The blurb of The Parenting (2025), on MAX, made my jaw drop: "Boyfriends Josh and Rohan plan a weekend getaway to introduce their parents, only to discover that their rental is home to a 400-year-old poltergeist."
So the draw here is the poltergeist? Being gay is perfectly ordinary, not worth commenting on? I'm in.
Scene 1: 1983. A crying woman calls her teenage son to watch the series finale of MASH, then pours a glop of disgusting French dressing over a salad. Wait --he can't be Josh or Rohan, unless they are in their 60s. He must be one of the parents.
The son doesn't want to call his sister, Allie, to dinner, so Mom says "I hate you kids." She goes upstairs to knock on the sister's door and yell, but no answer. Is the sister dead in there?
Smoke detector, burnt pizza -- and a monster hand shoots out and grabs Mom! Growl, scream. Son tries to investigate, is grabbed, too! Growl, scream. Daughter Allie is next. I thought they were going to be major characters.
Scene 2: 2025. Rohan (Nik Dodani) and Josh (Brandon Flynn) are driving through a cold wilderness with their dog, discussing how excited they are to be spending the weekend with both sets of parents at the mansion they rented, so everyone can get to know each other. Their first meeting? Maybe start with dinner. Rohan' notes that his parents are very demanding, so every detail has to be perfect.
Other talk is rather disquieting: a cat with a human butt, being horny for a house. I know this is a step forward in LGBT representation, but does it have to be so gross?
Scene 3: They arrive at the house, love it. kiss -- one of those "mwah" kisses. Brenda, the creepy caretaker, explains that the house has been deserted since the previous family died in a fire 40 years ago. The new owners decided to renovate and rent it out for tourists. "Wait -- are you gay?"
Um...what?
"I'm thinking you're gay."
"Um...yes. Is that ok?" You should definitely check that before renting a place. You don't want to be screamed at, or forced into a room with twin beds.
"That'll work." WTF, lady? She leads them inside, chatting about the upcoming Worm Moon, ignoring the circle etched into the floor. The wifi password is: ego sum tibi artha, "I am for you, Artha."
In other news: Sarah the dog sitter is in their apartment. She warns Rohan not to propose to Josh: too much for one weekend. She accidentally texts the same message to Josh, har har.
Rohan says "I have something I want to ask." Uh-oh, this is it, the Big Question. Psych! It's "Don't tell my parents that you were fired. They're perfectionists." Har-har.
Scene 4: Rohan's uptight dad and judgmental wife arrive ((Brian Cox, Logan Roy in Succession, top photo; and Edie Falco, Carmela in The Sopranos). "Trip ok?" "Yes." Why aren't they South Asian? MAX only wanted actors from its series?
Left: Brian's butt in 1980. See below for Brian's butt in 2025.
They haven't met Josh yet, so they grudgingly shake hands. Then the dog rushes up and sniffs at Mom's private parts.
Josh: "We're beginning to think she's a lesbian. She loves the smell of..." Oy vey, this is painful to watch. First, a lesbian dog would be attracted to female dogs, not people. Second, why would you ever, ever reference the private parts of your boyfriend's mother?
Dad complements Josh's physique and asks about his job. They prevaricate.
Left: Josh's physique
Scene 4: Unpacking in their room, Rohan lays into Josh for the "loves the smell of..." comment, and Josh lays into Rohan for having a dad who...um...complements his physique?
Rohan is stressed because he never introduced his parents to a boyfriend before. So you do it for a whole weekend? Josh suggests de-stressing with some edibles. "No drugs. I forbid it!"
They continue arguing out into the hall. "And no more p*ssy jokes in front of my mother."
"Fine. But if your mom can't appreciate a good p*ssy joke..." He swings open the bathroom door...guess who is on the toilet?
First of all, in a mansion, the guest bedrooms should have private bathrooms. Second, bathroom doors can be locked. Third, I just saw the p*ssy of Carmela Soprano, but 10 to 1 we won't be seeing Logan Roy's d*ck.
More after the break. Caution: Explicit