I'm just sharing my random thoughts per episode going forward for these blog posts. Hope this will allow anyone who has already seen the series to enjoy it vicariously. I contribute my thoughts after watching each episode, so it's basically like you're watching it with me. This post took over a month to write, as a result.
For information on episodes, here's a
guide.
Spoilers ahead, but this won't make sense unless you've watched the whole season anyway.
Ep 1:
I would never want to teach my kids to drive. I'd probably act just like Kristina, which scares me.
I felt bad for Max when he learned that his sleepover was cancelled. It was nice that Haddie spent the night in his room.
It's nice that Adam and Kristina have Gabi to help with Max. Not that many families who have kids with autism have someone like this. Gabi is really amazing. However, I worry that Crosby is going to eventually give up on Jasmine and pursue her. She's pretty and it seems like he's taking an interest in her.
I love that Joel put his foot down with Zeke and that Zeke respects him for it. Hey, it got the job done!
Ep 2:
I'm glad Crosby is putting his foot down with Jasmine over where Jabbar should stay while she's in Europe. Her mom irks me and is being so judgmental.
Side note: I like that Jabbar is included in the opening credits instead of just a guest role.
Adam's boss seems kind of creepy. I worry for Sarah.
Interesting that Julia is entertaining the idea of having another child. The whole play date politics thing is so crazy, and yet that stuff happens, i'm sure.
Ep 3:
I actually got teary eyed when Crosby stood up for himself to Jasmine's mom. It's nice that they all watched a baseball game together in the end. So maybe he won't stray from Jasmine after all. That would be good. I still like them together, even with all the distance.
I felt bad for Adam about not being able to have conversations with Max. It's just dawning on him that this is a reality. It's something we take for granted though. I know we considered that kind of issue with our kids having hearing loss, but thankfully there was an easy solution. That's not always the case with autism though. I'm glad Max came around a bit in the end.
While Kristina was being a bit of a helicopter mom, Haddie was being so rude to her.
The new guy that got Sarah and the girls into the concert is cute. I wonder what will come of that.
Ep 4:
Glad that Adam tried to arrange things so that he could still have a date with Kristina. Annoyed that he didn't just say he didn't want to sit with Sarah and Mike. Good that they had some time for themselves later though.
Was frustrated for Crosby when the grandma sent Jasmine's brother to get Jabbar and the fight that ensued. I agreed with the grandma about never being off the clock though. Glad Jasmine is back for good now.
Ep 5:
I'm glad Adam finally joined Kristina at the support group. The trigger for him was so interesting.
Is the divorcing couple back together? They seemed fine together at the group.
It's interesting that Jasmine went along with the marriage idea after all for getting Jabbar into the school. I love the way Crosby found an "in" by using his career to benefit the school. I wonder if he will propose to Jasmine soon.
Sydney was too funny with the bedtime stuff. I know that situation all too well. I liked Julia's way of explaining things to her, although it sounded like they were trying to shove Sydney out of their "bubble." Also, the way Julia and Joel talked about parenting perspectives was interesting.
I still don't like Gordon with Sarah. I felt bad for Mike when things were awkward between Sarah and him while Gordon was around. I liked how Sarah was networking for the business though.
The ballroom dancing part was funny with Zeke and his new dance partner. I'm glad that he and Camille came to a new understanding though.
Ep 6:
Pretty wild that Crosby proposed to Jasmine, even with a spider ring. Her reaction was interesting given that she seemed to want a commitment from him.
Julia was getting annoying over Sydney's costume. She needs to let some issues go. I loved her Amelia Earhart costume though.
I'm surprised Max hasn't caught on that there's something different about him, given how Kristina was acting in regards to Halloween.
I love the little speech Adam gave Kristina at the end before presenting the Reese's mini-pb cup.
Amber's friend was being annoying. Is it bad that I'm glad Howard was with some other girl? I felt like she needed this rude awakening.
