May Your Wishes All Come True - A Farewell to Parenthood

Ok, so yes, I did watch Empire. And yes I really liked it and I can't wait to talk about it with all of you and analyze all the cool and complicated and campy things about it but I just can't right now you guys. I can't.

Because Parenthood ended on Thursday.

And it was beautiful and touching and such a perfect finale that now I have to organize my feelings and attempt to give this show the send off it deserves. Writing about a show like this, one that has meant so much to me, well it's not going to be easy. But I'm going to try my absolute best (in true Braverman fashion), since, as a series, Parenthood has honestly brought me more joy and more things to think about than any other show on television.

I wrote about Parenthood after last year's beautiful season finale which, at the time, I felt could have worked as a series finale since it's renewal was still up in the air. As wonderful as that episode was, thank goodness the show got picked up for one more year, because we were lucky enough to get this final, emotional season that ended up being the perfect conclusion to the Braverman's story. These last 13 episodes were much more than extra time spent with some of the best characters on television. With them, we got a truly masterful and satisfying wrap up of Parenthood's six years on the air; a final victory lap for Jason Katims and Co. to solidify their place in the TV canon for years to come.

**Warning: Spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn't yet seen the entire last season - if you're catching up on NBC on demand, finish watching first and then come back and see me. I'll make nachos and we can cry together and everything will be fine**

Of course when I think about this final episode, I immediately want to jump into discussing the sublime and cheer-worthy ending montage (which you can watch over and over again here) and gush over the whole darn thing. I'm definitely going to do that, but first, I think it's important to analyze what Parenthood was really about. This show meant so much to me, and to so many others, because it centered on human relationships, and the challenges that we all go through every day. If I could boil it down to one sentence, I think Parenthood was a show about letting people in, and what happens when you take that risk. Sometimes scary things happen: heartbreak, loss, anger, regret. And the show didn't shy away from that reality. But beautiful things happen too. Friendship and growth; happiness and love; a new experience or opportunity that could change you, and push you to be better. The message I got from this show was, even though it's hard, you have to try. Because that's what living a full life is about. And there isn't enough entertainment today that promotes that, in my opinion (see Parks and Recreation for another excellent example of this and PLEASE YOU CANT GO TOO! THIS MONTH IS TOO HARD! WHYYYY?). Even though Parenthood was often under watched and underrated, they always brought their A-game as a force for positivity, showing all of us the rewards that come from not giving up even when things get hard.

And oh, the rewards both we, and the Braverman's got from this season finale! Where to begin? Well let's start in the present day. Sarah and Hank got married - in a beautiful ceremony that only took, like, four days to plan, but lets gloss over that - and Drew made a beautiful and perfect speech as the best man (Ray Romano and Miles Heizer had some of my favorite scenes of the season together, but Hank asking Drew to be his best man topped the list). At the ceremony, Zeek and Camille invited Amber and baby Zeek to move in with them, and a newly back together Joel and Julia decided to adopt Victor's biological sister into their family. Like we all guessed, Crosby, with support from both Zeek and Jasmine, decided to keep the Luncheonette open without Adam and run it on his own. Max also chased his dream, proving himself to be an excellent wedding photographer, and he and Haddie shared a touching final scene together that provided some nice closure to their often fraught brother/sister relationship. He even boldly brings a girl out on the dance floor, putting himself firmly "in the picture" as his mother hoped he would, instead of always being on the outside looking in.

Post-wedding, Kristina dropped a pretty great bomb that a non-profit was looking for her to replicate the Chambers Academy model in other schools, giving Adam the headmaster position he didn't even know he wanted. While that plot point seemed a little dropped from the sky, I love that over the season, we got scenes of Adam finding his bliss as a cooking teacher for kids with disabilities (and kudos to Parenthood for featuring those kids exploring their own talents and showing the benefits of vocational training - the school counselor in me notices these things of course). Since running the Luncheonette was never really Adam's passion, it was a lovely compromise in the end that Crosby was able to live his dream and keep the studio as family run business without the guilt of keeping Adam tied to something he no longer fully wanted to be a part of.

But not everything ended on a joyful note. Before we get our final look at the Braverman's lives, we see a sad, yet beautifully done scene in which Camille finds Zeek's lifeless body in his chair, going out the way he wanted to after getting to walk Sarah down the aisle. That was a real gut-punch of a moment for me - I guess I just wasn't expecting us to actually see Zeek's death - but it was the right choice for a show that didn't pull punches with its audience. Of course, this leads to the final moments of the series, as we witness the family granting Zeek's final wish to have his ashes scattered over center field. As they play baseball together in his honor, we get a series of flash forwards into the future showing all that he left behind: his legacy in the growing family that he and Camille created together.

Can one of you get me some tissues already??

So what happens to the Braverman's in the near future? We're lucky enough to get to see some small, intimate moments that shed some light on their lives. Crosby, Amber, and a pregnant Jasmine run the Luncheonette (and they record the artists whose cover of the Bob Dylan theme song is used to score this montage). Joel and Julia get a new puppy for their FOUR children at Christmas. Max graduates high school as his family cheers him across the stage. Camille visits the Paris inn that Zeek wanted to take her to before he died. And finally, Sarah and Hank's family all comes together for a dinner that includes Amber's new husband and daughter, and the return of Ryan, who is in her son's life as she always wanted him to be. It's a joyous compilation of scenes, cut in with the family's baseball game that gives everyone their moment in the sun. "Boy, we did good, didn't we?" Zeek says to Camille at Sarah's wedding as he looks out at their family. You have no idea, Zeek. You have no idea.

Damn, Parenthood. I'm really going to miss you. Thank you for your optimism, your realism, and your ability to approach difficult things with humor and grace. You've been thought provoking and challenging; inspiring and eye-opening. There's no question you've left some pretty big shoes to fill. I can't wait to see the next show that has the guts to try and do just that.

Already seen that ending scene 100 times? Check out some of the cast and crew's tweets and photos from the last day of filming here and an interview with Jason Katims about the final montage here.

Until next time, stay watching!