“One small step for this bachelor…” “…One giant leap for…” “…Family” (Parenthood, 2010-15)
I believe that the relationship dynamics between the Braverman siblings are perfectly encapsulated in one quintessential scene, the one where Crosby puts the "For Sale" sign on his houseboat and his siblings watch him from the doorstep, saying these lines.
Crosby is the younger sibling, and he wishes that his older siblings would understand him, or just take him more seriously from time to time. He is planting that sign right in front of them, almost like he's asking, "Am I an adult now? Am I one of you, yet?"
Adam, the eldest, misquotes the beginning of Neil Armstrong's famous line to comment on the situation. He says, "One small step for this bachelor..." And this is pure Adam. Quoting something that's general knowledge and adapting it. He plays by the book, but he doesn't mind stepping out if it happens. He starts the quotation. The first word is his. But he's not too self-absorbed to the point he can't see his siblings. He is, however, very "perfect Adam".
Julia, the third one, just continues the common phrase. She just says, "One giant leap for..." And this is who Julia is. She's very "always do what the book says otherwise you're screwed". She's the good girl who's supposed to follow the rules, who can't screw up, who can't do what she wants, maybe because what she wants ended up being what she's supposed to want. She's the one who doesn't dare to change something that's always been that way and is supposed to stay like that. It's an axiom, so why changing it? We assume it's true and we assume it has to stay exactly the way it is.
Sarah, the second one, the eldest daughter, just muffles in a whisper, "...family" while her eyes are utterly teary. And that is actually quintessential Sarah. She lingers longer on the doorframe when Adam and Julia make their way back inside, once Crosby has put the sign. She lingers there and makes a very teary eye-contact with her youngest sibling. Almost a silent "I'm proud of you". She probably didn't care that no one heard her almost inaudible "...family". She might as well just have said it in her head. She doesn't say/do things to show off. She says and does things because she's pure emotion, because she feels them. Sarah's the most emotional, she is always either teary-eyed or crying. Sarah's the one who screws up and then pours black ink on the sponge of her soul because of that. Sarah's the one who sees her family. She sees through them. She's such an empathetic one and I believe her heart has a new wrinkle every time she sees one of her loved ones suffer. And she's also the most creative and original one. Going back to that one segmented line, she just says "... Family". She's the only one who says nothing at all from the original quote. She's creativity and change. And she probably would've given her contribute to the situation even if that wasn't the phrase her siblings started. She would've just adapted, she would've still been Sarah, and there would've been Sarah in whatever quote they would've come up with.
I loved that scene more than anything else. It's easily making it to my "best scenes from movies and shows" list. It really encapsulates the deepest essence of each one of the Braverman siblings. It's genius.
