It’s been a long time since my last review of this series. I have a good excuse though, the birth of my daughter. Which is really appropriate for this season because it’s all about the birth of baby Buchman.
After the drama and near split of last season, this season felt definitely more light which is a reflection of real life. The birth of a child has that effect on people…
However Jamie and Paul’s problems were not swept under the rug and forgotten about. They actually start therapy which I thought was very realistic writing. Their problems are still there, the pregnancy didn’t make them go away.
Career wise Jamie keeps going strong with the mayor election campaign. Lance Brockwell is funny even though he didn’t have many appearances. I like him from his Buffy role as the mayor (again).
Paul on the other hand felt a bit lost after losing his job at the network, but what he fell back on was a brilliant idea in my opinion: a documentary about his own family. I loved the episode homaging Citizen Kane, lots of fun theories about the last words, but the truth is much simpler than that.
Another new supporting character is Joan, whose comedic timing I think is very good. She is not only part of the family, but she’s now Jamie’s doctor as well. It’s ironic because the cast of supporting characters has increased (including Nat) but the original ones (Ira, Lisa, Fran, Mark) have taken a back seat.
The main focus is really Jamie’s pregnancy. I obviously identified with them, having been through 2 pregnancies (one very recent). All the lamaze classes, the fear and excitement etc… I enjoyed all these episodes, not only because I’ve been through them but they were just very funny.
I think the last few episodes in particular were a high point for this series. And I especially loved the finale. First of all Bruce Willis’ cameo was hilarious, he should do more comedy. All the dry runs were also funny, but there’s another real life issue about this being a couple’s intimate moment. I definitely agree with Paul here, I guess all men do. The birth should be between the husband and wife, but everyone else can wait outside.
After all those funny moments, things get serious right at the moment of birth. Jamie freaks out and can’t push anymore, but Paul (as a good husband) encourages her and helps her go through with it. That’s basically what happens in real life, so I was very happy about the way it played out. On screen births are usually completely over the top or just plain ridiculous, so I was very surprised that this birth was so realistic, even for a sit-com.
This was a great season for me, but I am obviously biased. That said, this is exactly the reason why I wanted to watch this series. Now I can’t wait to see how Paul and Jamie deal with their newborn.
Season Rating: 3.5 Stars