Parenthood Episode 4.03 Everything Is Not Okay

It's the first day of middle school, and Max is bolting down the hallway with Micah in tow, intent on locating the school's vending machine. Max has been waiting all summer for this: now he can buy as many Skittles as he wants, and no one can say no. When a random kid mentions the vending machine was taken away, Max has a classic meltdown, embarrassing Micah. Meanwhile, Adam complains about the two-hour wait at Dr. Bledsoe's office (Kristina's surgeon), just as he gets a text from Amber - the band is waiting for him to start their meeting! Friendly patient Gwen pegs Kristina as a newbie and offers her phone number, in case she wants to talk. Things are about to get really confusing.

A bride and groom stop by Hank's studio, desperate to hire someone for their wedding on Saturday. Sarah reins them in, but a gruff Hank tells her Saturday won't work - he's taking a personal day. After the couple leaves in a huff, Hank tells a stunned Sarah he doesn't do weddings. Across town, Grandpa Zeek picks up the grandkids from school. As Max talks about the missing vending machine non-stop, Zeek makes an illegal U-turn. A young, officious cop pulls him over, and everyone's surprised to discover Zeek's license expired a year ago. When Zeek gets out of the car, hoping to persuade the cop to give him a break, he winds up in handcuffs.

After examining Kristina, Dr. Bledsoe takes a phone call, aggravating an already testy Adam. Although Bledsoe is reputed to be the best in town, his bedside manner is clinical. Kristina's tumor is small, and she'll definitely need a lumpectomy, during which he'll also remove two lymph nodes. Then they'll investigate the tumor. Bledsoe has an opening Friday, the 26th - does Kristina want the appointment or not? While making dinner with Mark, Sarah describes her day with Hank - he made the bride cry! Mark leads Sarah through a role-playing exercise to work out what's bothering her most: Hank patronizes her, and she wishes he would treat her - and others - better.

The entire Braverman family descends on the police department to pick up Zeek and the kids. An angry Zeek tells everyone that he was victimized by an overzealous cop. Later, the Braverman siblings gather at Joel and Julia's for a pow-wow. Adam thinks it's simple: Zeek let his license expire. All he has to do is take the test and he's fine. But Julia pushes - could it be something else? Crosby lets slip that Zeek has a heart condition and is taking medication, pushing Julia's frenetic anxiety into overdrive. Adam gets a text from Kristina about dinner, and exits abruptly, offering no explanation. At home, Adam tells Kristina that he didn't like Bledsoe - shouldn't they get a second opinion? Kristina reminds him Bledsoe said not to wait to do the lumpectomy, but agrees to see another doctor anyway.

The next morning at work, Amber tells Adam that the band he was supposed to meet with booked another studio. It's not long before Adam is yelling at her irrationally about burnt coffee odors and magazines all over the place. At school, Max turns away from Micah mid-sentence to interrogate another student about the vending machine. It's obviously unfair, and they need to find a way to bring back the vending machine! Later, Adam and Kristina meet with Dr. Haryana, who is warm, personal and young - the opposite of Dr. Bledsoe. Much to their surprise, she offers treatment options other than a lumpectomy.

Sarah approaches Hank for a talk. If he wants to tank his business, that's fine with her, but she'd like him to speak more respectfully to her. Hank quickly realizes this is about "the wedding thing." Weddings are hassles and they suck; he doesn't need to take every job that walks in the door. But Sarah thinks he's barely taking any jobs at all - this is about his attitude. Hank's afraid that if he shoots weddings it makes him a failure as an artist. When Hank snaps back, Sarah restates her only point: she thinks he should have taken the wedding. To which Hank says, "I thought your point was how I talk to you."

The Braverman siblings gather at Zeek and Camille's for a little talk. Thinking one of the grandkids ratted him out, Zeek insists he was unlawfully detained, though he may have used some inappropriate language in the heat of the moment. Julia takes the lead - they're concerned about his driving. It's not long before Zeek's irate - he would never jeopardize the lives of his grandchildren! When he stalks out, Camille lays into her kids. Shame on them! She and Zeek aren't ready to be put out to pasture. Zeek simply forgot to send in his license renewal, end of story. Adam finds Zeek outside, trying to pull himself together. Adam admits he knows about Zeek's heart condition. Zeek promises he's going to be fine - but then again, you never know what's going to happen in life.