I'm glad Gordon is starting to act better toward Sarah. I still don't know that I like them together, but it was nice how he helped her out and it was cute that he kept buying drinks until she heard him out.
Ep 7:
I'm glad Crosby is committed to marrying Jasmine. I was worried that he was going to change his mind.
I could relate to the work-life balance issues that Julia and Joel were having. And they have just one kid. I've just been through the "whose work is more important" discussions before.
That has to be awful to be in Adam's position with having to fire a bunch of employees.
It seems like Amber quickly got over not being able to hang out with Kelsey anymore. I do wish that Sarah had defended Amber to Kelsey's mom though.
I like the dynamic between Haddie and Alex. I also like that Haddie is acting more down-to-earth instead of so full of herself.
Ep 8:
I love, love, love that Adam punched the guy at the store. I don't normally condone doing such a thing, but calling Max the "R" word was just awful and wrong.
I also love how open Adam is about his anger issues and need to be in control. I hope he can take anger management classes or get help for that. I'm glad he finally told Kristina what happened and that she was supportive of him.
I felt bad for Crosby having to sell the boat, but I also saw it as a realistic need in order to move on to this next chapter in his life. I'm glad he told his siblings how he felt about the situation though.
I like Alex a lot. I think he has a lot of integrity. It would be nice for him and Haddie to get together, but I'm also glad he's not taking advantage of knowing that she likes him and that he was honest with her about why.
Sarah is an adult, so it seems a bit annoying for everyone to treat her like a kid. She's my age! Also, she's allowed to have a life. Her kids are teenagers and they live with Zeke and Camille, so it's not like there weren't any adults around.
Ep 9:
This episode felt a bit slower moving than usual, but still had some good parts.
I felt bad for Joel being undermined by the principal like that, but his script was pretty boring and it seemed like the kids really did like the music Crosby was putting into it.
I was annoyed with Kristina. I get that she wants to advocate for Max, but she can't always protect him. I'm glad some good came of it in the end, but she was being really pushy. I was actually appalled that she talked to Emily to try to get to the bottom of things. She should have talked with the teacher, at least, if she had concerns.
The whole situation with Zeke and Camille seems one-sided. He's allowed to cheat on her but she can't cheat on him in return. Not saying it's right for either of them to do it, but the balance is off since Camille can't really go confronting whomever Zeke was with.
I'm glad Adam gave Amber some confidence to talk with Carly. It was also nice what Gordon said to Sarah about her parenting skills.
Ep 10:
I could definitely relate to Julia in this episode. Especially with Sydney asking for snacks and then Camille giving her looks when she said "no." Also with the need to be the baker in the family.
Crosby was being annoying with making demands on Zeke in order to impress Jasmine's mom. The prayer Zeke did was partially funny. I do hope that he and Camille reach an understanding soon.
I didn't like that Gordon showed up to the dinner after the awkwardness with Adam from that morning. It seemed like there was a line being crossed in the boss/employee balance. I'm glad that Sarah has finally seen the light though. I really wasn't shipping them.
Interesting that Alex kissed Haddie even after he told her recently that he wasn't ready for a relationship. Does this mean he's ready or is he going to string her along for a while?
The football game made me think of a Thanksgiving episode of
Friends.
I like how Amber was taking more responsibility around the house and also that she was appreciative of Camille.
The dance moves at the end were just embarrassing. It's funny though. Also makes me think of
Friends with how Monica and Ross had these weird dances choreographed together.
Ep 11:
The whole situation with Crosby and Jabbar reminded me of my younger son. Especially the final scene between them. I can totally relate to what Jasmine said about not wanting to always be the "bad cop."
Why is it that teenagers need to drink? I never saw the appeal when I was a teenager.
I feel bad for Haddie in regards to her parents not letting her see Alex anymore. I can relate to her from when I was in her position once, but I also get where Adam and Kristina are coming from. This makes me even more excited for my kids to start dating someday. (Pardon the sarcasm.)
