Raul3

I don't understand the hate for Max. Yeah, he's annoying, but he has Asperger's, that's how they act. You can't reason with them, they don't have any kind of feelings. They are like robots.

Evan Meadow

I suggest you watch episodes of Boston Legal so you can see not ALL individuals with Asperger's acts that way.

Barth

Agreed. But....It's TV so all of it can be taken with a grain of salt.

MikahC

That's a bit like saying people dying from cancer don't cry from the pain because you saw someone who died from cancer who didn't cry from the pain. There is a spectrum of behaviors associated with Autism and Asperger's and Max's (at least in Season 1 and maybe 2) are consistent with a person afflicted with the condition. In addition to Boston Legal being a comedy, and accounting for a range of symptoms and behaviors, with Boston Legal you were dealing with an adult. Max is a child.

Parenthood has received much recognition from groups that deal with the conditions. And I know on another forum Season 1 Max was "reviewed" by a person who has a son who suffers from many of Max's conditions. He thought it was very realistic compared to his own life experiences.

I certainly wouldn't tell anyone they need to enjoy the Max character, but if you write him off as a spoiled brat, you're missing the boat. Unfortunately, he has become somewhat less realistic as the show has proceeded (Class President?), but that's somewhat consistent with the rest of the characters too.

Barth

Summed up much better than my previous attempt at "not everyone is the same" quote

Evan Meadow

I don't think he's just a spoiled brat per se at all. But I do see him as someone that his parents are really not trying to get him to get better social cues in life (granted they've got other things to worry about right now) but like others have said, this is a kid who treats them like crap consistently and is rewarded for it.

He's clearly aware that there's a lot of stuff he can get away with and just blame it on his condition and walk away scott free without consequence.

And the family would rather walk on eggshells around him rather than actually do something about it.

MikahC

I understand your POV, which is why I mostly don't comment. But what, exactly would you have them do? It's like Adam said in a previous episode -- you have to pick your battles. Parents who are not used to dealing with children with mental issues (see Newton, CT) are often quick with the, "Why didn't they just..." but it's all fun and games until you have to deal with one yourself. The obvious answers suddenly become a lot less obvious.

Max DOES have a problem processing the world the way "normal" kids do. "Punishing" him into being normal isn't going to work. Overloading him with "consequences" could be detrimental and might border on child abuse (the equivalent of punishing a "normal" 5ft child because he can't dunk a basketball).

The show isn't trying to show Max intentionally treating people like crap. The show is trying to show a person who can't really relate to other people and how that affects his relationships. It's the same as when kids visit and Max wants to do what Max wants to do. Or when he was at school and wanted Jabbar to be with him all the time (as opposed to other friends). His parents have been saints in trying to teach Max, who doesn't process emotions normally, to consider other people.

Christina and Adam are excellent parents of an Austistic/Asperger's child. They're doing everything they can with the finite amount of energy they have to make Max be all he can be while also learning to relate to the world in a way the world can accept. There will surely be times when they err on the side of permissiveness, but which parent amongst us hasn't done the same even with our "normal" children?

I'm not saying Parenthood gets it 100% right, but I think they do a way better job than they get credit for here. Most of the criticism I see of the Max character has to do with expecting him to behave as a normal child, and expecting his parents to "make" him be one.

Evan Meadow

Max is not normal and will never be normal. I don't think they're trying to make him one either (though the whole "go to the dance" episode was pushing it. I was on Max's side the whole time with that one.

But what I see them missing is him having any consequences for any of his actions. Unless he actually hits someone like when he hit Jabbar there's no one trying to teach him sometimes things just don't happen his way and have it stick. Everytime he's told that now, he whines and cries and has an attack and guess what? He gets his way.

The fact that his parents are apparently going to really stand with him over this whole vending machine craziness at school for the rest of the season just shows that. They're going to make something happen that no one but him wants? Just cause he's got Aspergers?

I wish while I spent my years in school with my cerebral palsy I could get away with something like that. Hah!