Entertainment
On 'Parenthood,' How Has Each Braverman Changed Over the Show's 6 Seasons?
For a show that only has a handful of episodes left before its series finale, Parenthood is doing a great job of distracting viewers from that very fact. With all the commotion surrounding Zeek's possible death (or maybe Crosby's?), Amber's pregnancy, and Kristina's mess of a high school, it's been easy to forget that after this fall, the Bravermans will be *sniff* gone from our lives for good.
Unfortunately, we can't ignore it forever. As the season winds down, more and more signs will point towards the show's impending finale; plots will get wrapped, cliffhangers will get solved, and characters will finish, or at least get closure on, the development and changes they've gone through over the course of the show's six seasons. Because while some things about Parenthood have stayed the same over the show's run (fast dialogue, family dinners), when it comes to the Bravermans' growth, the people we met in season one are nothing like the family we know today — well, at least most of them. Here's a look at how each Braverman has grown over the seasons, from least changed to most.
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14. Sydney
Season 1: Brat.
Season 6: Brattier.
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13. Camille
Season 1: Kind, forgiving, and totally under-appreciated.
Season 6: See above.
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12. Jasmine
Season 1: Not the greatest for hiding Jabbar from Crosby for five years, but other than that, pretty damn cool.
Season 6: Jasmine hasn’t changed a bit, or maybe she has? We have no idea, because Parenthood refuses to acknowledge that she exists.
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11. Adam
Season 1: A kind but overextended family man unsure of how to deal with the challenge of having a son with Asperger’s.
Season 6: Still kind, still overextended, still the Adam we knew and loved, if a bit less uptight, at the beginning of season 1. The guy’s barely changed, but really, did he need to?
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10. Zeek
Season 1: A grumpy but lovable grandpa who made some bad choices (see: making unwise investments, having an affair) and hurt his loved ones.
Season 6: Grumpy? Check. Lovable? Check. A few bad decisions (see: leaving hospitals, refusing surgery) that send his family members reeling? Check. Zeek might no longer take Camille for granted, but other than that, he’s the same frustrating but good guy we knew at the show’s start.
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9. Drew
Season 1: A quiet, sensitive kid who didn’t fit in with his loud, fight-prone family.
Season 6: Still quiet and sensitive, but much more at peace with his Braverman blood.
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8. Kristina
Season 1: A force of a mom, willing and able to take on whatever challenges came her family’s way.
Season 6: A few years of cancer, child-raising, and changed jobs later, Kristina is stronger than she was at the start of the series, but her endless determination and focus for getting things done hasn’t changed a bit.
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7. Haddie
Season 1: A straight-A student and perfect daughter who put way too much pressure on herself.
Season 6: Much more relaxed, better at dealing with Max, and oh yeah, gay.
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6. Joel
Season 1: The best husband/father/human being on Earth.
Season 6: Still a good guy, but not without his flaws ( now he’s trying to save his marriage?). The imperfections have made him more realistic, though, if less dreamboat-y.
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5. Julia
Season 1: A workaholic, over-competitive mom who needed control over everything, from her daughter’s swim lessons to her husband’s choice in co-workers.
Season 6: Oh, how her priorities have changed. Losing her job, marriage, and first adoption threw Julia for a loop, and now, she cares more about keeping her loved ones happy than competing with the ridiculous moms at her kids’ schools.
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4. Amber
Season 1: Willful, rebellious, and nearly always in trouble.
Season 6: Still independent, still passionate, but far less likely to get herself arrested for drugs or hit by an SUV. Amber’s come a long way since the show’s start, as shown by her mature decision earlier this season to let Ryan go.
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3. Sarah
Season 1: A total mess, but trying to pull her life together. Struggling for money, terrible at relationships, always at odds with her rebellious daughter and her withdrawn son.
Season 6: Her romantic life may still be a disaster (Mark is returning!), but otherwise, Sarah’s actually made a lot of progress. She has a job she loves, a house she can afford, and two kids who grew up well — even if one might be following in her mistake-prone footsteps.
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2. Crosby
Season 1: Immature, unreliable, and totally unprepared to be a father.
Season 6: He couldn’t be more different. Now married to Jasmine, raising their two kids, and running his own studio, Crosby’s come a long way since the days of living in boats and sleeping with behavioral aides.
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1. Max
Season 1: A smart but unusual boy who didn’t understand why he wasn’t like other kids.
Season 6: How hasn’t Max changed? He’s aware of his Asperger’s, pursuing his interests, and using his past as eighth grade class president to make differences in the world, one vending machine at a time. It’s been incredible to see Max grow.
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