't married, but living with his girlfriend, who is wanting more commitment than he is. he seems to be kind of a mess. during the show, he gets a call from an old girlfriend who shows up to let him know that he has a son.
the sister in the show is a lawyer whose husband stays at home with their daughter. even when she's at home or with her fam, it's hard for her to disconnect from the office and be there. her daughter consistently asks for and prefers her dad.
lauren graham's character deals with her ex husband and how all she does is affecting her kids, who are in the midst of some struggles, themselves (in fact, her daughter and niece end up in jail for pot in this episode).
the parents in the show are supportive, pushy, and loving.
here's why i liked it so much.
it showed a family that could be real. it wasn't overly silly or ridiculous, nor was it overly cheesy or dramatic or mushy. the family has problems. but they love each other. they're struggling to figure out their lives, but they are there for each other.
when the brother with the kid with asperger's finds out from his wife, she says, "please don't make me do this alone." and when the brother tells his dad, who is trying to push the kid really hard, he says "there's something wrong with my son, and i'm going to need your help."
when lauren graham's son walks in and sees her half naked with a guy in the kitchen, he leaves and goes to his dad's house (who happens to be a touring musician). his dad doesn't want him there and makes an excuse about needing to be able to leave. lauren says to her son, "i'm sorry. you deserve a better dad. i shouldn't have married him. i'm sorry. but for what it's worth, you've got me. and that's going to have to be enough."
at the end of the show, after brother 1 (dad of asperger's kid) has been told not to come to his kid's baseball games anymore, as coach or fan, and the kid has said he doesn't want to be there, the whole family -- all the brothers and sisters and cousins and kids -- are eating together, hanging out and enjoying each other. the kid comes out and says, "isn't the game today?" when told that they thought he didn't want to play, he said, "they're my team and they need me." the whole family stops what they are doing, they all get up and everyone helps everyone else get ready. they load up in the cars and race to the field to watch their cousin/kid/grandkid play in this game.
that's why i liked it so much. no matter what was going on, they stopped for each other. they listened to each other, they laughed with each other, they cried with each other, they helped each other. they loved each other. sure, they all had problems, but that didn't matter because they were family. and they were going to be there for each other no matter what was going on. and they knew that everyone else was going to be there for them too. they knew they weren't alone.
how often do we think we're alone when really we're not, when there are people all around us who are willing to be there for us, to listen and to love, waiting for us to be ready to share our lives with them? or when we're trying to be there for those around us, but they aren't either ready to share or just don't want to?
that's not the way life is supposed to be lived.
and believe me, i'm speaking to myself here as well. i'm the first one usually to keep things to myself, and hardly ever the first one to share what's on my mind.
but that's not the way it's supposed to be. God didn't intend for us to live life this way.
He meant for us to live life together, in each other's business and messes, just like the characters on this show are.
that's why i liked it.
i'm looking forward to the rest of the season and i hope you'll check out the show too.
and yes, i cried a few times.
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