I liked that Alex was nice to Max and treated him like a normal kid.
Interesting to learn more about why Sarah ended things with Seth. I don't blame her for worrying that addiction could be passed along to her kids.
I like how Julia handled teaching Sydney about death. My older son had a similar reaction when my grandma died, but he already understood about death on some level. Sadly, his reaction makes me not want to tell him about someone passing away in the future. I wonder what Joel's issue was with talking about Heaven. I feel like it has to be more than just his mom dying a few years ago.
Ep 12:
Haddie's sneaking around is going to catch up to her soon, I'm sure. The date Alex planned for her was sweet though.
Amber has a beautiful and soulful voice. I'm glad she decided to do the open mic night after all. I like that she's also trying to be a voice of reason to Haddie in regards to dating someone who has a history of alcoholism.
I really don't like Adam's new boss. I'd be nervous about the company's future too. He reminds me of a young Jeremy Sisto, like from when he was Elton in
Clueless.
It was funny how Joel was messing with Crosby. I'm glad he came back to direct the play. The kids obviously love him. I felt bad for Crosby when he had to deal with the pants-wetting kid though.
Ep 13:
I'm glad Haddie got caught sneaking around. Her reaction seems so extreme though. Especially since Alex is probably going to hold off from seeing her so that he doesn't fall off the wagon. I felt bad for him getting dragged into her web of lies and I'm glad he stood up for himself to Adam.
How did we somehow skip Christmas and New Years? It was just Thanksgiving a minute ago. I hope I don't have to deal with all those fundraisers. Selling wrapping paper is the biggest annoyance. While I get that Sarah wants Drew to actually do the work, I got emotional when she realized that Zeke bought the wrapping paper. It won points back for Zeke since he was being annoying with Crosby at the beginning of the episode.
Speaking of Crosby, I'm glad he's standing up for himself more. Jasmine can't keep calling all the shots. It was cute how Jabbar got over his stage fright. I got emotional at that part too. The play was so adorable!
I'm nervous about the tension between Kristina and Camille in regards to Haddie. I'm sure it's going to be even worse now that Haddie has moved out of the house.
Ep 14:
For part of the episode, I thought Kristina was being unreasonable about Haddie. For the other part, I understood how she felt. There really is no right answer. And it helped that she explained about her parents at the end. And now I think Haddie is being unreasonable, despite her apologizing.
It was funny to see Adam when he was high, but I'm really annoyed with how irresponsible and manipulative his boss is.
It was ballsy of Sarah to go to Adam's boss for a raise but I'm glad she figured out what she wants for herself as a result. Now Adam just needs to leave that sinking ship of a job.
I was glad that Max threw a tantrum on the camping trip because Zeke was ignoring Adam and Kristina's instructions and acting like he knew what he was doing. It was nice what Zeke said to Adam after the trip.
It seems weird that Jasmine was modeling lingerie that Crosby's family got for her. And why was Crosby eating an edible at the end. I don't think it was one of Jabbar's lollipops, at least.
Julia is definitely uptight about her party throwing efforts. Wasn't dinner over by the time the guys came by? Why would it be such an issue if Adam was eating some of the food?
Camille should have girl bonding activities with the granddaughters.
Ep 15:
It was interesting that Jasmine was wearing a Hamsa necklace. I didn't know people who weren't Jewish wore those. In any case, I felt like she really was de-masculating Crosby and I'm glad he finally stood up for himself. Her reaction was really extreme though. She really has to always be right. I thought Crosby sold his boat, but I'm guessing nothing has happened with that yet.
I'm glad Haddie came home, but I worry that Adam and Kristina caved too much. At least they're setting boundaries and that they do realize what a good guy Alex is.
The whole situation with Seth is interesting, and I can see why Sarah is so bent out of shape over Drew seeing him when he was in town. I don't know how Amber would remember so much about Seth from when she was little, but maybe she was exaggerating ages. If Drew was a baby at the time, then she would have only been two years old. I don't think John Corbett played Seth in season one, right?
