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Last night's ep really touched me. I mean, it evoked a genuine emotional reaction. No, not the scene with Andy crying in the church. That was too manipulative(though the acting was pretty decent considering what a melodramatic scene it was).
What really got me was the subplot involving Ephram's attempts to comfort Andy on his anniversary. He offered to stay behind from the field trip(which Andy should've let him, because when a teenager tells his/her parent "It's ok if you don't want me to go" what they're really saying is "Tell me not to go" but parents never get that so snaps to the writers for realism). And the phone conversation when Ephram tells him he's going to miss dinner. Broke my heart, man. Ephram actually apologizing to his father for something, and Andy telling him it's ok, even though it's defintiely not, but there's nothing he can do about it. And I think he finally got a taste of what it's been like for Ephram all these years, to want someone to be close to you, but they can't because of their obligations. I mean there's Andy, happily preparing dinner. He'd probably been looking forward to it all day. Then he gets a phone call from Ephram saying "Sorry, I won't be able to make it" at the last minute. Andy's a smart guy. I'm sure the irony wasn't lost on him. And at the end with the bag and Ephram trying to downplay the whole thing when you can tell that it means everything to him (props to Gregory Smith because it's not easy to sell that).
I think what I like most about this show is how well it portrays the father-son dynamic. I suppose it really reminds me of my own teenage years and my relationship with my dad. Fortunately we didn't have my mother's recent death as a bone of contention between us, but I think as far as things go in the show Julia's death was the thing that pushed them together and isn't really the issue between them anymore, it's just the thing they point to when they don't want to discuss the real issues. When I was a teenager my father and I butted heads constantly. There were days when it was an effort just to be civil to him and I resented any interest he took in my life. Looking back I realize it's because we were more alike than either of us cared to admit.
So amid some really dumb and/or annoying main stories, was this tiny gem of father-son interaction that I can point to and say "That's why I love this show."
What really got me was the subplot involving Ephram's attempts to comfort Andy on his anniversary. He offered to stay behind from the field trip(which Andy should've let him, because when a teenager tells his/her parent "It's ok if you don't want me to go" what they're really saying is "Tell me not to go" but parents never get that so snaps to the writers for realism). And the phone conversation when Ephram tells him he's going to miss dinner. Broke my heart, man. Ephram actually apologizing to his father for something, and Andy telling him it's ok, even though it's defintiely not, but there's nothing he can do about it. And I think he finally got a taste of what it's been like for Ephram all these years, to want someone to be close to you, but they can't because of their obligations. I mean there's Andy, happily preparing dinner. He'd probably been looking forward to it all day. Then he gets a phone call from Ephram saying "Sorry, I won't be able to make it" at the last minute. Andy's a smart guy. I'm sure the irony wasn't lost on him. And at the end with the bag and Ephram trying to downplay the whole thing when you can tell that it means everything to him (props to Gregory Smith because it's not easy to sell that).
I think what I like most about this show is how well it portrays the father-son dynamic. I suppose it really reminds me of my own teenage years and my relationship with my dad. Fortunately we didn't have my mother's recent death as a bone of contention between us, but I think as far as things go in the show Julia's death was the thing that pushed them together and isn't really the issue between them anymore, it's just the thing they point to when they don't want to discuss the real issues. When I was a teenager my father and I butted heads constantly. There were days when it was an effort just to be civil to him and I resented any interest he took in my life. Looking back I realize it's because we were more alike than either of us cared to admit.
So amid some really dumb and/or annoying main stories, was this tiny gem of father-son interaction that I can point to and say "That's why I love this show."
