Genius in the House: Special Guest: The TV Girl

I firmly believe in sharing. It's something that has been drilled into our heads as little kids and for good reason. Sharing is good. Sharing makes friends. Sharing makes the world go round. Except if you are a prostitute, then sharing is wrong. Very, very wrong. Anyway, my good friend TV Girl has done me a great favor and will be guest-blogging today. If you havent checked out her site yet, you should. So without further ado, I give you the TV Girl and the Top 5 TV Dads, the first in a 2 part series regarding TV Parents:

Parental relationships define our lives; we spend our entire existence acting in accord or reacting against what we are taught by our parents as they either raise or ignore us.
One of my stunning endorsements of Veronica Mars is the relationship between Veronica and Keith. I claim that Keith is one of the top five parents on TV if not the best. So who is the competition? Now I know that most people would say that Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) is the all-time champ of best parent on TV, but he is before my time, and is maybe best left as a special case, not eligible for competition. I think this list is more about recent/current TV than the entire history of TV.

The Top Five Dads:

Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) from Veronica Mars
I admit that I am a sucker for daddy-daughter storylines, but the relationship between Veronica (Kristin Bell) and her father Keith is truthful and beautiful. Keith admires and encourages his daughter, but he struggles with his desire to protect her, and suffers when she deceives or defies him, as teenagers often do. Because his wife left, he is the sole parent, so at times he is in the awkward position of chastising and comforting simultaneously. Furthermore, Keith must act as a model for Veronica. His professional life is profoundly effected by Lily’s murder, and he must demonstrate to his daughter how to accept adversity with good-humor and resilience. He is motivated by his profound love for his child and always acts towards giving her a good life.

Sandy Cohen (Peter Gallagher) from The O.C.
I don’t think anyone can argue that The O.C. is divorced from reality. Accordingly, Sandy is a bit too smart, a bit too smarty-pants, and a bit too trusting. Granting this, Sandy is a damn good dad. Sandy is a good father because he knows who he is and doesn’t compromise for trivialities. His openness to taking in Ryan (Ben Mackenzie) is of course the premise of the show, and if it was just the “I’m going to save the down trodden kid” mentality then Sandy wouldn’t qualify for my list. He is a loving and consistent father to both Seth (Adam Brody) and Ryan; encouraging them when they are lost, reprimanding them when they are wrong, and never giving up on them. In Season Three, when Sandy kind of looses his way, it is his children who bring him back. His respect for them reciprocates in their respect for him, and engenders them with the courage to do what is right when he is in the wrong. I think his children appreciate him more the older they get, which is an accurate assessment of how we all feel about our parents. I really can’t imagine the embarrassment Seth suffered as a small child. Plus Sandy has the best eyebrows in existence (I don’t know why I consider that a positive quality in a father, but I do).

Ignacio Suarez (Tony Plana) from Ugly Betty
Betty (America Ferrera)’s dad is awesome. He cooks, he watches telonovelas, always reminds his daughters of right and wrong, acts as a father to his grandson, and even gives Betty’s boss Daniel (Eric Mabius) much need guidance. When it comes out that he hasn’t been entirely honest with his children, they are upset, but I can’t blame him for the choices he makes. He does what he does to protect his children, and he holds himself to the same moral standard he holds them to. When he faces the repercussions of his past actions, he accepts his responsibility with dignity. When Betty and her father disagree because he opposes her relationship with Henry (Christopher Gorham), Henry reminds her that he father is the foundation of her life. Now that’s a good father, appreciated even by those he disagrees with.

Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) from Bones
There are a few standard rules on TV. A single mother is single because her ex/babydaddy/one-night-stand is an ass-hat and she is better off with out him. A single father is single because he is a widower and his deceased wife was a saint. (The notable exception is 8 Simple Rules, which incorporated the death of John Ritter into the show and depicted the aftermath of loosing a good father.) If a show deals with both parents, then the child is freakishly well adjusted (Micah from Heroes anyone), as if everyone is trying to prove that a spilt home is the ideal environment for children. Bones kind of bends the rules. I admit I was skeptical when they introduced Booth’s son, but it has proven to be one of the more compelling storylines on the show. Booth is a single father, his ex-girlfriend has custody, and they do their best to give Parker (Ty Panitz) the best life. But Booth has to struggle with his ex’s new love interests and their influence on Parker’s life, as well as his desire to spend time with his son balanced with maintaining civil relations with his ex. Showing the difficulties facing a loving father who doesn’t have custody is impressive element of the show, and Booth is so patient, loving, and determined to make the best of it, you know Parker will become a good man. (Plus he gets extra points because Booth is worlds away from Angel and his son Connor, which had to be one of the most fraked-up father/son dynamics ever.)

Admiral Bill Adama (Edward James Olmos) from Battlestar Galactica
My respect for Adama as the leader of the remains of humanity is almost inexpressible. But his qualifications as a father are questionable, but he makes it on my list because he demonstrates that one can learn from mistakes and grow into a better person. Adama and his son Lee (Jamie Bamber) are individually and relationally a huge part of the show. When BSG begins they are estranged due to the death of the (I think) younger Adama son Zack, who died in a flying accident two years before. Lee and Adama fight bitterly but love fiercely. They push at each other, defy each other, and disappoint each other, but each rises up like a gladiator when the other is threatened or in danger. Adama has worked through a great deal of his parenting issues in his relationship with Kara Thrace (Katee Sackhoff). I wonder if any amount of love, or therapy, could fundamentally alter Kara, but Adama is the one loving influence she accepts without fear or cynicism. Kara’s acceptance encourages Adama to rectify his relationship with Lee. Adama is a very real parent; he has made grievous mistakes, but he loves his son too much to make those mistakes a pattern of behavior. Even in the face of failure he still tries. And every time Adama and Lee hug I tear up a little bit.

The TV Girl

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