Ep 16:
I had a feeling Crosby and Gabi were going to hook up. I'm not surprised. I'm annoyed that he's already sleeping with someone else (I wonder if he'll use the "we were on a break" excuse) already, but I can see why it happened.
The birthday party was insane and the other kids' parents weren't too helpful. Makes me glad I haven't hosted any birthday parties in a while. I'm glad the bug guy situation worked itself out and that the kids liked him. It was interesting how he threw Adam's question back at him in the end.
I'm surprised Max still got to have a birthday party after how he acted toward Gabi. Did she even tell Adam and Kristina about it?
I don't know who should be more mortified about the bathroom scene, Julia or Kristina. Still, it was hilarious! Also, if couples who observe the Jewish family purity rituals can go almost two weeks without physical contact, Joel should be able to go two DAYS. One might think...
I'm glad Seth is trying to be more of a dad to Drew, but I can see things going downhill soon. I don't know what to think of the whole fight scene between Drew and the guy who was picking on him. That's a tough call since it is good for Drew to stand up for himself, but that also could have gone way worse. The tension between Zeke and Seth is interesting. I'm surprised Drew wasn't more upset about Zeke pushing his dad.
Ep 17:
Lots of drama in this episode. Crosby sure has a way of messing things up a lot. I feel bad for Gabi though. She even admitted she likes him. I'm not sure if Jasmine's reaction to Crosby's confession was overly extreme or not. I also understand Adam's reaction. It's hard to feel bad for Crosby right now since he brought this on himself. Even though I get why things led to this point.
It was an interesting way for Max to find out he has Asperger's by listening in on his parents' fight with Crosby. I wonder if he'll use that as a crutch for his behavior or if he'll become more withdrawn because he's self conscious about it.
I don't like how Zeke was acting with Sydney. While I understand setting boundaries between parents and children and not letting children call all the shots, I would have been pissed off if my parents did that to any of my kids. I was surprised that Camille stood up for Zeke though. Didn't see that coming. I don't know that I necessarily needed to see them making out. Maybe it's just me, but it made me think of seeing my parents do that. I'm happy for them to be in a better place, relationship wise, but they probably could have closed the door as soon as they started kissing.
I do wonder how long Sydney will commit to being vegetarian.
I like that Sarah and Amber both stood up to Seth in their own ways. I'm surprised Drew isn't more upset about Seth leaving so abruptly. And I feel bad that Amber thinks she pushed him away. It seems like he inspired Sarah to write songs again, if that was what she was doing at the end.
Not sure if I like Amber's bangs so short.
Ep 18:
I love that Mark is back and that he's supportive of Sarah's writing. Now I want to see what she wrote.
I agree with Adam about the parents protecting and enabling Crosby so much. Maybe Zeke should have let Crosby sit in jail for a night just to think about things. It does seem like he's hit rock bottom and it will be interesting to see him try to climb out of this situation.
I felt bad for Jasmine when Julia and Joel came by and they were all ready to go on a date. I love what Joel said to Julia at the end. (I guess his e-mail address didn't end up on the Ashley Madison site...)
I can't even imagine how hard it must be to explain Asperger's to a child who has it. It definitely seems stressful. The kid who plays Max is an incredible actor.
Ep 19:
I felt bad for Amber with not getting into either school, but I found it annoying that she turned to drugs instead of talking to Sarah about it. Also, how is she able to be an intern when she's still in high school. I wasn't too impressed with Gary either.
I also felt bad for Julia, even though she already has a kid and so many women haven't come close to even having one child yet. However, I can relate about wanting to have more than one child and can't imagine having that dream crushed.
Having said that, when Joel called Julia at work while Amber was in her office, I was cracking up. Super mortifying. And then Julia not able to do phone sex. Classic! I love how she said "good luck" and hung up the phone.
I don't know how to feel for Crosby. I'm glad he tried to reconcile with Jasmine, but apparently that's not enough to win back her trust. I wonder where things will go from here.
