OMG, Parenthood
I don't know that I even have words. Just... watch the episode that aired on January 2nd. Just do it.
Hank is an awkward adult who's taken the young diagnosed-Aspie Max under his wing. He feels some affinity for this kid from the first time he meets him, ages and ages ago now. More recently, Max has taken an interest in photography - Hank's business - in no small part due to Hank's encouragement. He's been coming to the studio fairly often, is probably perseverating a bit on photography but we haven't really seen his work with it in quite that much depth.
Max's parents have spoken with Hank about Max's Asperger's in the past, in that way that parents do: assuming their kid is being a bit of a burden, kind of checking in, making sure that whomever they're hanging out with is actually ok with hanging out, apologizing for the weird things their kid does/will do. This episode is the first time Hank really gets to see something truly difficult about AS, though, when Max comes in expecting to develop his photos today and finds Hank under a deadline for a client and unable to get away from an unexpected reshoot of their product. Max of course is very upset by the surprise deviation from the plan, and has a (not particularly dramatic, all things considered... this is part of what I ADORE about this show, they are much more nuanced and non-stereotyping about AS than most media portrayals which probably would have had him screaming and rocking) meltdown. He calls Hank a liar, throws something, and pretty soon runs out of the shop back home.
So, Hank runs after him, talks to Max's parents about what on earth just happened, they reassure him that this happens sometimes and that Max is ok and not to worry. Max's dad comes by the shop later with a book about Asperger's for Hank to read, if he's interested in learning more about the way Max is. And so Hank reads it, and has that moment that is probably very familiar to so many of us in this comm:
Hank is an awkward adult who's taken the young diagnosed-Aspie Max under his wing. He feels some affinity for this kid from the first time he meets him, ages and ages ago now. More recently, Max has taken an interest in photography - Hank's business - in no small part due to Hank's encouragement. He's been coming to the studio fairly often, is probably perseverating a bit on photography but we haven't really seen his work with it in quite that much depth.
Max's parents have spoken with Hank about Max's Asperger's in the past, in that way that parents do: assuming their kid is being a bit of a burden, kind of checking in, making sure that whomever they're hanging out with is actually ok with hanging out, apologizing for the weird things their kid does/will do. This episode is the first time Hank really gets to see something truly difficult about AS, though, when Max comes in expecting to develop his photos today and finds Hank under a deadline for a client and unable to get away from an unexpected reshoot of their product. Max of course is very upset by the surprise deviation from the plan, and has a (not particularly dramatic, all things considered... this is part of what I ADORE about this show, they are much more nuanced and non-stereotyping about AS than most media portrayals which probably would have had him screaming and rocking) meltdown. He calls Hank a liar, throws something, and pretty soon runs out of the shop back home.
So, Hank runs after him, talks to Max's parents about what on earth just happened, they reassure him that this happens sometimes and that Max is ok and not to worry. Max's dad comes by the shop later with a book about Asperger's for Hank to read, if he's interested in learning more about the way Max is. And so Hank reads it, and has that moment that is probably very familiar to so many of us in this comm: