Family Law Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Mama Don't Preach
Laura Nowak
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Families can make us or break us.
There was lots of family drama on Family Law Season 1 Episode 4 in Abby's own family and the controversial case of the week.
That was difficult to watch--Aaron's parents' reactions to their son being gay and the drastic practices of conversion therapy.
Initially, Abby and Daniel felt stuck since Aaron seemed like a mixed-up kid with issues with his parents. Only once he realized that Lucy was gay, too, did Aaron start to open up.
My mom cried for two days and her priest preach to me that’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
Aaron
Aaron was impulsive, thinking he could live on his own without a job, but he shouldn't have to live in a house where his parents force him to be someone he's not either.
Lucy convinces Harry that a mediation meeting could be beneficial, proving she's the favorite yet again. Being the baby, she got the most time with Harry, and he adored her.
Abby: Daddy’s pet.
Daniel: Oh, you’re just figuring that out now?
Abby: Did Harry really support you when you came out?
Lucy: He hugged me and said he’d always love me. Dad never made me feel anything less than cherished.
Abby: What about you? Did Harry make you feel cherished?
Daniel: Cherished isn’t the word that comes to mind. More like neglected.
Abby: I’d probably land on abandoned.
While not all parents support their LGBTQ teens coming out, it was heartbreaking that Aaron's mom couldn't even say the word. She blamed it on his development and kept saying it was unnatural.
She seemed harsher, so it seemed odd that Aaron lashed out at his dad instead.
Aaron’s dad: We just don’t want him to have a hard life and his life will be hard if he chooses this path.
Aaron: My life is only going to be hard because bigots like you think I’m Satan’s spawn just because I like boys!
Aaron's mom seemed horrified that their dirty laundry was aired for everyone to see, so she sent Aaron to conversion camp, hoping he'd "pray away the gay."
Unbeknownst to them, he called Abby for help, and the siblings concocted a plan of their own.
Cecil never gets to do much as a paralegal, so it was exciting for him to go undercover and help Aaron too.
Abby: Seriously, you don’t have to do this.
Cecil: I know, but I really like that kid.
The camp sends horrifying messages about homosexuality being a sin.
When Cecil tried to reassure Aaron, the counselors gave him a private session, and the results were even more terrifying,
I've studied psychology, and electrical aversion therapy is cruel! Jolting teenagers so they'll feel pessimistic about queer images instead.
Cecil was only relieved that they got out of there before the counselors jolted Aaron too.
How could a mother be so uncaring? Aaron's mom barely batted an eye after watching the footage and was more upset that Cecil kidnapped her son from his needed rehab.
Abby: Rehabilitation? Were you not watching that video? That was straight-up child abuse.
Aaron’s mom: I admit it’s radical, but when you have cancer, you do aggressive chemo.
Daniel: I’m sorry, but are you comparing your son being gay to cancer?
Even Harry, who's not the father of the year, was eager to destroy this mother in court for hurting her son.
Aaron's dad looked horrified by the conversion therapy, so Abigail tried a different approach with him.
I loved how she introduced him to Lucy and showed him how Lucy thrived because Harry supported her.
Let Aaron live in a home where he’s loved unconditionally. Cherish him.
Abby
I'm unsure Lucy liked Abby announcing her sexuality to strangers, but it helped Aaron's dad relate to them and his son. Unfortunately, his mom couldn't provide unconditional love.
Abby also struggled with finding unconditional love and support. The only person that went to bat for her again was Jerri.
Harry only thought about how Abby's drinking affected him or the firm, and Jerri reminded him that Abby had lost so much and was suffering.
Abby needed support and stability, and not another thing yanked away from her.
Jerri: This is not about you!
Harry: I thought she was stronger than this.
Jerri: Don’t do that! That’s not fair. You have her working around the clock with a bunch of family members she just met. And she’s separated and lost her kids.
Harry: Still no excuse.
Jerri: You took on Abigail to help her get better. So help her. Relapse is part of the process. But, you know this. When I fell off the wagon, you gave me a second chance. Why are you so hard on your own daughter?
Jerri seemed more like a parent to Abby. When both Harry and JoJo acted petty, Jerri showed up at an AA meeting to support Abby.
After learning more about Abby's marriage and family life, the more I understood why Abby felt abandoned and prone to drink. While there is never an excuse, she thought she worked hard to save her marriage and see her children.
Abby: You know what else you shouldn’t do, sleep with other people’s husbands.
Frank: You lied about texting her.
Abby: You lied about severing contact with her. I saw her social media.
Besides encouraging Sofia to see Abby more, what has Frank done? Has he gone to any AA meetings or therapy sessions with her, or has Abby become another problem he has to pay for?
Abby needs to want to get better for herself. While Jerri was right that relapses happen, Jerri and Harry can't clean up her messes all the time.
Occasionally, it's being a loving family, but if it happens too much, it crosses the line to enabling an addict.
We have only seen legal eagle Harry so far n Family Law Season 1. He was out of his element when he met his grandchildren.
Children are curious creatures. Nico loved all of Harry's antiques, while Sofia was her mother's daughter and wanted answers about why he ignored them.
She made Harry sweat as he tried to find an appropriate answer. You got to admire Sofia and how she bribed Harry, saying her friends' grandparents pay them for affection.
Harry had definitely met his match in a future budding lawyer, and hopefully, we'll see more family scenes.
The siblings got along better as they were united in a common goal. It was amusing that both Daniel and Abby felt Lucy was the favorite.
I feel for Daniel since he's always trying to please his father. Now, he's afraid Harry favors Abby too.
What does Daniel have to do to win points with their father? Hopefully, he won't sabotage anything with his sisters.
I was beginning to enjoy the easy camaraderie between them.
Over to you, Family Law Fanatics. Why is Jerri the only one to support Abby? Did you enjoy Harry meeting his grandkids?
Does Aaron's storyline disturb you? Let us know in the comments.
Remember, if you missed an episode, you could watch Family Law online via TV Fanatic.
Family Law airs at 8/7c on Sundays on The CW.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
