Parenthood tells the heart-felt, dramatic story of an upper middle class family in Berkeley, California. Zeek and Camille Braverman have four grown children, all of whom live near them and have become parents themselves. Each subsection of the Braverman family looks a bit different, but everyone has their issues. Sarah Braverman has moved home with her parents with her two teenage kids because her ex-husband, a musician with an addiction problem, has left them with few alternatives. Julia Braverman is a corporate lawyer with a stay-at-home husband, and she's constantly trying to balance her heavy workload (and majorly Type-A attitude) and her role as a mother. Crosby Braverman randomly finds out he has a five year old son and is quickly catapulted into the tumultuous world of fatherhood.
Then there's Adam Braverman. The oldest child, the prodigal son, the perfect husband. Adam has it all figured out. He has a beautiful, sweet wife who cooks, cleans, and drives the kids around, and his teenage daughter Haddie and eight year old son Max are just lovely. That is, until, his son Max's tantrums at school become uncontrollable. One day, Max finally shatters the class fish tank and soon after, he is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome.
Cue the apparent demise of Adam's perfect harmonious existence because, apparently, Max's diagnosis is just about the worst news a lovely, carefree couple like Adam and Kristina Braverman could receive. And herein lies the first issue with Parenthood. Max's diagnosis is treated like a tragedy by everyone in the family. I couldn't help but wonder, why is this suddenly a family crisis? Max is still the same kid with the same personality and same dispositions he had before the diagnosis. I am not suggesting that Max's autism does not pose unique challenges for him and his family. Their disappointment in the inevitable difficulties Max will face as a member of society - simply as an individual who does not fit the "normal" mold expected of him - is absolutely warranted. However, Max is still Max. And Adam's Google search about "cures" for Asperger's syndrome? Come on. A grown man should not be that ignorant.
Shortly after Max's diagnosis, Adam and Kristina conveniently pull some strings and enroll him in a different school with better accommodations. Then, they magically skip the waiting list for the most sought after Asperger's specialist. Almost immediately, Max and his parents receive counseling and guidance for how to proceed. A couple weeks later, a fabulous behavioral aide is working with Max at his house, while Adam and Kristina eagerly look on and await improvement in their son's tumultuous behavior.
Which brings me to my second qualm with Parenthood, charming as it may be. The Bravermans possess a level of privilege that most families lack. They have the money and the ability to switch Max's school, see the best specialist money can buy, and pay for a behavioral aide that is seemingly at their home more than she is at her own. A representation like Max Braverman and his family may look very familiar to a family in a similar situation with a comparable amount of wealth and privilege. However, to most families, the Bravermans immediate and extensive (and expensive) response to Max's diagnosis is not at all relatable. In fact, it has the potential to be downright annoying to people facing similar challenges that can't even imagine what it would be like to have such resources at their fingertips. |
In my opinion (which is, of course, limited), Max Braverman is not a disrespectful representation of the autistic community. However, his character could potentially have been strengthened by more input from individuals with Asperger's syndrome. The show's creator, Jason Katims, has a son with Asperger's syndrome, and he has served as inspiration for some of the show's portrayals of this parent-child relationship. So, it is not as if Katims does not have a experience of his own as a parent of a child with autism. However, while Parenthood is primarily about the struggles of parenthood (shocking, I know), Max's Asperger's is more than something his parents have to deal with. First and foremost, it impacts Max. While I think Burkholder is a skilled actor who portrays Max impressively and respectfully, the writers of Parenthood could have given Max's character a bit more freedom to share his story separate from the desires and emotions of his parents.
So, in short, Parenthood is a well-intentioned portrayal of a family impacted by autism, but it falls short of examining many of the economic hardships that a family generally experiences because of the wealth and privilege of the Bravermans. Additionally, the show would certainly benefit from a few more scenes about Max as an individual. Yes, it is a show mainly about parents, but the other Braverman kids seem to exist in spheres that are removed from their parents. Max rarely experiences the same luxury. Perhaps, this is improved in later seasons as Max ages. We don't need to condemn Parenthood for its shortcoming in disability representations, but it's worth opening the conversation. Would the Bravermans be more relatable if they hadn't found a perfect behavioral aide on their first try? Definitely. Does that mean we can't appreciate the struggles that Adam, Kristina, and Max face in the context of their own, privileged lives? That answer is a bit more complicated, but certainly worth the debate.