Parenthood is a show about family. That in essence is the show’s pride, showing viewers the good and bad times and asking us to stick with them through it all.
Specifically, I’d like to take a look at one part of this TV family’s large network: Drew, played by Miles Heizer who is the son of Lauren Graham’s character Sara, one of four siblings in the Braverman clan.
Drew entered college this year, first dealing with his roommate’s sex schedule and then moving on to ‘friends with benefits’ status with a girl who only wants the benefits. Though he liked the idea of it, Drew’s character is more complex than that and even though he grew up with a mom who slept around, Drew is more about having one person in his life, rather than doing the whole ‘casual’ thing.
When we first meet Drew in season one, his most memorable storyline is about ‘yanking the old ball and chain,’ and taking too long of a shower. Sara is worried and has her father, Drew’s grandfather, talk to him. Drew’s nervousness is perhaps the first sign of his confusion with regard to his sexuality. Since his father had walked out before the show’s premier, it is understandable why Drew would feel confused and not feel comfortable talking to his mom about sex.
Later in season two, Drew finds himself working on a school project with Holly (Switched at Birth’s Vanessa Marano). Drew takes advice from his mom and kisses Holly. Holly rejects him, so Drew tells her to leave. Without a father around, it makes sense for Drew to reach out to his mom, but what was it that had him so angry with Sara about the rejection, more so than with Holly? Why couldn’t he feel the moment; what cues did he miss? And after accepting his mom’s help, why was it so hard for him to take Holly’s rejection? Drew is in high school, yes, but just maybe he was lost with women because he couldn’t feel for them. While it’s true that not every guy without a father becomes gay, it just works here.
Season four has Drew in a very intense committed relationship with Amy Ellis (Skyler Day), and it is later discovered that Amy has become pregnant with Drew’s baby. Amy decides she wants to have an abortion, but Drew is very concerned. Drew doesn’t want what Amy wants, but he respects her decision. Why doesn’t Drew want to give up the baby? Is it because of his values, or is there some deeper aspect to Drew that he’s still learning about? When the decision becomes final, and the reality sets in, Drew wraps himself in his mother’s arms and breaks down. Maybe, his breakdown is not from giving up the baby but from having sex with a girl and not being able to do it again?
The Bravermans may be an open-minded family, but if Drew were gay it would either be a disappointment, or a source of sadness for the clan because of the hardships that they think Drew would have to withstand. Without a gay character on the show, Drew should explore himself more, take a stand, and try to find out who he is, instead of what he thinks his family wants him to become.