Discussion for Episode 4: Father Figures

[TomSpeed]

...it's not until she sees Graham flirting with Rayanne, who is even younger than "the girl" he was "talking" to, that she recalls how much she distrusts him now.

Wow, I never thought Graham was flirting with Rayanne. He was being very friendly, but he was with Sharon as well, and I never thought he was flirting with her. He was also friendly with Brian, and Ricky, so I think being friendly with Angela's friends, is just part of his personality.

I think spending time with Rayanne puts Graham in touch with his being a teenager. She is a smart and fun kid. Graham probably would have loved to hang out with such a girl when he was in high school, but he probably couldn't do so because he wasn't cool and had pimples. I think Graham's friendship with Rayanne is innocent. Angela certainly feels threatened by their friendship. She wants more freedom from Graham, but she would like to have space open for her to get closer to him. She might believe that Rayanne is taking the space close to Graham that she once occupied. Since she is still childish in many ways, she doesn't realize that Rayanne could never take that place.

[RCBS]

Schnitzel.

[Superjesus]

Whoa. Father Figures.

Of all the episodes, this and Other People's Mothers are (for me) the hardest to get through by far. First time I watched the series I almost packed it in after this episode but ended up sitting through The Zit and changing my mind.

Like Rayanne, I grew up with an absentee father (he lived in a different country - I saw him a few times a year during school holidays) and my mother was abusive to both me and my sister. Which is why there were times during this episode where I wanted to slap Angela for whining about how her daddy's having an affair that she isn't even sure of. Rayanne's end speech which brings Angela back to Earth literally got me cheering at the TV (which I don't even do with football...most of the time).

One part I did love was Graham's interactions with Rayanne. We all know the usual way dads act with kids' friends on TV - but Graham just comes off as totally natural.

[Jody Barsch*]

Whoa. Father Figures.
Like Rayanne, I grew up with an absentee father ... which is why there were times during this episode where I wanted to slap Angela for whining about how her daddy's having an affair that she isn't even sure of. Rayanne's end speech which brings Angela back to Earth literally got me cheering at the TV.

Huh, that's really interesting. While I've always thought Rayanne makes a good point when she says that whatever Graham's doing, it doesn't change him as a father, I do not, however, fault Angela for reacting how she does. Seeing Graham with that woman, and then hearing him on the phone, threw everything she knew about her father, their family, and so essentially her life, into question. That's huge. It's a fundamental betrayal of an established and agreed upon truth. How else could she have reacted?

[Superjesus]

Whoa. Father Figures.
Like Rayanne, I grew up with an absentee father ... which is why there were times during this episode where I wanted to slap Angela for whining about how her daddy's having an affair that she isn't even sure of. Rayanne's end speech which brings Angela back to Earth literally got me cheering at the TV.

Huh, that's really interesting. While I've always thought Rayanne makes a good point when she says that whatever Graham's doing, it doesn't change him as a father, I do not, however, fault Angela for reacting how she does. Seeing Graham with that woman, and then hearing him on the phone, threw everything she knew about her father, their family, and so essentially her life, into question. That's huge. It's a fundamental betrayal of an established and agreed upon truth. How else could she have reacted?

What did she hear Graham saying on the phone though? He was saying that he can't do this, that he's not going to go through with having an affair. Not exactly planning a rendezvous.

[Jody Barsch*]

Hm. I still contend that a person finding out that his or her father had even been considering, and making plans for, an affair is enough to rock that person's world. It could still throw into question if he had ever done it before, or if he would ever go through with it in the future.

[Kbranagh]

Lovely episode!
A crucial one finally for the parents, with a very real life issue to fix. But the dynanic are great also on emotional level, the dialogue between Graham and Patty in the kitchen at the ending of the episode is the best scene so far for the parents! So true and so real. I loved also the scene in the car between Angela and Brian, it's so adorable to see these two togheter, the producers keep tease more and more every episode, i wonder if there is a romantic plan for Angela and Brian in this season.....for now it's works better than all the Jordan Catalano's drama. Nice also the cameo of Winnie Holzman.

Grade: B+