Party of Five Something Out of Nothing (1994–2000) Online

I have been watching this show on Sundays (I can't do the whole binge watching without loosing interest in a show). So, I watch TV the old fashion way. I catch these shows on Netflix.

Party of Five was a show I never gave time to back when it aired as I was my twenties and did not watch a whole lot of TV back then. School, work and friends kept me occupied. I was aware of the show. Knew it was well received each week.

Now, I am watching it and each episode is new to me. I look forward to seeing an episode each Sunday.

This episode was okay. I found the Greer character a little far-fetched. But, that's okay. The show is about each character learning, growing and developing. So, the kids learn and move on.

An old friend of their parents comes by and tries to make Bailey and Julia feel good about themselves. Claudia starts feeling weird when she finds out that Scott is gay.

This was a pretty good episode. The story about Greer was in a way creepy. I guess in the 90's it was different but in our time seeing a woman in her 40's expose herself to a 16 year old boy is creepy. Luckily nothing happened. And the story with the photographer was good. Although back in those days a TV show should have been warning young girls not to pay money to get modeling pictures of them because this is how many got conned. It worked out for Julia though and she started feeling good about herself. Although she is really not the kind that should not feel pretty, Neve Campbell is incredibly attractive.

The story about Claudia and Scott was also good. Their friendship is pretty endearing. It didn't seem believable that she would have a problem with his sexuality. Even the idea that she wanted to marry him later in life was hard to buy (especially since she tried to set him up with the waitress), nonetheless it was a good story. I found it sweet how she apologized.

Charlie finding a nanny he wouldn't hit on because it is Bill was pretty funny.

Sorry to the fanboys and girls of the series, but as in all TV series, there's both good and bad, and this episode is indicative of the problems with this series. (Don't be too forlorn, fans, for I exalt the good qualities of POF in a review of the very next episode) The problems that are consistent in what is often a very well-done weekly series are when the episodes get bogged down in superficialities and preaching. this episode does more of that than others I've seen. The main concern here of nearly everyone of the Salinger kids is their appearance and presentation to peers and the opposite sex, and what is an extraordinary amount of low self-esteem. Before you advise me that this is certainly realistic of youth, let's remember that we're not watching merely a presentation of mundane issues of youth, but a series that's supposed to have more depth.

The second matter that is consistent with this series is the general preachiness of the Hollywood view of political dogma and morality. This is to be expected in such series as this, but this particular episode is pretty strident and rather unrealistic in presenting the reaction of the young sister towards her gay violin teacher when she learns of it. Unfortunately, the issue needed a antagonist's viewpoint to fully round out the statement, and the writers decided to make the young sister the unwitting antagonist, which I found reprehensible and out of character for her as well.

A low point in a fine series. For a high point, take a look at the very next episode, certainly one of the best.