We were small but we didn't know it

Day 435

 I never really hear of the show Parenthood getting much buzz, but I've been watching it over the past couple of weeks and I really like it a lot. It's not what I'd call groundbreaking, but it's a very solid family drama with interesting and believable characters. I'm particularly partial to Max Burkholder's portrayal of the Adam and Kristina Braverman's son with Asperger's syndrome. Although I must admit I'm not an expert on the subject, I feel that Max's character is pretty fascinating in its singlemindedness and unflappability. His relationship with Hank in later seasons (portrayed by none other than Ray Romano) is also pretty interesting as it causes Hank to reexamine some facts about himself which he had never considered.

The series as a whole is centered around the Braverman clan, which consists of elderly couple Zeek and Camille, their four children, and their families. The aforementioned Adam and Kristina make up what I feel is the "main" family, but that's probably just my perception. Their son Max is a major plot point especially in early seasons, but their daughter Haddie, who is 15 at the start of the series, plays an important role as well. Most plots centered around Haddie tend to follow her various relationships. She is unfortunately completely absent from the fifth season due to being in college, but I can only assume the actress left the show in reality.

Crosby Braverman (Dax Shepard) finds himself grappling with unexpectedly becoming the father of a five-year-old son named Jabbar in the very first episode and much of the rest of the series' plots regarding him expound on that fact--and how he royally screws up his responsibilities over and over. However, he goes through a lot of growth as a character as the series progress until he finds himself experiencing fathering an infant with his partner Jasmine--an experience that he had been denied the first time around. Jasmine herself is a very bubbly, likable character who tends not to sweat the small stuff but has strong convictions.

Sarah Braverman is a single mother of two who seems to still be having troubles dealing with her responsibilities late into her 30s. Her relationship with Zeek and Camille is somewhat strained early in the series due to the nature of her relationship with her ex-husband, whose drug use had driven a wedge in the family many years before. Sarah is portrayed by Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls and her two children are Drew and Amber, the latter of which is played by Mae Whitman. I recognize her most as Ann Veal from Arrested Development, but she also had a memorable appearance in Scott Pilgrim vs the World as one of Ramona Flowers' "evil exes." Drew is reserved and shy whereas Amber is emotional and independent.

Julia Braverman-Graham is the last child of the Braverman clan and probably my least favorite character. The actress doesn't necessarily do a poor job in portraying her, but her mannerism and tone of voice get under my skin in ways I can't even fully explain. Her tendency to lose herself in her work and overlook the concerns of her husband Joel is also troublesome. I frequently find myself rooting against her, particularly when her and Joel are having trouble in season 5. Both parties are at fault, of course, but I am (perhaps unfairly) more willing to give Joel the benefit of the doubt considering the character's past behavior. 

Forever young

Day 428

Only one more day of work and I finally get a day off. I also only work for a few hours tomorrow, so I'll have plenty of time tomorrow afternoon to. . .come home and play Final Fantasy XIV all night. Argh! I know what I'm doing is bad, but I can't help it. I'm still enjoying the game right now and I'm eager to see all the abilities and places I can unlock as I progress. The story itself is not awe-inspiring, but the graphics, the style, and the interface are all wonderful. I'm still too early in (because MMOs are glacially paced) to determine whether the combat is as satisfying as I'd prefer, but I have high hopes. 

I wish that I had the ability to discuss critically other things that I spend my time on. I've been watching the show Parenthood a lot over the past several days, for instance, but I'm not sure how to begin to discuss it. I'm on season 3 now and I've decided I like it a lot. It's a show that features a lot of familiar faces for me but beyond that it's just a really great show that focuses really heavily on interpersonal relationships. As I've discussed recently, this is just the kind of thing that I am into. I tend to enjoy a lot of shows that feature ensemble casts like that. Mae Whitman in particular is incredibly adorable--she's evidently the same age as me, which is pretty interesting. I of course recognize her from Arrested Development and the Scott Pilgrim film. 

Whitman is far from the only familiar face on display in Parenthood, though. Adam Braverman, one of the leading roles, is played by none other than Peter Krause, who I recognize most as Nate Fisher from Six Feet Under, a series I'm quite fond of and have watched multiple times. It's also an ensemble drama, although its subject matter is decidedly darker than Parenthood's--no small surprise considering it was an HBO show. I really enjoy his performance on both shows. Adam is a responsible and driven family man, whereas Nate is an aimless, conflicted guy coming to terms with being in his mid-30s. 

Of course, there's also Lauren Graham who was best known for her longtime role on Gilmore Girls. I've never watched the show, but I like her a lot and enjoy her performance on Parenthood because her character is so neurotic and self-defeating but creative and smart. These qualities, positive and negative, are reflected by her daughter, played by Whitman. The patriarch of the Braverman family is played by Craig T. Nelson, who I recognize most from the TV series Coach. I used to really like that show even though I'm not at all interested in sports. I'm pretty impressed with the subtlety and nuance of his performance on Parenthood. His appearance on the show almost seems like a parallel to Ed O'Neill's appearance on Modern Family--two 90s sitcom leads (with O'Neill playing the part of Al Bundy on Married With Children) playing the role of grandfather on family-oriented 2010s shows. I've not seen Modern Family but I may give it a try one of these days.

Dax Shepard is also on the show as the irresponsible Braverman brother--and I am vaguely familiar with him from a couple of films, but I can't recall which ones. He does a good job in his role but I have to wonder if he wasn't a little typecast in this case. Still, he certainly does fit the part. The show in general can be very melodramatic but I still enjoy it a lot. I'm not particularly interested in family dynamics per se, but I do enjoy shows that feature a lot of character interaction--and that's pretty much all this is about.