Ian Thomas Malone

Monthly Archive: April 2014

Saturday

26

April 2014

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COMMENTS

Parenthood is Better Off Not Coming Back for Season 6

Written by , Posted in Blog, Pop Culture

Parenthood has been one of NBC’s best shows for the past five years. The family drama based off the 1989 film of the same name starring Steve Martin, Keanu Reeves, and the guy from Honey I Shrunk The Kids has had its fair share of ups and downs quality wise, but more often than not it’s an enjoyable forty two minutes with one of TV’s better casts. This season was its first twenty-two episode order since season two, a very unusual scenario for a network show. Unfortunately, that led to more than a few problems.

There’s a reason cable shows almost always air shorter seasons than broadcast. It’s far easier to plot a thirteen-episode order for a semi-serialized show than a twenty-two episode one. Parenthood benefitted from fewer episodes as the writers could figure out what they wanted to do with the show’s large cast. In theory, more episodes should’ve been a good thing as the show could’ve explored many of its more underutilized characters. Instead it spun its wheels for the most part until last week’s finale.

There was a huge imbalance in character storylines. Amber and Sarah did little other than explore tired romance plots from season four while Crosby’s major plot point cenParenthoodtered on mold. Despite being on the sidelines for the majority of the season, Kristina managed to find time to run for mayor and open up a charter school. Realism and TV are not exactly a match made in heaven, but Parenthood’s simplistic concept should’ve lead to plots that were either somewhat more believable, or a least a little more developed. The mold and the mayor race received around the same amount of attention, showing us all where this show’s priorities lie.

There were a few shining moments, mostly belonging to the team up of Hank and Max, the show’s two best characters. Given Julia and Joel’s status as lesser character in the grand scheme of the Braverman hierarchy, their marital struggles were handled admirably, if not a bit drawn out. I have similar feelings about the Zeek/Camille house feud, which would’ve benefitted greatly from an expedited resolution.

Despite the mess of a season, the finale was well executed, aided by Haddie’s return to the fold. It even felt like a finale. Which is why if it turns out to be the finale, everyone should be okay with that.

As of April 26th, Parenthood has not been renewed for a sixth season. We can reasonably expect a decision from NBC in the next few weeks as they prepare for upfronts. There’s been plenty of talk on the internet about a shortened sixth and final season, understandable given the typical shortened seasons that the show has aired in the past.

But I say no, let this season’s finale be the finale. Series finales are incredibly difficult to pull off. Any show that can avoid polarizing finales like Lost, The Sopranos, Battlestar Galatica, and more recently Dexter should take the opportunity. It’s hard to really say that Parenthood would be better off with thirteen more episodes after such a satisfying finale.

The fact that the NBC bumpers were advertising the Parenthood “finale,” rather than “season finale” leads me to think that this is it for the Braverman’s. I’m okay with that. I’d welcome a Hank/Max spinoff, but I don’t need to see any more Drew college melodrama or a Kristina subplot where she runs for President after the show makes a time jump to 2016. Some shows run out of steam and its better to end on a high note than to come back on borrowed time for some more filler that won’t benefit the show in any way.

Thursday

24

April 2014

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COMMENTS

Introduction/First Post

Written by , Posted in Blog

I thought about leading off my first post with something other than an introduction, but that wouldn’t be right would it? Alas, you’re here and I’m here and for now that’s what matters.

I’m sure some of you are wondering what Five College Dialogues is all about. It was a project born out of my desire to critically analyze the important choices that students make during their four years at college in a fashion that would be entertaining to read. Naturally, that brought me to Socratic Dialogue. The Dialogues follow a grad student who acts as a mentor to a few college students. Each dialogue covers a specific theme relating to college life. There’s plenty of humor, which welcomes the text to be more than an advice guide for students as it serves as a nostalgic recollection tool for anyone looking to reflect more of the choices they made in college. It’s fast paced, funny, and heartfelt at the same time. At least, I hope it is.

georgiaAs we are a few months away from Five College Dialogues’ publication date, this section of the website will be compromised of a wide variety of content in the meantime. If you’ve read my work before, you’ll be familiar with my eclectic tastes. I would expect to write mostly about popular culture and social commentary and less about myself as a person. They’re will also be some yoga articles here and there and anything else that seems like a good idea. A few of my recurring Rock columns could appear, but sadly Moan to Malone will remain retired.

I also might add that it’s fairly easy to set up users to make guest posts. I’m not sure why anyone would want to do that, but the door is open in case there’s something that needs to be said.

Thank you for checking out my website. I’d also like to extend a big thank you to all of those who have supported my literary endeavors over the years. The road to publishing looks more like Snake Way than the Yellow Brick Road and the encouragement I’ve received even from people I hardly know has never failed to brighten my day. I hope I can continue to entertain you for years to come.

P.S. here’s the link to my Rock page if you would like to take a look at my older stuff. The Rock has some great new articles as well.

http://www.therockatbc.com/author/ian-malone/