Parenthood, “Cold Feet” (5.20)-TV Recap

Parenthood, Season 5, Episode 20, “Cold Feet”
4/3/14, 10 PM, NBC
After three stellar episodes in a row, this week’s episode, “Cold Feet,” not only does the double meaning of the title better than last week’s episode, but was also a literal interpretation of where the season is at before the big finale. The episodes revisits a bunch of the more problematic plotlines of the season while giving the tiniest of lip service to the season long plotlines that actually do work. Thus it gives the episode a feeling of hesitation, which is disappointing given the emotional roller coaster of the last three weeks.

Starting off with the most significant developments, we see Adam and Kristina ready to go ahead with their petition and plan for their charter school. And after asking Julia if she can look at the package they’ve put together (to which she fully jumps in head first), Julia comes back with a full plan of attack to help bring extra funding into the school while also getting a meeting that week with the school board. After seeing Julia for the last season and a half dealing with her new role as the stay at home parent and her marriage fall apart, it’s refreshing to see Julia’s long dormant “scary lawyer” side of her finally emerge and show us why she was so good at her job. As she’s helping Adam, Kristina and Mr. Knight with the charter school, Julia finally decides to let go of her hopes of reconciliation with Joel and to finally go on a dinner date with Ed, minus the wedding ring. But upon trying out his perfected Baked Alaska and him telling her that she was the best thing in his life for the last year, she bolted, saying that she’s not ready to do this just yet. But apparently it only took the charter school being approved by the school board and the music of Ashes of Rome to get her going on with Mr. Knight instead, whom they both were exchanging glances at each other throughout the episode. I guess Crosby’s “black sheep” comments to her in “Just Like At Home” was some actual subtle foreshadowing.

After three stellar episodes in a row, this week’s episode, “Cold Feet,” not only does the double meaning of the title better than last week’s episode, but was also a literal interpretation of where the season is at before the big finale.

Over with Drew, after Sarah finds out about Drew crashing at Amber’s place, Sarah forces Drew back from his self-imposed exile from Berto and the dorm room. And after Drew rants at Berto for everything he’s done since he got to college, Berto decides to finally break the tension between the two of them by offering Drew a beer for every complaint he has about him. Thus Drew gets drunk, vents his rage towards Berto and all is forgiven. And after a raid on the cafeteria freezer of ice cream sandwiches and seeing Natalie on the quad, Berto points out that Drew was the one who screwed up with Natalie.

Meanwhile, back at the Luncheonette, Adam and Crosby get a call from the manager of 4D, a boy band who wants to have Ashes of Rome tour with them as their opening act. Adam and Crosby then invite the band to the release party that they’re throwing for the band and their finally completed album. They tell the band of the offer and of course, Oliver doesn’t want to do it and would rather hold onto what little artistic integrity they have. Which galls Crosby especially, since upon finally returning home, they see that the mold has gotten into the floorboards and that it’ll cost 14 grand to be replaced. So Crosby acts as future Oliver and tells him to accept this touring deal, which Oliver does very begrudgingly.
After shooing her son back to college, Sarah kinda takes a backseat to Hank, who after a few more sessions with Dr. Pelican, finally opens up to Sarah and bears his heart to her. And finally with Zeke and Camille, after finally signing the papers to sell the house, they find packing to be harder than expected. And after Zeke talks down Camille whose finally having second thoughts, Zeke surprises her with a new home. A smaller, San Francisco type house with a backyard for a garden and a balcony with a beautiful view of Berkley, complete with the famous stone lighthouse on the horizon. It doesn’t take up too much space, but this was my favorite plotline of the episode, capturing the grounded sweetness that is Zeke and Camille moving on with their lives.

The Roundup

• Best Line of the Night: “Your brother did this to me, once. I’m getting the sense it’s a Braverman thing.” Mr. Knight to Julia when she shows up unannounced to his place to get him to do something.
• Stray Observations:
• In the opening scene, Sarah drops off a freshly bought Cuisinart at Amber’s place. Apparantly Sarah deals with heartbreak by appliance shopping. No wonder they’ve always been so cash strapped.
• I think the only reason Berto offered Drew beers and not shots is because they didn’t have any shot glasses around. Plus, they are on a budget I assume.
• 2nd Best Line of the Night: “She should’ve went to state school.” Crosby to Adam when Adam tells him that Haddie at Cornell is expensive.
• I like that when Crosby tells Oliver about the mold that is costing him 14 thousand dollars, Oliver wonders aloud if it’s a metaphorical mold.
• The fading from one dolly shot to the next during the school board meeting made for an interesting montage/editing choice.