The Big C

It may have grossed us out with the thought of a 15-year old giving his parents a venereal diseases, but "The Little c" also proved how far various characters have come on the first season.

We have to start with Cathy. She was really nothing but a selfish liar last year.

She cheated on Paul, she bought expensive items with money that should have been left to her son. She kept her family in the dark about the basis for her wacky behavior.

But now she's a full-fledged, strong, loving brave bitch. I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The concluding scene was one of my favorites to date on the show, with Cathy playing the cancer card in her own way, but not just for her own reasons.

She really does believe she's the best coach and she's serving as the tough role model the swimmers need.

Then we have Paul. This was the typical Oliver Platt performance on season one: sloppy, goofy, silly. He's still that man to an extent, but he's developing a backbone similar to his wife's. I expected him to react with horror and apologies after making his Max Buy boss pee himself.

Instead, he was proud of his ability to intimidate. Paul feels like a real person this summer, not an over-the-top caricature. I can see why Cathy loves him and vice versa. That was honestly difficult to discern a year ago.

Finally, no character has come farther than Sean. His presence last season seemed like too overt of an attempt for the series to be quirky. But now he's someone legitimately battling a mental disorder, still acting a bit nutty, but coming across like an actual human being. He's far more than comedic fodder. I do fear, though, that Rebecca won't react well to Sean's proposal. Those two just seem too happy these days.

I've gone this long without mentioning the little "c" word, but Adam has given me no choice. What a gross, embarrassing concept, giving your parents a STD. But Laura Linney made me laugh out loud with Cathy's reaction to Adam not only having sex, but getting it on in his parents' bed. She squirmed, she yelped, she hid her face in her shirt. Great stuff.

Adam, of course, has also come a long way. And he got to deliver the insult of the night, finally unleashing on his mother and the disease she brought into the house. Ouch. I'm still grossed out by the VD storyline, but at least this episode helped to scratch my itch for character development. It's been a great second season so far.