The decision over Max's schooling is tough. I could relate to Kristina's fear over the social impact of mainstreaming. I was surprised Gabi was able to help her change her mind so quickly.
I don't like Zeke's producer friend and am wondering about the cryptic remark he made and also why he hasn't produced anything since the 90s. I wish Sarah would have just told him to forget about producing her play when he kept ripping it apart like that.
Ep 20:
I'm even more annoyed at the producer guy than I was last week. I'm glad Sarah got annoyed with him too.
I still feel bad for Amber. I don't get why the schools wouldn't accept her if she was doing better in school and getting her act together. I don't see things going well for her from here on out, but I'm still holding out hope.
I'm glad Sarah gave Adam a good talking to about Crosby and that he's starting to come around. The grudge felt like too much after a while. I got misty-eyed when Adam showed up in the end and offered to help fix up the house.
I am glad I don't ice skate because I could never deal with having a broken arm like Julia did. I'm sure it will take her longer than a few episodes to come to terms with her inability to conceive.
My prediction: Alex got (or will soon get) Haddie pregnant and she'll give the baby to Julia to adopt as her own. Maybe it's just my jaded side from reading too many books that have similar ideas. I can just see the show going in that direction.
Crosby needs to shave his facial hair.
In what world do 17 year-olds wear candy necklaces?
Ep 21:
Any way to stop time so that my kids don't become teenagers? Between the awkward moments with Haddie and Amber's atrocious behavior, I hope that's not a preview of what's to come. Is it bad that I'm glad Amber got into a car accident? Like maybe she'll sober up now? I was appalled when she pushed Sarah. And the unintentional phone call at the beginning where Adam and Kristina got TMI was just super uncomfortable to even fathom.
I'm glad Kraft is giving Sarah a chance with her play, even though the producer guy apparently tried to ruin his career at one point.
I feel bad for Crosby and I also don't. Even if he believes that Jasmine could come around, he's taking such a huge risk with this house renovation project. Julia can only talk so much sense into him.
Adam's boss is such a whack job! I really hope Adam gets a better job before the company goes under.
Ep 22:
I'm glad Amber finally gets the repercussions of how she's been acting. It's good that she was okay after the accident, all things considered, but it seems like Zeke finally got through to her.
While it's good that the Bravermans are such a tight knit family, it would have made more sense for just the immediate family to be with Sarah after Amber's accident. Why drag little kids to the hospital in the middle of the night?
It also seemed strange for Jasmine to show up, regardless of where things stand with her and Crosby. At least she didn't bring Jabbar. Having said that, it's nice that Jasmine is starting to come around. I wish Crosby had thought to tell her he wasn't going to pursue her before spending all that money on such a fixer-upper, but it sounds like there are more possibilities in store.
There were a lot of tense moments between Adam and Max, but I'm glad Adam is trying to instill some important social behaviors. I just hope Max doesn't think he can use having Asperger's to get away with everything. He's high functioning enough that he can take accountability for his behavior to an extent. Especially if he's supposedly ready for mainstreaming in school.
Sarah just learned how to write a play and suddenly it's ready for stage? I know it was more of a read-through with a few props, but still. I'm annoyed that the producer guy made up such a horrible lie to get the actors to be nicer to Sarah. She should have told him off about that. I'm glad the play went over well, at least. It seemed like Zeke enjoyed being on stage.
I'm with Kristina in being glad that Adam was fired. He was miserable there and his boss was so unpredictable. I'm hoping he will get a new job quickly.
Kristina's pregnancy is definitely a game changer in the series. I did not see that coming. I thought my prediction about Haddie would be right, but apparently it wasn't. At least my prediction about Julia wanting to adopt was partially correct, as it wouldn't be from someone in her family. I'm glad Joel is supportive of this decision. I'm really liking him a lot more.
Season two was quite a ride. I can't wait to see what's in store for season three!
