Parenthood Episode 5.12 Stay a Little Longer

A gossiping group of moms whispers together as Julia and the kids pull up to Sycamore Elementary. After kissing Sydney and Victor goodbye, Julia faces off with the holier-than-thou mothers - what do they want to know? Nothing is going on in her life, not an affair and definitely not a divorce.

Carl swings by for Sarah's permission to give her number to advertising executive Alec, who wants to discuss hiring her to take photographs for Surf Sport. It's a big job, but a stunned Sarah agrees to go for it. She's up against high-profile photographers like Hank for this job. Hank bungles his interview, but he's more upset by Sarah's bid - how did she land it? When Sarah confesses Carl's connection, Hank puts two and two together. Winning the Surf Sport account weighs heavily on Sarah's mind, but Carl insists he only played a small part. Regardless, Sarah knows she's in over her head and decides to proposition Hank for his help. After haggling over money, Hank and Sarah are once again a team.

Adam's confused when Micah ignores Max at school. Micah is still Max's best friend, right? Max says they aren't friends anymore, but refuses to elaborate. Kristina wants to call Micah's parents, but Adam is determined to solve the issue directly with Max. After much probing, Max tells Adam that Micah's obsessed with basketball, which is stupid since he's in a wheelchair and can't play. Wheelchair basketball isn't basketball. Maybe that's what offended Micah... Per Adam's suggestion, Max apologizes to Micah and invites him to a Golden State Warriors game complete with hot dogs and nachos. Too busy with his new friends, Micah says no. Adam's heart breaks; Max has lost his only friend. Kristina and Adam rally, revving Max up for an awesome basketball game with his parents.

Why is Oliver Rome in Crosby's driveway? Oliver has had a falling out with the band, so he's moved out and refused to finish the album until they apologize. Despite Jasmine's vehement disapproval, Crosby allows Oliver to crash for a few days. Jabbar gets a less-than-healthy dose of Oliver's "coolness": he's shown Jaws, stays up way too late, learns how to roll cigarettes and eats potato chips for breakfast. After several days, Crosby lays down the law - Oliver is contractually obligated to finish the album. Get to the studio or get kicked out of his house. After seventeen missed calls, Jasmine tries reasoning with Oliver. When she was a professional dancer, she was afraid she wouldn't make it but knew she had to try. Oliver opens up and confesses he's afraid of mediocrity. Inspired by Jasmine's words, Oliver writes a sweet song called "Jasmine All the Time" and performs it for the Braverman clan.

Ryan arrives at the apartment to gather his belongings 30 minutes early, startling Amber. It's their first encounter since the breakup and she wasn't prepared. After quickly barking out instructions, Amber darts out of the apartment, unwilling to debrief with Ryan. Out of guilt, Zeek stops by Ryan's motel room - Ryan didn't re-enlist because of anything Zeek said, right? Ryan insists he's going back because no matter how much he loves Amber, he's not good for her. Zeek's surprised to learn that Amber refuses to talk to Ryan at all... so he visits Amber's apartment for the first time. If she doesn't say goodbye to Ryan, she'll regret it forever, he warns. Amber explodes, telling Zeek it's none of his business.

Despite her initial disgust, Amber shows up at Ryan's motel while he's packing his car. She'll never understand why he would leave her, but she's most angry that he'd go where his safety wasn't assured. Ryan promises he'll come home safely as they share one last tearful goodbye hug.

Gathering her courage, Julia reveals to Joel the true nature of her and Ed's friendship. They were both going through job withdrawals and marital issues, which is how they became friends. Ed became confused about the nature of their friendship... kissed her. Joel completely loses his cool, accusing Julia of an emotional affair. He had begged her to tell him if anything was going on. Julia insists nothing was happening on her end, but Joel's stopped listening.

The fight haunts Joel at work, causing him to muddle simple facts in front of the most important client. Get it together, Peet warns. After a tough day, Joel is furthered aggravated when Julia suggests they try therapy. He's absolutely unwilling to visit a counselor - the marriage isn't the problem, Julia is. Ever since she quit her job, it's like Joel doesn't even know who she is anymore. Julia may think someone can help their marriage... but Joel knows it can't be fixed.