Fair Use
First, I want to say that I really enjoy the show Parenthood (in it’s fourth season on NBC). I find it genuinely heartwarming, and I think it addresses the family dynamic in an honest, refreshing way that I don’t often see reflected in television dramas. However, my coursework has me thinking about the show more critically. Though I haven’t quite yet formed a coherent, articulate criticism, I want to highlight some scenes/characters/plot lines that I have found troubling. [SPOILER ALERT!]
The entire Braverman family.
The show follows three generations of the Braverman family, a middle-class white family in suburban California. The grandparents are presumably in their 60s, and their four children (in order of age: Adam, Sarah, Julia and Crosby) all have families of their own (the grandchildren are mostly school-age children). For anyone who hasn’t seen the show, I apologize – following along with the family tree might be complicated.
Jasmine, Crosby and Jabbar. Image Credit: Florian Schneider/NBC
I’ll start with the first season, in which the first character of color is introduced. Jasmine, an ex-lover of Crosby, shows up and reveals her five-year-old son is also Crosby’s child. Jasmine, the only main minority character of the first season is a black woman who had a child out of wedlock. Over subsequent seasons, Crosby rekindles his romance with Jasmine, and thus, the “solution” to the “problem” of their “broken” family is painted as marriage (the occasion that marks the end of Season 3).
Alex and Haddie
The second major character of color to be introduced is Alex, a 19-year old recovering alcoholic who beings dating Haddie Braverman (age 16). Haddie’s parents (Adam Braverman and his wife) are resistant to the relationship, due to his age and status as an “addict.” There is also a suggestion made, by Haddie, that they oppose the relationship because Alex is black, but it is quickly dismissed as ridiculous. Alex does face what could be seen as discrimination from another white family, who seeks to prosecute Alex for physical harassment of their son (who was harassing Haddie and “threw the first punch” before Alex engaged with him physically). So Alex, the second major character of color is painted as a violent addict, the product of a broken home.
Victor, Julia, Julia’s husband, and their first (biological) child
Season 3 ends with the third addition of a character of color (though, by this time, Alex’s role on the show has ended) – Julia Braverman and her husband adopt a child (age 9) who was given up for adoption by his recently incarcerated mother. Though Victor is having trouble adjusting to life as a member of the Braverman family, his racial or ethnic identity (which remains ambiguous) is never explicitly discussed.
Compulsory heterosexuality is clearly at work on the characters in this show: all of the relationships are heterosexual, and any relationships that fall outside the norm are eventually ended: Haddie and Alex break up, Crosby and Jasmine get married, and there seems to be foreshadowing that Sarah Braverman’s current engagement to a much younger man will soon be ended. And almost everyone on the show is “fit” and attractive.
Adam and Kristina
However, the moment that most bothers me came at the end of the second season. Adam finds a positive pregnancy test in the trash. He immediately goes to his wife, Kristina, assuming it is his daughter Haddie’s. However, it is quickly revealed that it is actually Kristina’s. Despite the fact that Kristina is in her 40s, has two teenage children, and the family has a financial burden (due to a combination of one child’s medical problems, the anticipation of Haddie’s college costs, and Adam’s unemployment) the “a” word – abortion! – is never mentioned. It is assumed that because they are married and “adults” they will go through with the pregnancy and have the child. Given that the Braverman family is not religiously active and does not subscribe to any religious doctrine, I found it ridiculous that Kristina did not at least consider this option.
I do want to avoid being overly critical of the show. The show is not a critique of society, but the writers don’t intend it to be. Rather, they are interested in painting an accurate portrait of family life in America: “art imitating life.” And for a certain type of family (for example, my own) their portrayal is accurate.
In addition, the way Parenthood has tackled some issues has been praised:
Haddie’s younger brother, Max, has Asperger’s, and the challenges this poses for his character and the family as a whole are showcased consistently and honestly.
In a recent episode, the show finally tackled the issue of race head on – Jasmine and Crosby’s young son, Jabbar, hears the word “nigger” for the first time. Crosby struggles with Jasmine’s assertion that only she can handle explaining the meaning of this word to their son, however, after witnessing Jasmine’s conversation with Jabbar, he has a new and more nuanced understanding of the way that being black has affected Jasmine’s life, in terms of discrimination, and the way being white has affected his own life, in terms of privilege.
A new storyline in which Kristina has breast cancer recently began; though I cringe at the October timing after watching Pink Ribbons Inc. I think that thus far they have avoided “pinkwashing” the issue (though in an earlier season, the entire Braverman family does “Walk for Aspergers”).
And, overall, the show has a nice balance between male and female characters, and avoids overarching gender stereotyping There are plenty of great “strong” female role models to be found here.
Does anyone else watch Parenthood? What do you think of the show?
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