The on-again, off-again relationship between Sarah (Lauren Graham) and Mark Cyr (Jason Ritter) on Parenthood has weathered its share of challenges: their age difference, the fact that her daughter was his student. But the couple is about to weather their biggest test yet now that Sarah’s ex-husband, Seth, is back in town and headed to rehab.
“There’s this happiness that he’s finally taking care of himself but it’s very stressful for what it means for Mark and Sarah,” Graham tells TVGuide.com. “It’s a very jarring thing to have Seth in town at all and I think still new for Sarah to be juggling any relationship issues. She’s been on her own for a while.”
Tuesday’s episode (10/9c, NBC) will be a big step forward for Seth (John Corbett) as he enters rehab to cure his long-standing addictions. But will it be a step backward for Sarah and Mark after finally reuniting earlier this season? Her support for her ex (both emotionally and financially, after she borrowed the money for Seth’s treatment from Julia and Joel) may mean less time for Mark, but he’s prepared to put up a fight for the woman he loves. “It’s a difficult thing for him, but he knows that it’s an important thing for Sarah, and if he were to try to put his foot down or draw a line in the sand, it would only push her away,” Ritter says. “He’s able to see on one hand that that is very selfless and beautiful of her, and on the other hand, he’s nervous that maybe it will bring things up for her that will cause her to pull away from him. He’s doing his best right now to stay in the relationship and also make some boundaries so that she knows that this is not easy for him.”
Adds Graham: “He’s no pushover.”
Also coming to Sarah’s rescue will be her two children, especially eldest daughter Amber (Mae Whitman), who lends a hand to protect her mom despite her rocky relationship with her dad. “I think this is the first time that they’ve started to see their mom happy. So even though at times the kids are at odds with Sarah, they kind of step up and help out and also push back at their dad and want to make sure that they’re helping me do the right thing,” Graham says. “It’s funny because Sarah is one of the only characters who has kids this old and so we’re really seeing them go out on their own and becoming adults.”
Parenthood’s Monica Potter on new baby Braverman: You’ll see a crack in Kristina’s armor
Also on Tuesday night’s episode, Mark meets the rest of the Braverman clan. “They meet Mark at a big party and give him a hard time, as they do,” Graham says.
A family as big, and as involved in each other’s personal lives, as the Bravermans may be intimidating, but Mark sounds ready (albeit a little nervous). “He’s trying to make a good impression and hoping that everybody likes him, but at the same time, he has the knowledge that he and Sarah are really in love and that he hasn’t done anything to be ashamed of,” Ritter says — before Graham adds “yet” with a laugh.
Just when it looked like things might work out for Sarah Braverman on Parenthood, her troubled ex-husband reappeared worse off than ever. How is Seth’s return going to affect Sarah’s relationship with hunky English teacher Mark Cyr? I spoke to Lauren Graham (Sarah) and Jason Ritter (Mark) about any potential conflict, their (fictional) wedding episode, and turning on the waterworks.
So there’s only smooth sailing ahead for Sarah and Mark, right?
Lauren Graham: Yes! Nothing bad will ever happen to them, just like in life, nothing ever breaks people up.
Jason Ritter: Six more seasons of bliss.
That’s good to hear. When’s the wedding episode?
Lauren Graham: It’s going to be the 100th episode.
Jason Ritter: We planned it like that on purpose.
Lauren Graham: And we can’t really say anything else about it. No, I want them to get married and have only happy times, but I don’t know. An hour of happy times on TV—popular show? Maybe not.
How long until we see a confrontation between Mark and Seth?
Jason Ritter: It’s less a direct confrontation and more of a stress on the relationship. I don’t think—
Lauren Graham: They’re not gonna, like, duke it out.
Jason Ritter: No, he’s almost twice my height. Which gives me an advantage, because I’m—
Lauren Graham: Fast! Wiry!
Jason Ritter: I think it’s the kind of thing where Mark knows they are spending time together, and that this man is an important man in her life. The fact that he’s getting well makes him even more of a threat, because he’s becoming more and more of the man that she fell in love with and had two children with. So a man’s insecurities can start to blow up in that kind of situation.
This is so not my day. First it took me forever to cap Parenthood this week because of my computer and when I was finally able to do it, they didn’t upload in the right order here. So if you want to watch them in order you have to start at the last page. Sorry about that!
NBC has extended the third season of comedy-drama Parenthood, according to EW.
The network, which renewed Parenthood for a third season back in May, has ordered an additional two episodes – bringing this season’s total up to 18.
Parenthood was created by Jason Katims and stars former Six Feet Under actor Peter Krause opposite the likes of Monica Potter, Lauren Graham, and Craig T. Nelson.
Former Gigantic actress Skyler Day recently landed a recurring role on the show’s third season as Amy, a love interest for Miles Heizer’s character.
Parenthood continues Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.