Sarah tells Mark about her latest chat with Hank, who's clearly crazy. How can a photographer not do weddings? Hank could be an artist and run a successful business at the same time. It matters to Sarah, and she wants it to matter to Hank. But could this all be mattering too much? Adam finds Kristina in the kitchen, researching cancer on her laptop. Doesn't she remember, Dr. Haryana said not to google? In the midst of a play date with Max, Micah wheels into the kitchen to tell Adam and Kristina he wants to go home. Max won't stop talking about the vending machine. Did they ever consider putting Skittles in Max's lunch box? Because Max is seriously obsessed. Meanwhile, Camille and Zeek study for his driving test, while reminiscing about all the terrible driving encounters they've seen their kids through.

That night, Amber stays late at work, trying to get rid of the burned coffee smell. When Crosby tells Amber to go home, she relates Adam's tirade of the other day. She really wants to make sure everything is in order, to prove she has more to offer than just cleaning. Maybe she's only good at being creative? Crosby assures her that Adam gets into moods sometimes. And when the next band comes in to record, Crosby will start training Amber in the recording studio as his apprentice. As for Adam, Crosby's sure it's nothing serious. Across town, Adam googles breast cancer and freaks out, while Kristina has a private cry in the bathroom.

The next day, Adam sits down for a talk with Max about friendship. Friends compromise, they take turns doing what interests each other. Sadly, all Max wants to talk about is the vending machine. Did Adam call the principal yet? Well, did he? While Adam allows the situation is unfair, he tells Max to quit obsessing about it.

Kristina meets Gwen, who offers the lowdown on cancer. There's a cycle for the way people treat you. First they pay way too much attention to you, and then they go back to their lives. That's when Kristina will find out who her real friends are. And Adam needs to know cancer is a marathon, not a sprint. When Kristina admits she didn't schedule her surgery because she's not sure about Bledsoe, Gwen sets her straight. Bledsoe saved Gwen's life. The reason he picked up calls during Kristina's appointment was because he always answers calls from patients. Kristina admits she's feeling scared; she can talk to Gwen in a way she can't talk to Adam. He wants to fix everything and keep her safe from anything bad... but the bad thing is already happening.

It's early in the morning when Hank knocks on Sarah's door. Can she be ready in five minutes? They're going to a location shoot - the wedding. At The Luncheonette, Adam asks Amber to pick up Max from school. She tells him she can't, since she's supposed to start training in the recording studio with Crosby. When Adam insists she do it another day, Amber speaks up. She loves working at The Luncheonette, but it seems like Adam is blowing her off lately. Adam admits she's right, then confesses Kristina is sick. Amber's the first one he's told. He's sorry he's been acting like a jerk, but some of this is going to fall on her, because he needs her help.

That afternoon Amber picks up Max, who immediately wants to know where his mother is. He has something important to talk to her about: the vending machine. Camille waits for Zeek at the DMV - he passed his driving test! After the wedding, Hank approaches Sarah with a bottle of champagne. He has to admit the wedding went okay. They behold the wedding couple, remarking on how young they look. Funny, but they were both younger than this couple when they got married. When Sarah laughs that she thought she would be married forever, Hank points out that she's about to do it again. Sarah insists, this time will be forever - it can happen, can't it?

That night before bed, Kristina tells Adam she wants to go to Dr. Bledsoe. She's done her research, and she trusts him. When Adam starts lobbing ideas, and referencing Dr. Hayana, Kristina tearfully tells Adam she's scared, and he's going to have to let her be scared. He's got to cut way down on the positivity and saying everything's going to be great, because right now, she's not sure it's going to be. Husband and wife are just exchanging "I love yous" when Max bursts into the bedroom with big news. He's going to run for student council president, he's going to win, and then he's going to get the school board to bring back the vending machine!