Series finales are notoriously tricky things to pull off. Some shows are on for so long that the very idea of them wrapping up just seems ludicrous to think about, like Doctor Who or (regretfully) The Simpsons. Some are done not knowing that it’s their final bow, like Firefly or Deadwood.
After last week’s pause for reflection on the family history and past decisions of the Braverman clan, “We Made It Through the Night’, written and directed by series creator Jason Katims, gets things going again plot-wise before the narrative and emotional climaxes of next week’s finale.
After last week’s hour of suspense and literal life and death, “Let’s Go Home” (written by star staff writer Sarah Watson and directed by Allison Liddi Brown whose past episodes include classics such as “If This Boat Is A Rockin'”, “Nora” and “Tales from The Luncheonette”) shifts into a slower gear and becomes one of the more reflective episodes of the final season.
“How Did We Get Here?”, the series landmark 100th episode written by series creator Jason Katims and directed by tv vet Michael Weaver (whose credits range from Malcolm in the Middle all the way to Masters of Sex) opens with a flashing red light as Zeke is being wheeled out of his home and into the ambulance.
Moving from one show executive produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to another, today’s episode is the most personally effecting episode of television I’ve ever seen. And I say this without any hyperbole whatsoever.
After last week’s episode that left a bad taste in a lot of fan’s mouths, “Lean In”, the last episode of 2014 written by newcomer Jesse Zwick and directed again by Lawrence Trilling, brought the events of last week’s episode with Max to a head, a wrinkle in the divorce of Julia and Joel, a goodbye to a beloved recurring character and in the closing moments brought Zeke once again on the path of inevitability.
I know what you’re thinking. “Who the Hell is Aaron Brownstein and why must he be stopped?” To answer the first part of that question, he was the kid in the kitchen during the second episode who got a bit too friendly with the wood matches and one of the knives. As to why he must be stopped, it has nothing to do with averting an oncoming apocalypse or anything like that.
This week’s episode of Parenthood covers the family members that were mostly absent last week as they deal with new responsibilities that are thrust upon them and the new forms of communication that comes with it while also bringing the saga of Julia and Joel to a head.
This week’s episode of Parenthood (“Too Big to Fail”, written by the duo of Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson and directed my one of my favorite directors on the show Jessica Yu), opens by doing what’s becoming a common practice in a lot of shows nowadays.
After the last few weeks of heavy episodes, “The Scale of Affection Is Fluid”, which was written by newcomer Jesse Zwick and directed by TV vet Bethany Rooney, is a return to form for the series in that there was an even balance of drama with actual humor in the mix.